Third in a series. 

Re: “Waiting, Waiting for Polystyrene’s Successor” 

With this evening’s anxiously awaited City Council progress report on a potential polystyrene ban postponed until next year, now what?

“The research into finding replacements for polystyrene food containers – all seven kinds – has been tireless but frustrating,” said a woman who has been closely studying the progress.

“A lot of the materials are heat sensitive, and they become soft very fast.”

Banning polystyrene is the easy part, she said. A huge proportion of the replacements that have been inspected and tested “are not any better for the environment than polystyrene and Styrofoam. The most attractive option at the moment is to go compostable. The problem is that the technology is not quite there yet.”

Only recently has it been realized that polystyrene and Styrofoam are recyclable, said the woman who prefers anonymity because of the sensitivity of her job.

“You only have to go back four years and see that there wasn’t anyone who really was recycling then. There wasn’t a market for it. The technology was not fully there, so it was expensive.”

Polystyrene recycling now is available at a company called Titus, a few minutes’ drive from Culver City. “They recycle both dirty and clean containers,” the woman said.

As of now, the next step will be when the city polls restaurateurs next month to gather data and opinions.