Learn the Facts.
Expanded Polystyrene (EPS).
What is EPS?
Often called “Styrofoam” (which is actually a trademarked name for a Dow Chemical Company foam product), the more accurate name for the generic white foam in disposable cups, plates, clamshell containers, and packing peanuts is expanded polystyrene or EPS.
The lightweight, inexpensive material is often used for packaging, and its insulating qualities make it a popular container for food & beverages.²
Jump to sections:
How is it made?
The EPS foam manufacturing process begins with benzene, a known carcinogen derived from non-renewable fossil fuels. A chemical reaction converts benzene to styrene—another hazardous chemical, which has known neurological effects and is a suspected carcinogen in humans. Styrene monomers are chemically linked to form polystyrene (PS) chains, which are treated with a blowing agent, such as pentane gas, to create a polystyrene foam.¹
At higher temperatures, chemicals can leach from EPS products, potentially contaminating the container’s contents. For example: foam cups with hot coffee, clamshells containing freshly made hot food, items reheated in these containers, etc.¹’³
EPS by the numbers
The numbers on EPS are staggering. Each year, the U.S. produces 3 million tons of plastic foam, and the production process is intense and polluting: for example, 680 pounds of greenhouse gas is emitted to produce just 10,000 foam cups.³
After production, plastic foam is made into millions of single-use products, which are disposed of in landfills or littered across the environment. A 2015 report estimated that 25 billion plastic foam cups are thrown away each year, which is enough to circle the earth 436 times!³ Today, approximately 80% of EPS ends up in landfills and 20% in waterways. In fact, EPS foam represents an estimated 30% of the trash volume in the U.S.’s nearly 2,000 landfills.¹ The 20% of EPS that ends up as litter on land and eventually in waterways presents a significant environmental hazard to wildlife and is costly and labor-intensive to clean up. Less than 1% of EPS is recycled, due to the high cost to recycle the material, a lack of recycling facilities equipped to recycle it, and a low resale value of recycled EPS material.¹’³
Although the material itself is inexpensive, the ultimate costs of expanded polystyrene are far from cheap. As the Surfrider Foundation explains, “the continued use of [EPS] damages our environment and our health and contributes to climate change. One 2016 study estimated the hidden costs of EPS are $7 billion a year. A recent poll of several states showed bipartisan support of styrofoam bans, with 60% supporting a ban on EPS and 76% in favor of legislation to reduce plastic pollution.² Clean Virginia Waterways of Longwood University found that support for EPS food & beverage container bans in Virginia is strong, at 63%.⁵
Source: Clean Fairfax
Source: Clean Fairfax
The Hard (Crumbly, Non-Biodegradable) Truth
EPS as litter
Due to its lightweight and buoyant composition, EPS is the “perfect pollutant.” It easily blows and floats into the environment, physically breaking into smaller and smaller pieces. EPS foam “disintegrates over time in water without actually degrading, creating thousands of microplastics that spread throughout the oceans, endangering wildlife for thousands of years.”⁴
These crumbs and microplastics are difficult to cleanup, and wreak havoc on habitats. Chemicals may leach into soils and water, and small pieces are easily ingested by wildlife. Research suggests it may take 500 to potentially thousands of years for EPS to truly biodegrade.²’³’⁴
In Fairfax County, Virginia (graph to right), single-use EPS foam items made up a combined 6.64% of the top 15 items collected at community litter cleanups in a 16-month span. This may not sound like a lot, but that totals to 973 items, which are polluting streams and habitats.
Source: Clean Fairfax
Health risks
EPS poses numerous risks to human health at every stage of its life cycle: from origin, throughout manufacturing and treatment processes, in its use applications, and disposal.
Origin:
The EPS foam manufacturing process begins with benzene, a natural derivative of petroleum and a known human carcinogen.
Manufacturing and Treatment:
Nearly every product in the multi-step chemical conversion of benzene to the EPS end-product has harmful properties. Styrene (converted from benzene) is a known human neurotoxin, and researchers suspect it also possesses cancer-causing qualities. The polymer form of styrene, polystyrene, possesses similar characteristics. Lastly, pentane gas, the blowing agent used to treat polystyrene and create the distinctive foam cell texture, is a volatile organic compound (VOC) which may contribute to climate change and is also acutely toxic to humans.
Use and Disposal:
According to Green Dining Alliance, styrene is “likely to leach when it comes in contact with fatty foods, hot beverages, and especially alcohol,” items which are often packaged in such containers (e.g., takeout, hot coffee, etc.).¹’³
Additionally, because EPS foam does not naturally biodegrade, the consequences of its disposal in a landfill include it sitting for centuries, slowly photo-degrading into smaller pieces, potentially leaching chemicals into the land or air.
