Get it to go green

Tired of scouring grocery store shelves for products that aren’t overpackaged? Sick of seeing your take-out lunch encased in Styrofoam? So were the founders of NaturoPack, a Toronto-based not-for-profit group that works to raise awareness, educucate and advocate for the promotion of environmentally responsible packaging. According the the Recycling Council of Ontario, Torontonians are tossing half a kilogram of packaging every day. But excessive packaging doesn’t just clog up our landfills - it exacts a heavy toll on our health and that of our planet.

NaturoPack hopes to provide resources and sustainable solutions to the harmful environmental impacts of excessive packaging by keeping the public informed, encouraging companies to change and convincing governments to support a sustainable packaging industry.

Their Get It To Go Green campaign was launched last January to urge the city’s restaurants and cafes to switch from using petroleum-based Styrofoam to biodegradable containers made from corn, potato and sugar cane. As a non-biodegradable substance, Styrofoam not only contributes to our growing waste problem, it’s made from petroleum and contains chemicals that can harm our health. Styrofoam, the Dow Chemical brand name for Polystyrene, is made from benzene, styrene and ethylene, which are known to be toxic to humans and the environment. Benzene, found in car exhaust and cigarette smoke, is classified as a toxic substance according to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, and is listed as a human carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Studies suggest that styrene mimics estrogen in the body and can therefore disrupt normal hormone functions, possibly contributing to thyroid problems, menstrual irregularities and other hormone-related problems, as well as breast cancer and prostate cancer. And Styrofoam containers can leach toxic chemicals into the food or drinks they contain (especially when heated in a microwave). Do you really need a side of this nasty stuff with your organic burger?

So what can you do? Toronto’s new big blue bin polystyrene recycling plan clearly isn’t the answer, especially since the only recycling plant in Ontario capable of accommodating Toronto’s expected volume of polystyrene just closed its doors. Visit NaturoPack’s website and sign their petition to urge the city to ban Styrofoam’s use (a move that’s already been made in more than 100 U.S. cities). Contact your city councillor to let them know you support the Get It To Go Green campaign.  Support green-friendly businesses that have made the switch to planet- and human-friendly take-out packaging, or better yet, bring your own reusable container next time you order lunch. You might even get a discount!