Petition against the City of St. Helens to remove the Styrofoam Stonehenge

The city has reconstructed a Styrofoam structure that has a history of deteriorating and jeopardizing the environment including the adjacent Columbia River. Although many people have heard that Styrofoam is detrimental to the planet, few understand how Styrofoam harms the environment. Styrofoam has become such an accepted everyday product that people rarely stop to realize that it is made from polystyrene, a petroleum-based plastic.

 Our Concerns:

• Styrofoam easily breaks into small bits. Small land and aquatic animals eating these pieces die due to toxins and blockage of their stomachs leading to starvation.

• This, combined with the fact that Styrofoam is lightweight and therefore floats, means that over time a great deal of polystyrene has accumulated along coasts and waterways around the world. It is one of the main components of marine debris.
• Much of it sinks to the bottom where it pollutes. When the fish eat toxic materials in Styrofoam and the additional pollutants it absorbs, the chemicals bio accumulate and can harm people who consume this fish.

The City claims it to be temporary, but its impact does not go away when it does. Pieces from its last use can still be found alongside our river banks. Since the structure wasn’t made for extended outdoor usage, and the risk it poses to the environment, and possibly the community, we ask for its immediate, and permanent removal.