Finally, littered EPS pieces can break down into seemingly infinite crumbles, which can be ingested by animals or humans. As EPS degrades (though again, not biodegrading) in the ocean, it releases “toxic micro pieces…potentially contaminating the marine food chain, and ultimately, the human diet.” ⁷
What Can We Do?
As a restaurant or business…
You can opt to reduce & eliminate EPS foam from operations. Data suggests the cost difference between EPS containers and compostable paper alternatives is as low as $0.01 per item.⁶ In fact, for the most common single-use EPS food service items (coffee cups, plates, and takeout containers), prices to switch to alternatives vary by just a few cents.
Contrary to popular belief by those who oppose EPS bans in food service, this data supports a relatively low economic burden on businesses to switch to compostable paper alternatives. The price differences may be even lower with other paper or plastic containers.
As a consumer…
You can be selective about where you take your business, refuse EPS & single-use items, bring your own reusable containers with you, and encourage local businesses to phase out EPS products. Research shows that the economic impact of businesses adopting EPS alternatives on consumer prices is negligible, at generally <1% price increase to items under $10.⁶
As a voter…
You can lobby your elected officials to create policy change to address the EPS crisis. Evidence supports the direct impact of targeted policies on litter reduction. For example, the plastic bag fee in Washington, D.C. has resulted in a dramatic reduction in plastic bag pollution observed in the Potomac Watershed. According to Alice Ferguson Foundation, plastic bag litter has dropped 72% from before versus after the bag fee legislation.⁸ As for the efficacy of EPS bans, the city of San Francisco “experienced a 41 percent decrease in EPS litter over the three years following passage of its ordinance.” ⁶
Price comparison of common food service items in 2017.⁶
Virginia’s EPS Foam Ban
The Virginia General Assembly passed a statewide ban on EPS in food service in 2021. The language of the bill outlines a phased approach to eliminating EPS foam cups and containers at food establishments and will take place in two parts. The initial phase will target businesses with 20 or more locations (chains), while the second phase will apply to all businesses.
Originally, the ban was set to go into effect July 1, 2023 (for chains) and 2025 (for all), but this timeline was significantly delayed through 2022 budget amendments. In 2024, the General Assembly passed a bipartisan budget which accelerated the ban closer to its original timeline. Virginia’s EPS ban in food service is now set to go in effect July 1, 2025 and July 1, 2026.
Read the specific language of the foam ban in the Code of Virginia here.
More foam-free resources are coming soon!
“...No food vendor that is a restaurant or similar retail food establishment and is part of a chain with 20 or more locations offering for sale substantially the same menu items and doing business under the same name, regardless of the form of ownership of such locations, shall dispense prepared food to a customer in an expanded polystyrene food service container.”
Resources
Green Dining Alliance (2016). The Real Cost of Styrofoam. EarthDay365. https://greendiningalliance.org/2016/12/the-real-cost-of-styrofoam/.
Schotman, L. (2021). It’s Time to Forget the Foam. Surfrider Foundation. https://washington.surfrider.org/ its-time-to-forget-the-foam/.
Lofgren, K. (2015). The Dangerous Truth About Styrofoam. InHabitat. https://inhabitat.com/infographic-the-dangerous-truth-about-styrofoam/.
EPE USA (2019). Polystyrene Foam. and Ocean Pollution. EPE Global USA. https://epe.global/2019/11/05/ polystyrene-foam-and-ocean-pollution/.
McKay, L. and Register, K. (2022). Public Perceptions About Plastic Pollution. http://www.longwood.edu/cleanva/images/Survey_VA_Voters_Plastic_Pollution_Report_9-22-22_to_Media.pdf.
Heverly, S., et al. (2017). Recommendations for Reducing or Banning Foam Food Service Containers. Equinox Project, Center for Sustainable Energy. https://energycenter.org/sites/default/files/Guide_for_Polystyrene_Reduction_Policies.pdf.
Jackson, L. (2022). Expanded polystyrene is a ‘waste nightmare’ but could non-EPS seafood packaging reduce ocean pollution?. Global Seafood Alliance. https://www.globalseafood.org/advocate/expanded-polystyrene-is-a-waste-nightmare-but-could-non-eps-seafood-packaging-reduce-ocean-pollution/.
Clean Virginia Waterways (2023). Single-use Plastic Bags: Common Litter in Virginia. Clean Virginia Waterways, Longwood University. http://www.longwood.edu/cleanva/bags.html.
Schotman, L. (2021). It's Time to Forget the Foam. Surfrider Foundation. https://washington.surfrider.org/blog/its-time-to-forget-the-foam.