On 1/16/2020 3:25 PM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 1/16/2020 2:36 PM, trader_4 wrote:
On Thursday, January 16, 2020 at 12:52:53 PM UTC-5, Scott Lurndal wrote:
trader_4 writes:
On Thursday, January 16, 2020 at 11:20:54 AM UTC-5, Scott Lurndal
wrote:


Don't confuse the amount of time that it takes to completely degrade
(which is 500 years for styrofoam) with the time it takes to start
leaching benzine and other chemicals which happens over the entire
time period it is buried.

That 500 years assumes UV from the sun is hitting it.=20
=20
Irrelevent.Â* The material doesn't wait 500 years then suddenly
decompose completely.Â*Â* It decomposes over the entire period
releasing toxins the entire time.

Then ban those dangerous styrofoam beverage cups!

Surely disposing of them properly (e.g. recycling or
landfill[*]) is sufficient.

The point was that if they are toxic, they emit dangerous
substances, then why are we drinking hot beverages from them?

Because it has been on the GRAS list for years and has not caused any
problems.Â* I've been in that industry for 45 years and never heard of
anyone exposed to the material having any side effects from it.

We also accepted non food material for recycling.Â* It was nearly free,
just some cost to grind it.Â* The only problem with recycling is the cost
of getting to to the user.Â* It is cheap and bulky.Â* A couple of local
appliance dealers would bring it every couple of weeks.Â* That made sense
but to take an 8 ounce piece to our plant and burn a gallon of gas to do
it does not.

For decades it has been ground to be used by some farmers as a soil
aerator.Â* That started in Europe.Â* You sometimes find it mixed in
potting soil.

I don't see it on the GRAS list:

https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-id...#se21.3.182_11

but pointed elsewhere where it is approved for food contact.

It is possible there are grades unacceptable for food contact because
they contain an ingredient, e.g. a dye, not approved for food contact.