Closed petition Ban Polystyrene Food Packaging

Closed on 6 May 2014

Polystyrene is made from petroleum, a non-sustainable, non-renewable, heavily polluting source. It is non-biodegradable and takes hundreds of years to break down. Enough waste polystyrene to fill 15,000 Olympic sized swimming pools is sent to landfill every year in the UK alone. Whilst clean polystyrene can be recycled those which have food residue on them cannot.

Polystyrene also contains the toxic substances Styrene and Benzine which are suspected carcinogens. Styrene leaches into any warm food or drink which comes into contact with it causing human contamination and posing a health risk.

With there now being so many alternatives available which have significantly less impact on the environment and human health we, the undersigned, request that the Government introduces an outright ban on all polystyrene food packaging including but not limited to those products used in take-away restaurants and those sold in supermarkets e.g. Styrofoam cups.