Styrofoam (polystyrene foam) is a toxic, polluting product that must be eliminated from our lives as soon as possible. Styrofoam NEVER decomposes and it increases the risk of certain cancers in humans! Our organization the Environmental Awareness and Action Club at Farmington High School is working relentlessly to decrease Styrofoam usage and production by tackling a huge source of polystyrene pollution: Styrofoam lunch trays. By signing this petition and supporting our goals you will be helping to reduce the millions of trays that get thrown away and end up in landfills and oceans every single day. Our plan is to follow the footsteps of New York City's Cafeteria Culture and use the help of our local lawmakers and school board officials in order to take the first steps towards getting Farmington Public Schools to use biodegradable lunch trays instead of Styrofoam ones. Please support us and sign the petition!

Styrofoam has been proven to impact our bodies negatively. A big portion of Styrofoam comes from the chemical styrene which has been categorized as a “reasonably anticipated to be carcinogen" by the US Department of Health and Human Services. However, children are still eating off of trays made of this material every single day for 13 years in a row. According to Cafeteria Culture, the group that helped to ban Styrofoam in all of New York City, 40 years of studies show that styrene (the carcinogen) leaches from containers into our food which then goes directly into our bodies and acts as a neurotoxin, increasing the risk of leukemia and lymphoma. Additionally, according to Clean Water Action, styrene residues are found in 100% of all samples of human fat tissue!

Along with being bad for our bodies, the environmental impacts of polystyrene foam are catastrophic. After only being used for an average of 20 minutes, Styrofoam trays get discarded, and regardless of the method of disposal, they NEVER decompose, polluting our planet forever. Additionally, due to its lightweight composition, Styrofoam is easily blown away and tends to end up as litter which eventually makes its way into the ocean. According to the World Economic Forum, a study estimated that around a staggering eight million metric tons of plastic waste enter the oceans from land each year. This plastic breaks down into microplastics that clog the intestines of marine animals and cause them to starve to death!

In addition to this, the negative impacts of polystyrene foam (and many other forms of pollution) have a disproportionate effect on POC and low-income communities, a phenomenon explained by the environmental justice movement. Personally, this was proven when our group discovered that the thousands of foam lunch trays we toss on a daily basis end up at a landfill in Detroit, a city known for having a greater population of POC and lower-income families. Once in these landfills, research has found that microplastics from polystyrene can leach out and have many adverse effects, including the contamination of local water sources.

It is our duty to move past the minute price differences between styrofoam and biodegradable trays and get this destructive product banned. We need to prioritize the well-being of the children in our schools, the people who are unjustly impacted by the waste we produce, and our planet. Use your voice and help us make a difference!