Ditching Disposables Toolkit

Appendix

Toolkit Contents

plastic cup and foam bowl in black garbage bags

This Section:
Appendix

Introduction

Case Studies

A child with their stainless steel lunch tray sitting at a cafeteria table

Planning Guide
How to Transform Your Cafeteria

Resources

Health & Waste Impacts of Food Service Ware (FSW) Materials

Common Single-Use FSW Materials and Additives

Petroleum-based Plastic

The most common type of single-use FSW used in schools are products that are made from plastics, especially expanded polystyrene foam (EPS, or more commonly known as “Styrofoam” ™). While these products tend to be cheap and may seem convenient in the short term, their effects on our health and environment can be long lasting. As previously mentioned, the vast majority of plastics used in both reusable and single-use foodware are sourced from petrochemicals. Lifecycle concerns for plastics include exposure to toxic chemicals during manufacture, use and disposal; increased risk for chronic diseases, climate change from increased fossil fuel consumption, microplastic contamination of marine life, air pollution from incinerating waste, and much more.

Polystyrene (PS, #6) / Expanded Polystyrene Foam (EPS) Health and Waste Concerns

EPS products cause many of the same downstream waste problems as other petroleum-based plastics, and also release styrene which can migrate into food.^1,2 The World Health Organization, National Institutes of Health, and the State of California all identify styrene as a chemical likely to be carcinogenic and capable of causing cancer.^1,3 EPS is rarely recycled, mainly because the process is not profitable. Nationwide, the recycling rate is little to none.⁴ In 2017, NYC’s Department of Sanitation determined that “FoodService Foam or post-consumer Food-Service Foam cannot be recycled in a manner that is economically feasible or environmentally effective for New York City”;⁵ they subsequently enacted a ban on these products that went into effect in early 2019.⁶ In reaction to bans like this across the country, fossil fuel and chemical companies began national advertising campaigns about EPS and opened new recycling facilities, however all have ultimately failed to viably recycle the material.⁷

Polypropylene (PP, #5) Health Concerns

Polypropylene is a durable plastic that is commonly used to make food containers, ranging from yogurt cups to commercial food storage bins. Due to its high heat tolerance, it is also often used in microwavable food packaging,⁸ which can lead to chemicals leaching from the packaging into the food.⁹

While polypropylene is FDA-approved for food contact, emerging science suggests there are many known and unknown chemical additives which may pose a risk to the consumer.

Just 3% of polypropylene is currently recycled; a new group, the Polypropylene Recycling Coalition, is focused on bringing all the relevant players together to capture more than 1.6 billion pounds of this plastic that is not currently recycled.

Bioplastics

The term “bioplastics” can refer to bio-based plastics and biodegradable plastics. “Bio-based” plastics are made in whole or in part from renewable plant-based materials such as corn, potatoes, sugarcane, or wheat; while “biodegradable” plastics are able to be broken down by microbes in a reasonable timeframe, given specific conditions. Even though a plastic product may be marketed as “bio-based”, it does not guarantee that it is biodegradable or compostable. You can find more information about the difference between biodegradable vs compostable plastic and common misconceptions about bioplastics here.

Paper, Paperboard, & Molded Fiber

Another common type of single-use FSW used in schools are paper, paperboard or molded fiber products. It is widely believed that molded fiber FSW is more sustainable than plastic because it is made out of natural materials that can be renewably sourced or from byproducts of other manufacturing. However, lifecycle impacts of the source materials and the viability of composting of these products due to additional protective coatings can be detrimental to health and the environment.

Fiber Health Concerns

As with plastic FSW, many molded fiber, paper, and paperboard FSW may contain toxic chemicals, both known and unknown. Known chemicals of concern include the class of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, used to provide a grease and liquid resistant barrier for molded fiber and paper-based foodware products. Paper-based products are often coated with plastic film for grease and liquid resistance; these coatings can also contain potentially harmful substances.

Exposure to PFAS has been linked to a variety of serious health issues, including attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), delayed puberty, obesity, a variety of cancers, among others.^{10, 11} PFAS are a class of man-made substances that have earned the nickname “forever chemicals” because they are extraordinarily persistent in the environment and in our bodies.

Between chemical releases from factories and consumer products that contain PFAS, food, water, and air all around the world have become contaminated.¹² In schools, children can be directly exposed to these chemicals by handling and eating food that has come into contact with foodware that contains PFAS.¹³ Non-fluorinated paper-based products are widely available; molded fiber alternatives have only recently been entering the market and we expect this category of products to grow significantly as a result of purchaser demand.

Fiber Waste Concerns

The recycling rate for non-durable paper goods, such as paper FSW, is only 47.4%.¹⁴ Mixed materials such as paper coffee cups lined with plastic are difficult to recycle because the layers are cost-prohibitive to separate. Therefore, even when put into the recycling bin, paper and fiber-based FSW may end up in a landfill.

