Say No to Styro, an environmental campaign finding alternatives to synthetic plastic food packaging such as polysterene (Styrofoam) clamshells, strives to improve environmental and human health in the transition away from synthetic disposables. In July 2019, West Chester, PA approved an ordinance to ban single use plastic bags and straws to go into effect July 2, 2020. Our campaign provides a pilot program for local businesses to ease the burden of the transition, and educate consumers in the process, supporting not only health, but the local economy. A switch to biodegradable food packaging alternatives will preserve non-renewable resources, reduce bioaccumulation of plastics in our environment, and protect communities from harmful chemicals whilst investing into the future. Renewable resources coupled with a cradle-to-cradle model can do more than minimize the damage of plastic products, but rather, create a system that supports a healthy life.
A shift in food culture has created a reliance on single-use food packaging and products
(such as bags, straws, containers, and utensils) in our quick-service food industry that are environmentally destructive and harmful to human health.
The purpose of this research is to demonstrate that not only are
solutions to single-use packaging needed, but they are available, and are beginning to be implemented into our day to day life. Plastic bans are gradually being implemented throughout the world and, coupled with consumers and media, placing pressure on businesses to change their practices. In the process of transitioning, it is important to assess alternatives to keep businesses afloat, and to adapt to changing cultural food ways.
ABOUTUS
A student activist group at West Chester University, Students for Sustainable Action, began the Say No To Styro campaign in 2018 with a life size food truck replica made from recovered Styrofoam waste. The group used the model to raise awareness and educate about the plastic problem, and created a pick-up location for donated reusable containers to be used at the food trucks on West Chester University's campus. In July 2019, West Chester, PA approved an ordinance to ban single use plastic bags and straws to go into effect July 2, 2020. Since then, the group has surveyed local food trucks on their willingness to participate in an alternative compostable packaging pilot program. The pilot program will provide three days’ worth of compostable clamshells to four interested businesses using a $1,500 grant.
The History of Plastic Disposables
1862
1907
The first plastic is invented
The first man-made plastic was displayed at the International Exhibition in London, and it was bio-based! The material was named “Parkesine” after its inventor: Alexander Parkes, and was made from cellulose (a material found in the cell walls of plants).
Synthetics on the rise
Leo Baekeland (a Belgian-born American) invented the first plastic derived from fossil fuels, Bakelite. His work was the first of the many synthetically produced plastics, followed by polystyrene in 1929, polyester in 1930, polyvinylchloride (PVC), polythene in 1933, and nylon in 1935.
1940's
1948
1955
1974
1990
Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were created by joining carbon and fluorine, (one of the strongest bonds that can be made in organic chemistry). It’s the bond that gives PFAS their resistance to moisture, heat, and stains, and makes them a perfect ingredient for food packaging. Commonly used PFA chemicals are: PFOS and PFOA (perfluorooctanesulfonic acid and perfluorooctanoic acid).
first pfas
fast food revolution
The first McDonald’s restaurant opens in California, introducing fast food and single-use packaging.
life magazine feature
Featured in Life Magazine, an American Family celebrates the dawn of a new way of living, thanks to disposable plastics.
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The article reads:
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“The objects flying through the air in this picture would take 40 hours to clean — except that no housewife need bother. They are all meant to be thrown away after use.”
Jon Huntsman Sr. is frustrated with the lack of insulation and leakage in paper packaging, and invents the Polystyrene (Styrofoam) clamshell. After McDonalds rejected his pitch, he sold the product to Burger King. McDonalds eventually adopted his packaging in the 1980’s.
polystyrene clamshell
landfills fill up
17,130 thousand tons of plastic are created, and 80% end up in landfills. There has been no significant changes in recycling levels since then.
2006
2018
Epa on pfas
The Environmtental Protection Agency encourages all major manufacturers to stop making long-chain PFAS, citing potential birth defects and other risks. Since 2006, EPA has reviewed 294 new PFAS chemicals and has regulated 191 through a combination of orders and Significant New Use Rules.
Clovis dairy Farm in New Mexico has PFAS contaminated wells, land, and therefore cows (& milk) from pollution at Cannon Air Force Base. One of the wells has a concentration of 12,000 parts per trillion, nearly 171 times higher than the EPA health advisory level.
pfa pollution & our food
2019
Plastic bans in effect
New York is the 3rd state to ban plastic bags, with the law going into effect in March. (The first being California in 2015). Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Oregon, and Vermont also enact legislation this year, with Vermont also placing restrictions on single-use straws and polystyrene containers.
2020
Action towards banning and creating
alternatives to plastic continue to grow.
WCU RELEVANT CLASSES
Intro to Organic Chemistry CHE 230
Plastics (fossil fuel and bio based) are compounds created in a lab, and this course made it possible to understand the slight differences in molecular structure.
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Sustainable Food Systems
ANT 277
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In this class, we compared how our culture and food ways have influenced our health, and thoroughly defined each pillar of sustainability—economic, social, and environmental.
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Sociology
SOC 200
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Understanding social norms is crucial to inducing lifestyle changes, and this course gave a background on what influences the way people act.
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Principles of Economics: Macro
ECO 111
Cost incentives purchasing behavior, and this course taught me what influences pricing and the exchange of goods.
Intro to Ethics
Phi 180
This course taught me moral concepts such as utilitarianism used in decision-making to balance the benefits and disadvantages of our current practices.
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Humans and the Environment
ENV 102
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From industrial hygiene to environmental pollution, this course highlighted how human nature and mother nature are not acting synergistically.
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The Food Chain
NTD 325​
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This course gave important foundations to not only our plastic problem, but the interactions between each step along the chain from logistics, to behavior, to policy.
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Farm Table Food Product Development
NTD 426
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Learning the preservation processes allowed me to understand the importance of food packaging to reduce food borne illness and food waste.
LITERATURE REVIEW
