Could styrofoam be a thing of the past in South Lake Tahoe?

New York City; Washington, D.C.; Seattle, Washington; Los Angeles County; San Francisco; Miami Beach, Florida. South Lake Tahoe, California?

Hundreds of cities across the country have banned the use of polystyrene (better known as Styrofoam) in their communities. The SLT City Council will be taking a look into banning the substance in the City Limits at their October 17, 2017 meeting.

In 2013, South Lake Tahoe added a ban of single-use plastic bags in grocery stores to the City Code.

Polystyrene is a type of plastic manufactured from non-renewable fossil fuels and synthetic chemicals. It normally comes in two forms: “Expanded polystyrene foam (EPS), which is the stuff that’s made into cups, plates, take-out food containers, and packing materials; and “solid polystyrene,” which gets turned into plastic forks, CD and DVD cases, even smoke detector housings.

According to the book, My Plastic-Free Life, author Beth Terry explains how producing and using plastic pollutes the air. When it comes to the foamy EPS in particular, here are some other objections to using it according to Terry:

- It does not biodegrade. It may break into small pieces, even minuscule pieces. But the smaller EPS gets, the harder it is to clean up.
- It is made of fossil fuels and synthetic chemicals. Those chemicals may leach if they come in contact with hot, greasy or acidic food. Yes, they keep your coffee hot – but they may also add an unwanted dose of toxins to your drink.
- Animals sometimes eat it. Turtles and fish seem to mistake EPS for food, and that can kill them. Not only can they not digest it, but the foam could be full of poisons that it has absorbed from contaminants floating in the water.
- It isn't recycled. Some commercial mailing houses may accept packing peanuts, but for the most part community recycling centers do not accept throwaway foam food containers.

Most polystyrene products are currently not recycled due to the lack of incentive to invest in the compactors and logistical systems required. Due to the low density of polystyrene foam, it is not economical to collect. But, if the waste goes through an initial compaction process, it becomes denser. In England this process is used and the polystyrene is recycled into clothes hangers, park benches, flower pots, toys, rulers, stapler bodies, seedling containers, picture frames, and architectural molding.

Some communities have banned all products containing polystyrene including packaging "popcorn" and all containers besides just the "to-go" meal boxes.

This is the first time the City Council will be hearing information on the ban of polystyrene. On Tuesday they will hear a staff presentation and receive public input. The Council will provide their comments and possibly give direction to staff to develop and introduce an ordinance to eliminate or limit the use of Polystyrene within the City Limits.

The meeting is at 9:00 a.m. at the Lake Tahoe Airport.