Nothing else offers the combination of strength, lightness
and durability to protect valuable objects from crystal
to computers, from morning coffee to salad at lunch, from
your children to you!
Polystyrene is Sanitary, Sturdy, Efficient, Economical and
Convenient
Sanitary
Tests have shown that disposable food service ware (such
as polystyrene cups, plates and utensils) is more sanitary
than reusable service ware. Health officials, who regulate
food service operations in schools, hospitals and restaurants,
recognize this important product benefit. In fact, national
environmental health officials passed a resolution stating
that restricting the use of disposable cups, plates and
containers would have a potentially adverse impact on disease
prevention.
Sturdy
Polystyrene protects against moisture and maintains its
strength and shape even after long periods of time. Containers
and lids close tightly, guarding against leaks while maintaining
an ideal temperature. Additionally, polystyrene food and
meat trays perform extremely well in automated processing
equipment.
Polystyrene packaging offers exceptional protection. Its
shape can be molded (custom fit) to parts and products,
maximizing its excellent cushioning characteristics.
Efficient
Only about five percent of a foam package is polystyrene,
the rest is air! Polystyrene provides the superior insulating
quality that helps hold food at the optimal eating or drinking
temperature longer than many alternatives. This helps to
guard against waste. Polystyrene maintains hot food at temperatures
required by many health departments, yet remains comfortable
to hold.
Economical
Polystyrene food service products are generally more economical
to use than disposable paperboard products and reusable
food service items. The wholesale price of polystyrene disposable
food service products is often approximately two to three
times less than an equivalent disposable paper container,
and four to five times less than a comparable reusable food
service item when the costs of equipment, labor, water,
electricity, and detergent costs are included. This allows
schools, hospitals and other institutions to make better
use of their limited budgets. Its light weight helps reduce
shipping costs. Its cushioning ability reduces breakage,
resulting in fewer damaged goods.
Convenient
Today's busy lifestyles require the convenience of affordable
and quick take-out meals. Polystyrene packaging meets the
demands of today's modern lifestyles by offering an economical
and high quality food service product.
Polystyrene Gets you on the Right Track with Fast
Facts
Fast Fact #1
Polystyrene may be best known for its foam coffee cups,
but most polystyrene is used to make rigid durable products,
such as television and computer cabinets, appliances, toys,
compact disc "jewel cases" and audiocassette cases.
Fast Fact #2
All polystyrene packaging comprises only a tiny fraction
of the material that goes into our landfills. In fact, less
than one percent by weight of the total municipal solid
waste disposed is polystyrene. Paper and paperboard products
make up the largest category of material (about 31 percent)
disposed in our landfills.
Fast Fact #3
No chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are used in the manufacture
of any polystyrene foam packaging products in the United
States and have not been since 1990. In fact, most polystyrene
foam products never were made with CFCs. Those few that
did use CFCs comprised a very small portion of U.S. CFC
use. By 1990, those few polystyrene manufacturers that did
use them had announced the voluntary phase-out of CFCs.
Fast Fact #4
The thermal insulating ability of polystyrene foam contributes
to the success of programs such as "Meals on Wheels,"
which serve millions of senior Americans.
Fast Fact #5
Very little of the waste discarded in today's modern, highly
engineered landfills biodegrades. Because degradation of
materials creates potentially harmful liquid and gaseous
by-products that could contaminate groundwater and air,
today's landfills are designed to minimize contact with
air and water required for degradation, thereby practically
eliminating the degradation of waste.
Did You Know..
...polystyrene packaging comes in two forms: foam
and solid?
The most recognizable forms of polystyrene packaging are
expanded and extruded foams (sometimes incorrectly called
Styrofoam®, a Dow Chemical Co. trademarked form of polystyrene
foam insulation). Foamed polystyrene is used to make cups,
bowls, plates, trays, clamshell containers, meat trays and
egg cartons as well as protective packaging for shipping
electronics and other fragile items.
Solid polystyrene is used in products such as cutlery,
yogurt and cottage cheese containers, cups, clear salad
bar containers and video and audiocassette housings.
...many businesses and institutions depend on polystyrene
packaging?
Schools, hospitals, nursing homes, supermarkets, restaurants
and sports stadiums are among the many institutions and
businesses that rely on polystyrene packaging. Its sturdy
construction and sanitary design provide excellent insulation
at an economical cost. Grocery stores use polystyrene in
virtually all meat and poultry trays. In addition, polystyrene
packaging can be found in egg cartons and a variety of produce
packages, such as apple trays, mushroom tills, tomato containers,
and strawberry and grape crates.
