California considers Styrofoam containers  ban

Advocates want to end use of non-biodegradable material; critics say it is expensive to replace Styrofoam.

Some restaurants and other foodservice suppliers wanting to replace Styrofoam with Bamboo Pulp BiodegradableFoodservice Containers estimate they will have to spend more than twice as much on biodegradable containers if consumers and legislatures force them to switch. Everyone is becoming more eco-friendly these days, especially in terms of eating out and take home food containers. With the Styrofoam clamshells that were the marvel of the 1950’s plastics boom being outlawed by cities across the country we’re finally waking up to the fact that maybe they weren’t as great as we once thought - and we need to make a conscious choice to change.

Luckily, Express GreenPAK offers many more BambooPulp Biodegradable Foodservice Containers Eco-friendly options at affordable prices compared and sometimes cheaper than Styrofoam foodservice containers, which are good for business – and good for the planet.

Some people think sugarcane pulp biodegradable foodservice containers are the same as Bamboo Pulp Biodegradable Foodservice Containers. This is like suggesting that apples and oranges are the same. Is true that hot food will melt through sugar pulp-cardboard container, and that is why most restaurants use it to serve veggies and fruits. Compared to Bamboo Pulp Biodegradable Foodservice Containers  which is capable of withstanding high temperatures and is sturdier and nonporous.

The hot food in Styrofoam containers is just one of the reasons Clean Water Action, a national environmental advocacy group based in Washington D.C., decided to sponsor the bill to ban Styrofoam, said Miriam Gordon, the group's California state director.

While the group is worried about litter's impact on the environment, the chemicals used to manufacture the foam products also are dangerous to consumers.” We are concerned about the public health threat. A typical foam container leaches styrene when it's in contact with heat, fats, grease or acids," Gordon said.
Styrene, a chemical used to make the foam containers, was listed as "reasonably anticipated" to be a human carcinogen in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Report on Carcinogens, issued in June. The report lists substances that are reasonably anticipated or known to put people at risk for cancer.

Here are some green facts regarding disposable tableware:

• Americans use and discard over 2.5 billion Styrofoam cups each year. 
• Styrofoam does not break down easily and some studies indicate that it may release chemicals when it gets wet, contaminating our precious water sources.  It takes up much more space than paper in our landfills. 
• While recycling of Styrofoam is possible, it is extremely expensive and many recycling plants do not accept it.  Styrofoam cannot be recycled to make new Styrofoam products.  It can only be used to make other products such as packing filler.
• Less water and energy is required to produce Bamboo-pulp than Styrofoam, paper, and recycled paper.
• Less CO2 is emitted by creating Bamboo-pulp over Styrofoam and paper.
• Trees can take up to 30 years to mature, while Bamboo only takes 2-3 years making it a very renewable resource.

Express GreenPAK designs, manufactures and distributes certified, tree-free, recycle paper packaging for food processing, retail and consumer packaging industries. Our mission is to focus on biodegradable and recycle environmentally friendly packaging like Bamboo Organic Fabric Shopping Bags that protects consumer wellness while minimizing deforestation, which has enormous ecological impact on greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). Contact us at www.expressgreenpak.com and send an email to sales@expressgreenpak.com for more information about tree-free packaging products.