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Tuesday July 28, 1998 Previous | Next
Dear Yahoo!:
What is Styrofoam made of?
Lonnie
Acworth, Georgia
Dear Lonnie:
Styrofoam is made of (drumroll, please) polystyrene. For about as much information as you could possibly want on polystyrene, check out the Polystyrene Packaging Council. There, you'll find general facts, production information, tips on recycling, and articles trumpeting polystyrene's low impact on the environment. It seems that Styrofoam/polystyrene has taken some knocks over the years, both for its contribution to solid waste and for harmful byproducts (chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs) created in the manufacturing process.

Thankfully, the CFC byproducts are a thing of the past. However, the effort to keep polystyrene out of the landfill is an ongoing concern. If you're concerned about solid waste and you want to make sure that your Styrofoam peanuts end up in someone else's package rather than in the garbage dump, check out Recycler's World for resources specific to the materials you have on hand.

 
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