...polystyrene makes exceptional protective packaging?
Polystyrene protective packaging comes in two primary forms
loose fill "peanuts" and shape molded packaging.
Loose fill "peanuts" allow variously shaped items,
such as office supplies or cosmetics, to be shipped in the
same box. Shape molded packaging fits snugly around delicate
products like computers, television sets, stereo equipment
and appliances to protect them during shipping.
Both shape molding and loose fill are lighter in weight
than other protective packaging, saving energy and money
during shipment. They also resist moisture and do not attract
rodents or insects. An added benefit, polystyrene protective
packaging can be used over and over again through reuse
and recycling.
A Look Inside
...Good for Families, Safe for the Environment
Wherever you live, wherever you work, chemicals are a vital
part of your life. They are a key component in the products
you use to clean your skin, in the building materials you
use for the construction of your home and in the packaging
products you use for your food.
For example, did you know the shampoo we use to make our
hair feel so clean contains hydroxypropyl methylcellulose
- and the "natural" barley and wheat cereal that
makes us feel so healthy is made with thiamin mononitrate?
With these wordy terms in mind, it is not hard to understand
why people get confused when polystyrene manufacturers attempt
to explain the nature of their products.
This fact sheet, published by the Polystyrene Packaging
Council and its members, presents the facts about polystyrene.
This information should help you gain a deeper understanding
of why polystyrene is the best choice for food service packaging.
What is Inside?
Styrene, a petroleum by-product, is the primary
raw material from which polystyrene is made. Styrene, first
commercially produced in the 1930s, played an important
role during World War II in the production of synthetic
rubber. After the war, much of the use of styrene shifted
to the manufacture of commercial polystyrene products. Synthetic
styrene is also used in the manufacture of products such
as automobile parts, electronic components, boats, recreational
vehicles, and synthetic rubbers. Today, you or a member
of your family will probably use a product derived from
styrene.
Modern man has known about styrene for centuries. A naturally
occurring substance, styrene is present in many foods and
beverages, including wheat, beef, strawberries, peanuts
and coffee beans. Also found in the spice cinnamon, its
chemical structure is similar to cinnamic aldehyde, the
chemical component that elicits cinnamon's flavor. It is
naturally present to flavor foods, and is used as a flavoring
additive to such food as baked goods, frozen dairy products,
soft candy, and gelatins and puddings, with permission from
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The Polystyrene Packaging Council works closely with the
Styrene Information and Research Center (SIRC), whose mission
is to collect, develop, analyze and communicate pertinent
information on styrene. Since 1987, SIRC has undertaken
a comprehensive research program to enhance understanding
of styrene's potential to affect human health and the environment.
Polystyrene meets stringent U.S. FDA standards for use
in food contact packaging and is safe for consumers. Health
organizations encourage the use of single-use food service
products, including polystyrene, because they provide increased
food safety.
All packaging (glass, aluminum, paper, and plastic - including
polystyrene) contains substances that can "migrate,"
or transfer, to foods or beverages. The FDA regulates residual
levels of these components in food packaging to ensure that
packaging is safe to use.
What is Not Inside?
Polystyrene foam products are 95 percent air and
only five percent polystyrene. When polystyrene foam packaging
is produced, a blowing agent is used in the process. Most
polystyrene foam products never were made using chlorofluorocarbons
(CFCs) as a blowing agent. The few polystyrene products
that were made with CFCs comprised a very small portion
of the nation's CFC use. According to the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), only two to three percent of CFCs
used in the United States in the 1980s went toward production
of polystyrene packaging products. At the forefront of U.S.
industry, polystyrene manufacturers exceeded government
goals and timetables during the phaseout period of CFCs
in the late 1980s.
Polystyrene foam products are now manufactured primarily
using two types of blowing agents: Pentane and Carbon Dioxide.
Pentane gas has no effect on the upper ozone layer, although,
if not recovered, it can contribute to low-level smog formation.
Therefore, manufacturers use state-of-the-art technology
to capture Butane emissions.
With ever-evolving technology, some manufacturers use carbon
dioxide (CO2 or other hydrocarbons in some cases) as an
expansion agent for polystyrene foam. CO2 is non-toxic,
non-flammable, does not contribute to low-level smog, and
has no stratospheric ozone depletion potential. In addition,
the carbon dioxide used for this technology is recovered
from existing commercial and natural sources. As a result,
the use of this blowing agent technology does not increase
the levels of CO2 in the atmosphere.
Useful Links:
www.ppcp.org.ph
www.americanchemistry.com