Is polystyrene recyclable and should it be used with food? Polystyrene trays are being

[RamblingRose]

used in our county's school cafeterias. I live in Gwinnett County, the largest school district in the state of Georgia. I asked the county's School Nutrition Director and he said some of the schools are using the trays and that they are being rinsed and recycled. They assured me that the trays are being recycled. They have also started using plastic forks and spoons this year in my daughters' school as well.

I am also concerned about the possible health risks associated with polystyrene and food.

I am on the School Council and would like to bring this up for discussion at our first council meeting this Friday. Does anyone know if other school systems use polystyrene trays and if they are actually recyclable? I would welcome any information to help me prepare for my meeting.

[Xipe Totec]

1. If it has the recycle symbol stamped on it, it's recyclable. n/t

[kestrel91316]

2. It's recyclable, but NOT recycled.

http://www.mindfully.org/Plastic/Polystyrene-Products-Recycling-PSPC.htm
".....Recycling of Polystyrene
Please note that due to present economic conditions, polystyrene food service packaging is generally not recycled. Polystyrene protective packaging and non-packaging non-durables (i.e., video/audio cassettes, agriculture trays, etc.) are the primary forms of polystyrene collected for recycling. There has been a decrease in the amount of polystyrene food service packaging recycled during this period. Non-food service packaging is not contaminated with food and other wastes as is food service polystyrene packaging, and therefore is more cost-effective to recycle. Presently, food service polystyrene packaging is not recycled because it is not economically sustainable. It is important to note that because of unfavorable economics, no other post-consumer foodservice disposable material, including paper and paperboard, is recycled in a measurable way......."

Use of single-use polystyrene in food service is environmentally unacceptable. The theoretical recyclability is moot because the recycling plants won't take it.

[Vincardog]

3. A quick google says NO see below:

A Call to Ban Foam Trays in Schools and Restaurants

By Sewell Chan

Updated, 6:10 p.m. | New York City’s public school system goes through 850,000 Styrofoam cafeteria trays a day, 4 million in a week and more than 153 million in a school year. As this blog and an accompanying video reported in June, Parents Against Styrofoam in Schools, a grass-roots group arising out of Public School 154 in Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn, has called for limiting or ceasing the use of polystyrene, a petroleum-based material that can take centuries to decompose.

Now, Councilman Bill de Blasio, Democrat of Brooklyn, wants to go even further. He is introducing a bill in the City Council today to would prohibit the use of polystyrene by City agencies and food establishments. Mr. de Blasio, like the Brooklyn parents, want the school system to switch to either reusable plastic trays or trays that are biodegradable.

“It is mind-boggling that our city, which is becoming a leader on environmental issues, is still using Styrofoam when we know it is extremely harmful to our environment and creating massive amounts of waste,” Mr. de Blasio said.

[jmatthan]

4. Polystyrene is recyclable but

if it is foam, then some blowing agents are used to create the foam. Ensure that the non-toxic blowing agents have been used.

Polystyrene is a thermoplastic and can be reprocessed. But foam grades cannot be reprocessed to the same degree as the moulded products.

The Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) has comprehensive data on all plastics materials and you should contact them for guidance.

The plastics spoons, etc, if they are made from thermoplastics can be sent back for reprocessing. They should not be washed and reused. They are reprocesed to make lower grade products.

Jacob Matthan
Oulu, Finland

[Javaman]

5. Why not metal trays? nt

[RamblingRose]

6. They used plastic trays until this year. They were much sturdier & far better than the polystyrene

trays. I guess somebody decided that the convenience of using polystyrene trays is more important than the environment, which is why I want to bring it up at our local school since it is my understanding that not all schools in the county are participating.

Thanks everyone for taking the time to respond. DUers like jmatthan remind me that people in other countries are more concerned and educated about health and environmental issues than most Americans.

RamblingRose