Can the Plastic Industry Save Styrofoam?

A new trade group wants to convince lawmakers and the public that polystyrene, the target of many anti-pollution laws, has overlooked benefits.

(Bloomberg) — Polystyrene — the plastic America loves to hate — wants a second chance. Used in foam cups, packaging peanuts and the molded blocks that cushion appliances in transit, polystyrene has long been attacked as hard to recycle, hazardous to sea life and potentially harmful to human health.

Environmentalists say polystyrene foam is a significant

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source of plastic pollution in waterways and marine environments, where it can break into small pieces and be eaten by wildlife. Widely referred to in the US as styrofoam (in fact the trademarked name of insulation made by DuPont de Nemours Inc.), polystyrene foam isn’t accepted by most curbside recycling programs. “Polystyrene foam is one of the most problematic single-use plastics,” said Christy Leavitt, plastics campaign director for Oceana. “It is past time to take action on it.” As new laws restrict the use of polystyrene, the industry is pushing back and trying to rehabilitate the material’s image. Polystyrene is safe, efficient, recyclable and misunderstood, its makers say. The Polystyrene Recycling Alliance, a body created last year that counts 17 companies as members, has been working to forestall bans and ensure the material is treated as recyclable under new state...

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