Should kaylites be banned?

WASTE management has been an issue of concern in Zimbabwe for the past decade, particularly in the urban areas, growth points and rural service centres.

The food industry has contributed to this environmental challenge through the use of Expanded Polystyrene (EPS), popularly known as kaylite and Styrofoam which they use as packaging material in restaurants and fast food outlets.

Kaylite has detrimental effects on the environment and human health. Internationally, countries such as New York, Portland, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Boston have banned the use of EPS while others such as South Africa mainly use paper packaging. In Zimbabwe, the use of EPS is prohibited by Statutory Instrument 84 of 2012 as read with Section 140 of the Environmental Management Act (Cap 20:27).

However, a grace period has been given to all users of polystyrene to come up with a solution by June 1, 2016 on how their product can be managed.

Polysterene background

Polystyrene foam is formed by adding a blowing agent to polystyrene, a petroleum based plastic material. Polystyrene foam is light-weight, with good insulation properties, and is used in all types of products from cups that keep beverages hot or cold to materials that protect items during shipping without adding weight. Since the product is cheap, it is popular with businesses.

Impacts of expanded polystyrene

While there are some positive aspects of the material, Polystyrene has more harmful effects.

Waste Management problem

Polystyrene foam presents unique management issues because of its lightweight nature, floatability and prevalence to be blown from disposal site even when disposed of properly. The lightweight and buoyant polystyrene travels easily through gutters and storm drains, eventually reaching the water bodies, thereby negatively affecting tourism and quality of life. When polysty- rene reaches the lakes and rivers, it breaks down into smaller, non-biodegradable pieces that are ingested by marine life ingesting it into the food chain and causing chronic and widespread damage.

Expanded polystyrene can’t be recycled

One of the major headaches associated with EPS is that most of it is non-recyclable. That is, no cost effective, large scale means of recycling exists. Once expanded it can’t be e-moulded and there is no market for used EPS. The only options for waste disposal at the municipal level are burning and landfill, but neither is ideal. At the landfill it takes up a disproportionate amount of space because of its expanded size. As a fuel for incinerator powered generators its low density makes it inefficient. Being 95 percent air, it takes up a disproportionate amount of furnace space for the energy it releases. And because it’s so bulky it’s expensive to transport.

Non-Biodegradable

Polystyrene foam is designed for useful life of minutes or hours, but it continues to exist in our environment for hundreds or thousands of years since it is resistant to photolysis, or the breaking down of materials by photons originating from a light source. It has chemically absorbent properties, as it moves around it absorbs and concentrates toxins over time. Non-biodegradable food packaging, especially Styrofoam, constitutes a large portion of litter in Zimbabwe and the cost of managing it is high and rising. Most recycling companies do not accept polystyrene products.

Air Pollution

The process of manufacturing polystyrene pollutes the air and creates large amounts of liquid and solid waste. Along with the health risks associated with the manufacture of products that use polystyrene, it was noted that 57 chemical by-products are released during the creation of Styrofoam. This not only pollutes the air, but also produces loads of liquid and solid waste that need disposal. The brominated flame retardants that are used on Styrofoam are also causing concern, and some research suggests that these chemicals might have negative environmental and health effects.

Ozone layer disruption

Although polystyrene manufacturers claim that their products are “ozonefriendly” or free of ChlouroFlouroCarbons (CFCs), this is partially true. Most Polystyrene is manufactured with HydroChlouroFlouroCarbons (HCFCS), greenhouse gases harmful to the ozone layer, also causing global warming.

Health Concerns

There are potential health impacts from polystyrene foam food packaging associated with its production and with the leaching of some of its chemical components into food and drink. The general public is not typically warned of these public hazards. Styrene, a component of polystyrene is a known hazardous substance. Medical evidence has shown that it leaches from polystyrene containers into food and drink. Polystyrene food containers leach Styrene when they come into contact with warm food or drink, alcohol, oils and acidic foods causing human contamination, posing direct health risk to people. Styrene is a suspected carcinogen and neurotoxic which potentially threatens human health. Some studies have concluded that exposure to styrene causes acute mucous membrane irritation, with the eyes, nose and throat particularly affected. Increased levels of styrene concentration may cause fatigue, irritation of the skin, eyes, respiratory tract, gastrointestinal effects, depression, headache, weakness, minor effects on kidney function and decrease in concentration ability. Styrene has been linked to increased levels of chromosomal damage, abnormal pulmonary function and cancer.

What you can do

Know the alternatives to styrofoam. If you want to make eco-friendly choices to eliminate the use of EPS, look for products that include the following: manufactured from renewable resources, contain biodegradable materials and are easily recycled.