John,

Each year, 26 million metric tons of polystyrene foam are produced worldwide, much of it for the purpose of single-use disposable items, like food containers.1

Less than 3% of polystyrene is recycled in the United States, so the vast majority of it is ending up in landfills or as litter, costing our communities and polluting waterways.2

To make matters worse, polystyrene will never truly decompose. Over hundreds of years, it will break down into microplastic particles that contaminate our water, food and the air we breathe.3

Join us in calling on your governor to ban single-use polystyrene foam products once and for all.

If you drink your morning coffee from a foam cup, you may be getting a side of toxic chemicals with it. Polystyrene foam products, like most plastic products, are made with petroleum and a host of other highly polluting ingredients that can leach into our food and drink.4

In fact, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has listed styrene -- the chemical released from polystyrene containers -- as a potential carcinogen.5 Polystyrene is just not good for us, and when safer alternatives exist there is no reason to keep using it.

Polystyrene contains toxic chemicals and generates microplastic waste, and yet it's served right alongside our food.

Tell your governor: It's time to ban single-use polystyrene products.

The waste from our polystyrene food and drink containers is going to outlive us all, even though we only use these products for a few minutes. Curbing the production of single-use polystyrene foam will help us move one step closer toward zero waste.

Support from people like you has helped get 11 states to pass legislation banning single-use foam containers.6 Why not make your state next?

Will you stand with us and call on your governor to take the next step toward a zero-waste future?

Sincerely,

Faye Park
President

1. "Production forecast of thermoplastics worldwide from 2020 to 2050, by type," Statista, last accessed August 15, 2023.
2. "Maryland becomes the second state to ban plastic foam containers," U.S. PIRG, May 4, 2019.
3. "How Long Does It Take for Polystyrene Foam to Decompose?" Cruz Foam, May 20, 2022.
4. "Why you should never use styrofoam again," Going Green, last accessed August 15, 2023.
5. "New substances added to HHS Report on Carcinogens," National Institutes of Health, June 10, 2011.
6. "Reducing Plastic Waste in the States" U.S. PIRG, last accessed August 16, 2023.

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