© Green Green, 2022-2025
Polystyrene disposable tableware includes plates, cups, containers, and utensils made from polystyrene (marking 6, PS). Most commonly, this is either hard brittle plastic or expanded foam (styrofoam). Such tableware is light, cheap, and convenient for mass events and fast food, so it is used very widely.
The main problem with polystyrene is that it is not recycled. It easily gets contaminated with food, is difficult to sort, and is economically unprofitable to recycle. When in contact with hot food, polystyrene can release harmful substances, including styrene, and in nature it decomposes extremely slowly and easily turns into microplastic.
In Armenia, real alternatives to polystyrene remain reusable tableware (provided it is actually used many times, not just "for show") and disposable tableware made from PP (polypropylene, marking 5). PP is honestly recyclable, is not a composite, and does not create an illusion of "eco-friendliness" as happens with polystyrene and pseudo-eco materials.