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Polystyrene: dangerous to consumers of today and tomorrow
Polystyrene: dangerous to consumers of today and tomorrow
Polystyrene is a dangerous material, Like all plastics, Styrofoam is a petrochemical; it comes from petroleum, which is known to cause developmental, hematological, renal, and immunological disorders. Especially when paired with liquid and heat, it's toxins (like benzene and styrene) can seep into the contents. In addition to that, Styrofoam is light and crumbles easily. Therefore it easily ends up out in our woods, rivers, prairies and oceans. Once there, it’s never leaves. Styrofoam breaks down into microscopic styrenes and countless other harmful chemicals. Whence broken down, they will linger in the soil and water for centuries.
SB 1101: Polystyrene foam food packaging; prohibition
This bill states that in the state of Arizona starting on...
January 1, 2024: Restaurants or food establishments cannot use polystyrene foam containers ( containers made of expanded polystyrene foam) to serve food or beverages to be consumed in the establishment.
January 1, 2025: Restaurants, food establishments, hotels, motels, and resorts may not serve or package prepared food or beverages in polystyrene foam containers or provide polystyrene foam containers for use with food and beverages.
January 1, 2026: Food packagers in the state cannot package food in polystyrene foam containers. However, packagers can apply to the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality for exemption.
Exemptions can be granted for the following reasons:
There are no acceptable alternatives to polystyrene foam containers.
The use of alternatives would cause undue hardship.
Polystyrene is necessary for transportation, construction, health, or safety.
-At the moment, there is no universally beneficial alternative that is cost effective and attractive to commercial consumers. This fact, leads to the conclusion that though this bill has the right intentions, it is seriously flawed. When trying to in-act an effective ban, the one in charge must provide reasonable alternatives. Especially in regard to schools, already tight on budget, spending an exuberant amount of effort and money is not practical. We encourage the government to find alternatives, or provide financial aid to schools with a desire to have a less detrimental impact on the environment. (Source)
City of Phoenix: Policies
City of Phoenix: Policies
The City of Phoenix has acknowledged the issue of waste management. They have tried to implement policies to help conserve material and dispose of waste in a responsible manner. But, some of these policies are not as effective as they are meant to be. Some of these policies are inconvenient for the citizen, or they do not have as big of an effect. Some of these policies are listed below.
a. Transfer Stations
Right now, the City of Phoenix has tried to implement policies to help manage waste effectively.
Part of the monthly rate includes access to two transfer stations where residents can drop off up to 2,000 pounds of trash, recycling, and yard waste once a month. In addition, the Transfer Stations are where the Materials Recovery Facilities process and sort glass, paper, metal, cardboard and plastic into separate bales. (Source)
While this policy tries to manage waste effectively, there are some cons to this policy. This policy requires citizens to arrive at a transfer station and get rid of their waste there. This is very inconvenient for the citizens. They would need to have a car or method of arriving at a transfer site. They would need to carry their vast amounts of waste, which is likely very heavy, to the transfer station. This policy is too inconvenient for the people, and it will deter citizens from participating in this policy.
b. Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Events
This is another policy that the City of Phoenix has to regulate waste.
Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Events: Each year, the city holds nine HHW events where residents of Phoenix can bring their unwanted items. Public Works is offering a program that assists solid waste residential customers with the proper disposal of their household hazardous waste items.
Similar to the policy above, this policy requires extra work of the citizen to dispose of trash practically themselves. The amount of work it takes for a citizen to travel and manage their waste is too inconvenient, and this work repels citizens from participating in these policies.
Illegal Dumping Enforcement
This alternative policy tries to directly arrest individuals who do not dispose of waste accurately or responsibly.
The city is committed to cracking down on illegal dumping. The city works with law enforcement to stop criminal acts from happening.
While this policy has good intentions to target individuals who have not followed instructions, it is not effective for multiple reasons. First of all, this policy does not guarantee that ALL individuals who have illegally disposed of waste are caught. Second, this policy does not necessarily prevent illegal disposing.
Creators of this page: Lauren Lum Lung '26 & Riya Mehta '26
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