Our Problem

After a few weeks of research, we discovered that 57.9% of the local restaurants that we surveyed used polystyrene clam shells and did not have a recycling bin. Through research, we found out that polystyrene is 98% air, and it takes up space in our landfills. That means we're filling up our landfills with air. Finally, we learned that not only is polystyrene bad for the environment, but when heated, it may leach toxins into food or drinks that can cause liver failure and/or cancer when ingested. We realized that polystyrene was a bigger problem than we expected. Polystyrene is a problem, but there has to be a reason so many businesses use it, right? Polystyrene is very light, and only eight cents per container. Businesses like to save as much money as possible, and that’s why so many places use it. In conclusion, our goal is to convince restaurants to get rid of polystyrene and get a recycling bin.