Styrofoam is virtually everywhere! From cups, plates, serving trays, plastic utensils, and take out containers, to home insulation, coolers, pipe insulation and insulated sheathing. But did you know that Styrofoam is actually petroleum plastic and contains a lot of harmful chemicals? According to researchers at the University of British Columbia, Styrofoam™ takes over 500 years to degrade in normal landfills, and has been piling up for years to make up nearly 30% of garbage by volume found in landfills today. Along with filling up our landfills, when Styrofoam is burned there are over 90 different hazardous chemicals released from it into the environment. By avoiding disposable items made out of Styrofoam, you can help to reduce some of the 8.3 million kilograms of Styrofoam that Canadian use per year (Canadian Chamber of Commerce).