Addicted to Plastic
(a documentary on the history and environmental consequences of plastic)

Greening Williamstown (a PowerPoint presentation on the problems of plastic and the available alternatives)

No.  Click here to see why.

No.  See this chart comparing products from one major vendor.

Sierra Club fact sheet on polystyrene

Aren't Corn and Paper Products More Environmentally Harmful than Polystyrene?

Aren't Alternatives to Polystyrene Much More Expensive?


Save the Bay fact sheet on polystyrene

The Way to Go fact sheet on polystyrene

The Problem with Polystyrene

Some Quick Definitions

Styrene = An organic compound derived from benzene.  It is associated with a number of health risks, including cancer.

Polystyrene = Plastic made of styrene.  This can take many forms, from coffee lids and sushi boxes to EPS cups.

EPS = Expanded Polystyrene, a bulky, lightweight plastic in the form of a smooth, rigid foam.  Widely used for evrything from coffee cups to insulation. 

XPS = Extruded Polystyrene is the bumpier rougher form of EPS, the kind that breaks off in chunks.  Packing materials, e.g.

Styrofoam = A brand name for the XPS manufactured by Dow Chemicals.  Informally, “Styrofoam” is widely used to refer to all EPS and XPS.