Phthalates

Phthalates are a type of man-made chemical that are added to plastics to make them more flexible and difficult to break.¹⁵ Exposure to these chemicals is widespread. A study published in 2000 analyzed urine samples of various US participants for several phthalate chemicals, where certain phthalates were detected in upwards of 97% of the samples.¹⁶

Like BPA, phthalates are endocrine disrupting chemicals and are linked to a wide variety of health issues. Exposure has been associated with learning disorders, childhood obesity, reproductive malformations in babies, asthma, increased allergic reactions, cancers, and more.^17-21 In September 2020, a coalition of scientists, health professionals and child advocates who comprise Project TENDR, called for the ban of phthalates in consumer products in the United States.²² This initiative is further supported by further health experts and researchers across the United States and around the globe.

Common Reusable Materials

Stainless Steel

Stainless steel is a corrosion-resistant material that is widely used in food processing and serving capacities because it is durable, and easy to clean. The material is an iron- and chromium-based alloy that may also contain other metals in small quantities. One of the most common food-grade stainless steel alloys is called 304, (or ‘18-8’) and contains 18% chromium and 8% nickel.²³

Stainless Steel Health Concerns

While chromium and nickel could be harmful if you were directly exposed at high concentrations, studies on food service ware have shown that the chemical stability of stainless steel prevents these compounds from migrating out of at meaningful levels.²⁴

Melamine

Melamine is a chemical that is used in the production of plastics, industrial coatings, and as a fertilizer in certain parts of the world.²⁵ The plastic used to create melamine FSW is made from a mixture of melamine and formaldehyde which can be molded into a variety of shapes.²⁵

Melamine Steel Health Concerns

While physically durable, melamine products are not chemically stable when exposed to heat and are widely considered to be unsafe for use in ovens or microwaves.^{25, 26} Studies have also shown that melamine can migrate out of FSW products in small amounts when exposed to hot or acidic food and beverages.²⁶

Polycarbonate

Polycarbonate is a durable, heat-resistant plastic that is often used to produce hospital trays, commercial serving bowls, wearable sneeze shields, and much more. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a fundamental component used to make polycarbonate, however it is a known endocrine disruptor.²⁷

Polycarbonate Health Concerns

BPA has been shown to interfere with reproductive development, and has been linked with cardiovascular disease and diabetes in humans.²⁸ Further, exposure to BPA has been associated with behavioral and learning disorders in children, premature puberty, childhood asthma, a variety of cancers, obesity, diabetes, and a host of other serious health issues.²⁹

Studies have shown that polycarbonate bottles leach BPA into water at room temperature, and when exposed to boiling water, they can leach BPA at a rate up to 55 times higher than room temperature.³⁰ Further, a study at Harvard found that participants who drank from polycarbonate drinking bottles for one week showed a two-thirds increase of BPA in their urine.³¹

While the FDA banned the use of BPA in baby bottles and children’s sippy cups in 2012, it is likely still found in many other food contact products.³² Since then, many manufacturers have replaced BPA with one of many of its chemical-cousins, including Bisphenol-S (BPS) and Bisphenol-F (BPF). While these products are technically “BPA-free”, recent studies have linked many of the same hormone-disrupting effects that BPA can cause to these replacement chemicals as well.³³

Lifecycle Considerations for Reusable FSW

Reusable foodware creates much less waste than single-use options because it can be used thousands of times over the course of its life. The US EPA defines “reusable products” as goods that have a lifespan of three or more years while the San Francisco Department of the Environment defines reusable foodware as products designed to be washed and sanitized at high temperatures in a commercial dishwasher at least 1,000 times.^{34, 35}

The School Nutrition Foundation analyzed multiple serving systems in school cafeterias and found that reusable compartment trays used the least amount of energy, produced the least amount of solid wastes, and were the least expensive.³⁶ Across seven schools, they examined systems that use a combination of single-use products and reusables (single-use trays/bowls/plates carried on a flat reusable tray) and systems that only used reusable compartment trays.

Systems that used only reusables required 20 to 56 percent less energy and produced 31 to 65 percent less solid waste for the same number of meals depending on the efficiency of the dishwashers.

Once a reusables system is set up, the life-cycle impacts are minimal. The only energy use comes from producing fuel and detergent to run the dishwasher and end-of-life management for detergent packaging. Further, the School Nutrition Foundation study found that the total cost for serving meals on reusable compartment trays is about 25% less expensive than serving on single-use foodware carried on a reusable, flat tray. High-efficiency dishwashers further reduced costs by $1,300 for every 100,000 meals served.

As a school converts from disposable food ware to reusables, sorting recyclables and compostables becomes easier for students and staff, thereby reducing the likelihood that recyclables become contaminated to such an extent that they need to be landfilled. As waste sorting becomes easier, students and staff can become advocates for reusables, recycling and composting in their wider community.