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Polystyrene Plastic – Smart Solutions for a Healthy World
Modern polystyrene packaging has long been a preferred material of the foodservice industry because it insulates better, keeps food fresher longer, costs less than alternative coated paperboard products and uses less resources. With today’s growing concerns about the environment and climate change, polystyrene packaging solutions are becoming more recognized as environmentally-preferable for a host of reasons including their lightweight properties. Polystyrene packaging makes sense for business, consumers, and our planet.

Polystyrene Packaging – Environmentally Preferable
All packaging leaves an environmental footprint regardless of material type. It takes energy and raw materials to produce, transport, and recover or dispose of all materials. So it is important to measure all of these impacts throughout the entire lifecycle of the product.

• A Lighter Footprint – Foam polystyrene cups weigh between two and five times less than comparable paper packaging products. This means fewer air emissions when transporting products.
• An Energy Saver – A polystyrene hot beverage cup requires about 50 percent less energy to produce than a similar coated paperboard cup with a corrugated cup sleeve. Decreasing energy usage is considered one effective way to slow global warming.
• A Smart Choice for Recycling – Recycled polystyrene represents an emerging market. A number of municipalities are instituting effective programs to reclaim this valuable resource. Post-consumer recycled polystyrene in some cases becomes “green building” construction products. Most single-use, coated paperboard foodservice packaging materials are not recycled because the coating and paper cannot be separated economically.

Polystyrene Plastic – Designed with Food Safety in Mind
The food safety benefits of polystyrene foodservice packaging are undisputed. The United States Food and Drug Administration regulates the safety of food-contact packaging and has approved the use of polystyrene since 1958. So have governments around the world.

• Clean, Sanitary and Non-Porous – Polystyrene foodservice products can help in providing sanitary foodservice and preventing the spread of disease. Reusables need washing and drying – the plate and utensils you used earlier today were once used by someone else.
• Saves Resources – Reusables require water and energy to clean. Using polystyrene foodservice packaging conserves these important resources.
• Provides Peace of Mind – Parents, teachers, hospital patients and their loved ones are assured about the safety of prepared foods that are served on the sanitary surfaces of disposable polystyrene foodservice packaging.
• Peak Performance at any Temperature – Hot foods stay hot. Cold foods stay cold. Fresh foods stay fresh. From organic salads to spicy chili, polystyrene packaging offers more convenience and dining enjoyment for people on the go.

Polystyrene – The Smart, Sustainable Solution
All things considered, polystyrene foodservice makes good environmental sense. Because it weighs half as much as comparable coated paperboard products, there is a tangible reduction in air emissions during transport.

• An Emerging Market: Polystyrene Recycling – The second largest city in the United States, Los Angeles, has implemented a curbside program for recycling clean polystyrene products, including foam cups. No such program exists for coated paperboard products.
• The Landfill Myth – Polystyrene is not “filling up” landfills. In fact, polystyrene foodservice packaging currently accounts for less than 1 percent by weight and volume of land-filled materials.
• An Excellent Energy Source – High-energy content materials like polystyrene provide heat and light for neighboring communities. At over 16,000 BTUs per pound, polystyrene contains twice the energy of coal and burns cleanly.
• Contributes LESS Greenhouse Gases – Coffee lovers may be surprised to learn that one average weight polystyrene foam cup produces significantly less greenhouse gas emissions than two average weight coated paperboard cups or one average weight coated paperboard cup with a sleeve.

Learn more about polystyrene packaging.

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