SAMANTHA BLONS
Assistant News Editor
Despite being banned by the city of Malibu and criticized by environmentalists, cups made of polystyrene, more commonly known as the trademark Styrofoam, have reappeared at Pepperdine after a two-year hiatus.
Polystyrene cups first showed up in the spring when Freshens opened in the Sandbar and began using them for their frozen treats and smoothies. This semester, students found that polka-dotted polystyrene cups had replaced the small and medium-size Coca-Cola cups in the Cafe.
Environmentalists have objected to the use of polystyrene materials because manufacturing them creates pollutants and disposing of them creates waste. Although Pepperdine’s cups can be recycled, the university’s waste management company does not recycle polystyrene materials, so the cups will end up in a landfill.
“The issue with paper [cups] is [they’re] biodegradable, but not recyclable, so it still goes into our landfills,” Finfrock said. “Sometimes what happens in these situations is if we don’t try to raise the bar, the bar never gets raised.”
Polystyrene came to the forefront of local controversies in 2005 when the Malibu City Council voted to ban its retail use because of concerns that it was polluting local beaches.
“[Polystyrene is] so lightweight that it’ll blow and be distributed in the wind, and when it flows in the ocean, animals mistake it for food,” said Jennifer Voccola, environmental programs coordinator for the city of Malibu.
Pepperdine is not required to comply with the city council ban because the university is technically outside the city’s borders, Voccola said. “Unfortunately, I don’t have a say in what’s served [on campus.]”
Finfrock said he plans to speak to Voccola about ways to make Dining Services more environmentally conscious. Finfrock said he did not know why the decision to put polystyrene cups back in the Café was made, and another Dining Services represented could not be reached for comment.
09-13-2007