Why are plastic, paper, and Styrofoam bad for the environment?
Plastic is usually derived from petroleum (oil) or natural gas, both non-renewable resources, and when disposed of they are a strain on the eco-system since they last in landfills for hundreds of years. Paper is derived from wood, which is made from trees. Trees are the natural “filters” for making CO2 (carbon dioxide) into Oxygen. Cutting down trees to make paper puts a strain on the environment and causes an imbalance in nature. Also, paper products are usually heavy and transport of paper products requires a fair amount of energy, much more than plastic products. Gasoline (derived from oil) is used for energy transport and transporting paper products causes a further environmental burden. However, paper is biodegradable, and after its disposal it does not stay around for long. Styrofoam (properly called Polystyrene – or PS for short) is actually plastic! Its impact is greater than that of plastic since it is hard to recycle PS, since it requires a lot of energy and takes quite a bit
