A Cleveland woman is petitioning to ban Styrofoam in her city. Her petition has already garnered more than 2,100 signatures.
Hillary Lyon grew up in Northeast Ohio, but went and lived in San Francisco for six years, where she developed greener habits.
“People are composting more,” she said. “They're being much more sustainable and thinking about being greener. Everyone in San Francisco carries bags, they’ve banned plastic bags as well.”
After moving back to Cleveland, Lyon said she was inspired to bring the greener lifestyle to "The Land."
Her message: Styrofoam harms the earth.
“Styrofoam breaks down, it can get into animals, sea life, birds,” she said. “They can adjust it when it breaks into little pieces, but technically it never breaks down fully.”
She said Styrofoam can also be harmful to humans.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has added Styrene to its list of known human carcinogens. However, the F.D.A said more research needs to be done to ban the substance in the U.S. altogether.
If the City of Cleveland does ban Styrofoam, Lyon said there are options.
“So they'll use compostable paper, things that are a little more expensive,” she said.
Seattle, Washington D.C., San Francisco and New York City are among the cities that have banned Styrofoam.
Lyon said she is scheduled to meet with the Office of Sustainability next week. News 5 will follow up with her and let you know of any updates.
