As a small group striving to improve lives through environmental awareness and actions, we were shocked and dismayed by the recent Integrated Waste Management Authority (IWMA) decision to postpone implementing the SLO County ban on polystyrene and expanded polystyrene (aka Styrofoam). This decision is a backward step for environmental responsibility on the Central Coast, and it explicitly runs counter to the message on the IWMA website that notes, “Plastic No. 6 (polystyrene) is a lightweight material that easily finds its way into the environment, where it can leach toxic chemicals.” And “Styrene, a component of polystyrene, has been found in 100 percent of human fat tissue samples dating back to 1986. It is known to cause cancer in animals, and suspected to be both cancerous and a neurotoxin for humans.”
It is hard to understand why elected officials representing some areas of San Luis Obispo County would choose to repeal an ordinance that is beneficial to the health and well-being of their constituents.
The county ordinance banning polystyrene was passed in 2019 (Ordinance No. 2019-1), and a new county ordinance (Ordinance No. 2021-3-1) to rescind the ban is scheduled for a public hearing and final vote on April 14. We urge all community members who share our concern to participate in this public hearing and let your voice be heard.
Kay Lewis
Creation Care Committee of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church
San Luis Obispo
This article appears in Apr 8-18, 2021.
I say we start a styrofoam regatta from the central coast to China! We can dump styrofoam on the Chinese coastline, thereby pacifying Kay Lewis and her fellow eco-nuts. More styrofoam!! Less whining! Instead of crying to other people about something you don’t like and wanting them to do something about it, be inventive! Invent a way to create housing made of used styrofoam for the folks in the riverbed! You would be solving multiple problems at once, without whining. By the way, I will give free straws (plastic of course!) to all who want them and even to those who don’t in San Loser Abysmal all day any day! Also , let’s use bit coin to buy old cars and trucks without mufflers to park at the beach and just leave them running. The more you whine, the more I will find ways to circumvent your BS and make you cry. Liberal cry babies go away and leave this state to WORKING FAMILIES, wildlife and recreation. California could run the world by itself if it wasn’t for the whiny regulations and government stagnation that impede us.
Here is some relevant information from the children’s environmental health network explaining why it’s a good idea to ban Styrofoam products in a community:
What are the potential health concerns associated with polystyrene foam?
Over fifty chemical byproducts are released during the manufacturing of polystyrene, contaminating the air, water and communities that live near these facilities. Polystyrene is made up of multiple units of styrene. Styrene is believed to be a carcinogen (cancer causing) by the Department of Health and Human Services and the International Agency for Research on Cancer. (https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/roc/content/…) Exposure to styrene can cause irritation of the skin, eyes, the upper respiratory tract, and the gastrointestinal tract. Chronic exposure results in more severe effects including depression, headaches, fatigue, weakness, hearing loss, and disrupted kidney function.
The manufacturing of polystyrene requires the use of hydrocarbons such as styrene and benzene. These hydrocarbons are released into the air and react with nitrogen oxides to produce ground-level ozone, a hazardous air pollutant. Ground-level ozone can impair lung function and lead to respiratory illness.
The disposal of polystyrene is also hazardous. Polystyrene does not break down and is often burned to be disposed of. However, burning polystyrene releases styrene gas into the air and produces a mix of toxicants that can impair the nervous system.
Reading posts by Blight turd 2 can result in boredom, intellectual laziness, fatigue, headaches and a cramping feeling of Bullshit on the brain! YOU don’t get to legislate what I do or what I want my hamburger packaged in ASSHOLE! What part of shut the F!@K up don’t you understand? If I want my burger packaged in snowy plover feathers and wrapped in baby seal eyelids, that’s MY business. As a matter of fact California Condor wings dipped in ranch dressing sounds good for dinner, mmmmmmmm… yummy!
Things will get better in our world for everyone when people learn to be less selfish and more compassionate. We live in a blessed nation based on cooperation and democratic principles. Most of us have everything we need in life and yet many of us show little gratitude and always want more and more and more even if it means harming others and destroying nature and generally disrespecting all the wonderful gifts God has blessed us with in this brief but opportunity filled life.
Shut up! That soft, weak stuff sucks. That’s what’s wrong with America today, WE ARE SOFT!. Sack up TARDS! China will be eating our lunch (they already are) in the next big war we have. You go around selling all this peace and love crap while the rest of the world gets MEAN AND LEAN. We need to be TOUGHER and MEANER, not soft. So keep your peace signs and patchouli oil in the drawer next to your bong….errrr waterpipe, not in my world.
SOFT
As we all know, in the woodlands the lithe and courageous willow flexing amidst harsh winds, is resilient, thriving while its hard and heavy neighbors lose limbs, tumble over and damage those nearby.
We need not worry about China eating our lunch when we realize that there are enough lunches for everyone. Instead of standing up for selfishness and greed, all we need to do is focus on making sure everyone gets everything they need. Its all there for us without having to decimate the environment or allow for unnecessary suffering. Its only the perpetuation of fear, selfishness and division that is preventing this from happening. The answer is to unite, go forth with courage and be champions of love. That is the formula for making this world a better place for everyone. What is amazing and unprecedented is that So many of us alive right now have the possibility of seeing that manifest in marvelous ways during this lifetime. Its there for all of us when enough of us want it. Its just over the horizon and it will be beautiful. But the way may not always be so clear. Now is the time. A better world for all in our lifetimes. That will be a reason for joy around the globe. This is not a fairytale. Its a fact of life. This world has enough to provide everything everyone needs provided that we nurture, rather than assault, its resources.
Poly styrene poses serious health concerns. And yet we have politicians insisting that we keep a system intact that packages the food we feed to our children in polystyrene. Why? We are trading off our childrens health for the sake of convenience and fast food profits? Why are we acting like we are being held hostage by poly styrene? We dont owe anything to poly styrene. Poly styrene causes unnecessary suffering. Why are some of our politicians promoting its use when its absolutely not necessary to package food in poly styrene After years of giving poly styrene a try, we have now concluded that its benefits do not put weigh Its dangers. People want to Van poly styrene because its the right thing to do. There is no other reason Its only common sense that we try our best to move away from something that we realize is no longer helpful for us and is not necessary. Keeping poly styrene around is only be being done for one reason; that being that a small fraction of our community will profit from it. That type of blood on their hands decision-making should be rejected as should the politicians who promote that careless callous attitude and continue to pollute our community in many ways and on many levels.