Polystyrene is a synthetic polymer. Polystyrene can be solid or foamed. Polystyrene is one of the most widely used plastics, the scale of its production being several billion kilograms per year. Uses include protective packaging (such as packing peanuts and CD and DVD cases), containers (such as "clamshells"), lids, bottles, trays, tumblers, and disposable cutlery.
Polypropylene, also known as polypropene, is a polymer used in a wide variety of applications including packaging and labeling, textiles, stationary, plastic parts and reusable containers of various types, laboratory equipment, loudspeakers, and automotive components. Polypropylene is the second most important plastic with revenues expected to exceed US $145 billion by 2019. |
Because polystyrene is very slow to biodegrade it is often a focus of controversy. Polystyrene foam is often abundant as a form of litter in the outdoor environment, especially along shores and in waterways.
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As of July 1, 2015 in NYC landfill-clogging polystyrene has been banned.
The ban stems from a decision by the city’s Department of Sanitation (DSNY) that determined polystyrene foam cannot be recycled. As a result of the ban, manufacturers and stores may not sell or offer items made of the material, including cups, plates, trays, or containers in the City. 830,000 foam lunch trays are used every school day in the City. |
There are some advantages that polypropylene has over polystyrene. It has a lower density so it takes less water to manufacture and it can be recycled as #5. However, according to the American Chemistry Council, polypropylene (PP) is one of the least recycled post consumer plastics, at a rate below 1%, mainly because of the difficulties of decontamination and removing odor and taint, placing it behind other challenging to recycle plastics.
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