Hundreds of lunches prepared by schools are given out daily. Chicken sandwiches, mozzarella sticks, and cheese pizza with a minuscule side of carrots and a mushy fruit cocktail are served to students on styrofoam lunch trays -- lunch trays that not only take up a significant amount of space in the trash bags that janitors have to continuously empty but also in our landfills and oceans.

The use of styrofoam for something given out so plentifully goes beyond the walls of our school. Styrofoam has a copious amount of negative effects on the environment as well as our health. For a safer overall environment, the use of it should be expunged from schools.

Styrofoam is composed of extruded polystyrene foam, a petroleum-based substance, considered a form of plastic. The styrofoam made for us to take home our leftovers, ship a package, drink hot coffee from, etc. is created through a heating and cooling process of plastic pellets. When Styrofoam products are exposed to heat they release a fume that contains a neurotoxin—a chemical that causes damage to the nervous system. When microwaving a styrofoam product or pouring a hot drink into a styrofoam cup, this toxic fume is released into the food; the exposure to this chemical has various health risks, including problems in the respiratory system and eye irritation. Prolonged exposure has been linked to asthma, kidney problems and cancer. Therefore not only is the limited exposure students have with these poisonous plates harmful, but the hours cafeteria workers spend in the kitchen preparing and serving this food puts them at serious risk for major health problems.

Styrofoam’s destructive effects are not limited to only our bodies but Mother Nature’s as well. The environmental effects of styrofoam are equally as, if not more, harmful as the effects it has on our health.

As mentioned before, styrofoam is an oil-based plastic, meaning it is not biodegradable, rather, disposable; and, frankly, a waste of our natural oil resources. Made to use once and throw away; many people do not understand that all trash ends up in the ocean, and because styrofoam does not break up in ways that other types of garbage do, it is a major factor in ocean pollution—a growing problem today. Rather than biodegrade, it photo degrades, meaning it breaks up into miniature pieces until it cannot break up anymore, resulting in a powder-like substance floating in the ocean, which marine life mistakes for food. Styrofoam pollutes land as well; fragments wash up on coastlines frequently.

So not only does it take up significant space in our school’s trash cans but it also takes up space on our beaches and in our oceans. Because it is not a recyclable product, once it is used for food, there is not much we can do to stop or prevent this marine debris except utilize an alternative to Styrofoam.

There are many ecofriendly options to replace this toxic, wasteful material. Paper, cardboard, aluminum, and plastic are a handful of more green alternatives. If schools replace their Styrofoam trays with any one of these options we as a society could significantly lessen the pollution and reduce humans’ exposure to hazardous, in serious cases, lethal, chemicals. In addition to the severe effects, there are also numerous minor negatives that could be resolved by replacing styrofoam. While, it may cost a few cents more, a more ecofriendly school could mean a healthier environment for all. Where the school district saves a few cents, the planet could be saving a few species.