The Cal Poly Surfrider Club looks to make its case to install a ban on styrofoam containers at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
Elyse Lopez
Special to Mustang News
Representatives from the Cal Poly Surfrider Club will speak at the San Luis Obispo City Council meeting Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. to help initiate a ban on styrofoam containers.
The club hopes using the public speaking forum will draw attention to its cause, industrial engineering senior and club president Alex Ly said.
“As a club we hold a lot of beach cleanups around the area, and styrofoam is one of the most abundant trash and debris that we pick up along our local beaches,” Ly said.
Three different speakers from the local Surfrider chapter will take the floor to talk about the effects of styrofoam on schools, businesses, landfills and waterways, he said. Ly encouraged supporters to show up, as the third speaker will ask for hands to be raised in support.
“It’s going to be a long haul, but if polystyrene is banned in San Luis Obispo then we will see a shift towards more biodegradable and compostable container options, which is overall better for our environment,” he said.
Styrofoam — technically known as polystyrene — is not currently recycled in San Luis Obispo County, Ly said. It is a petroleum based plastic that is non-biodegradable, lightweight and buoyant. Over time, large amounts of polystyrene have accumulated along coasts and waterways around the world, he said.
“It is now considered one of the main components of marine debris,” Ly said.
For more information on the issue, visit www.surfrider.org or email Ly at CPolySurfrider@gmail.com.