Polystyrene Fertilizer Essay

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Also, polystyrene is produced using heavily polluting petroleum products. According to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, polystyrene fabrication releases hydrocarbons into the air which will eventually combine with nitrogen oxide, in the presence of sunlight, to become a dangerous air pollutant which depletes the ozone layer (Green Restaurant Association, n.d.). Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) were first marketed as a non-toxic and non-flammable compound (Mido & Satake, 1995). They are formerly used in polystyrene fabrication in several countries around the globe but a gradual phase out was implemented after the discovery of its destructive effect in the environment. Even though the Philippines is considered to be a low CFC consumer compared with other neighboring countries, it has not exempted the country’s ozone layer from depletion, says Rodito Bruan, chief of the climate research division of the Philippine …show more content…

After polystyrene has served its purpose, it will then be seen lying next to other waste in the landfill. Landfill is the least desirable option among all the possible waste management alternatives for it means that, a material is not making the most out of the used resources, which is mostly the case for polystyrene. Polystyrene products are unlikely to degrade that is why polystyrene products are reported to fill 25 up to 30 percent of landfill space around the world ("The Facts On Styrfoam: Reduce and Reuse", n.d.). Landfills in the Philippines are situated mostly in the NCR region and some in the provinces. Aside from the massive space a landfill takes up, leachate, which is the trickling of water down through the wastes picking up dissolved contaminants that are primarily toxic, is a major concern associated with landfills (Tesar, 1991); this phenomenon can contaminate ground and surface waters and will degrade the quality of soil, making it unfit to sustain

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