More than 100 cities in the United States have banned styrofoam-AKA polystyrene or styrene.  Like other plastics made from petroleum, polystyrene is not biodegradable, thereby clogging storm drains and harming wildlife.  In addition, Styrofoam in cups, egg cartons, and trays in meat departments can outgas dangerous substances and contaminate drinking water.

While only one of many plastics that emit toxins, polystyrene can easily be replaced.  "If we all just used a glass instead of a water bottle and a coffee mug instead of a styrofoam cup, we would save 244 billion bottles and cups made from petrochemical-based plastics from entering the U.S. waste stream each year," says Greg Horn in Living Green.  Currently, a pile of trash (much of it plastic) the size of Texas floats freely in the Pacific Ocean, reports the L.A. Times.

Already a number of natural product stores, restaurants, and other businesses nationwide are replacing polystyrene and other plastics with paper cups and take-out containers, as well as cornstarch forks, knives and spoons.  Some stores accept Styrofoam cartons and trays for recycling.

Selected Sources:  "Alameda Considers Ban on Styrofoam" by Alan Lopez, Mercury News, 11/27/07. "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Green Living" by Trish Riley, (Alpha 2007.)  "Living Green, a Practical Guide to Simple Sustainability" by Greg Horn, (Freedom Press, 2006.)