Ask A Scientist© General Science Archive

 
name         Jacque
status       other
age          30s

Question -   I am trying to find out the pro's & con's of using paper
cups over polystyrene foam in regards to the environment. I am trying to give
my company reasons to discontinue use of the polystyrene foam cups.
------------------------------------------------
The actual material in polystyrene foam is negligent. Most of the volume of the
cup is air. If compressed before disposal or actually just leaving it
alone, the cup will be under pressure during its trip to the dump. This
will reduce the volume substantially. Well this argument is similar for
paper cups, but they compress less than polystyrene foam.

Dr. Myron
=========================================================
Arguments for paper:
biodegradable
made from a renewable resource

Arguments against polystyrene foam:
non-renewable resource, using petroleum products
lasts virtually forever

Arguments against paper:
most garbage goes in sealed landfills where biodegradation occurs extremely
slowly if at all
paper manufacturing is not a particularly environmentally friendly industry
forests must be harvested to make paper

Arguments for polystyrene foam:
recyclable (but with difficulty in finding someone to handle it, and
especially with sorting)
cheaper
manufacturing not necessarily more harmful than for paper
biodegradability not really an issue in landfills

This issue is philosophically a lot like the washable vs. disposable
diapers, it all depends on how you look at it. My main personal issue with
polystyrene foam is that so many containers of either paper or polystyrene foam do NOT get
into landfills but are thrown out into the environment at large, where the
paper does degrade more quickly. Paper just seems aesthetically superior to
polystyrene foam to many people, but I suspect the real environmental impact is not
all that much different between the two. However this is JUST my personal
opinion.
J. Elliott
=========================================================