Compost Community
  • Home
    • Join
  • Order
    • East Gippsland
    • Glen Eira
    • Greater Dandenong
    • Hume
    • Knox
    • Manningham
    • Maribyrnong
    • Monash
    • Moreland
    • Mornington Peninsula
    • Everywhere else >
      • Rest of Victoria
      • Rest of Australia
    • Accessories
    • Spare parts
  • Learn
    • Food Waste
    • Choosing a compost system
    • Worm farming >
      • Guide to Worm Farming
      • Fun facts
      • Surviving Heat Waves
    • Composting >
      • Introduction to Composting
      • Feeding your compost
      • Compost Maintenance
      • Harvesting and using Compost
      • Troubleshooting Compost Problems
      • Composting FAQs
    • Bokashi
    • Chooks
    • Pet poo
    • Troubleshooting
  • Toolbox
    • FAQs
    • Community >
      • Compost hotspots
      • Chat
      • Sharewaste
      • Community gardens
      • Baseline data
    • Downloads >
      • Kids' activities
    • Videos
    • Blog
    • Back to Earth
  • About us
    • How it works
    • Terms and Policies
    • Our Products >
      • Our Worm Farms >
        • Subpod Care
      • Our Bokashi bins
      • Our Compost bins >
        • Tumblers
        • Compost bins
      • Our Accessories
    • Councils
    • Contact us

Dirt Blog

Why garden shows are killing our soil

15/6/2018

9 Comments

 
I get it.

​Building a raised garden bed can be a bit of a hassle. You need crazy amounts of soil, compost, manure, straw, newspaper and any other organic deliciousness that takes your fancy. But what if you don't have enough? What can you fill it with that's free, won't break down (much), light weight, and considered "safe" enough to be used in the food industry?

​This horrible stuff:
Picture
At least, that's what tv garden shows, blogs, and so called gurus would have you do. ​

via GIPHY

I've lost count of the number of TV programs, blogs, articles and You Tube videos I've seen promoting using this common pollutant as a soil filler. It makes me angry, as it shows a lack of corporate, social or environmental responsibility.

​Furthermore it makes me angry that we, the sheeple, blindly follow these "great ideas" without question for the environmental ramification and long term impacts, not to mention the health consequences. 
​It concerns me that one of the most common questions I get is “Can I put bones or egg shells in my soil, as they take so long to break down?” Yet no one ever questions polystyrene, and gardening shows promote it! Why?
But before I show you the obvious eco alternative, let's dig a little deeper.

What we know about expanded polystyrene (EPS)...

Picture
  • ​It doesn’t decompose, just degrades into smaller pieces
  • Persists in the environment for 100 to 1 million years depending on environmental conditions.
  • It is banned in many parts of the world for use takeaway packaging including China, Zimbabwe, India, Taiwan and parts of the US.
  • It doesn't grow mould or bacteria – the opposite of organic matter like compost
  • It is ingested by marine and aquatic animals, clogging their digestive system, creating buoyancy that limits their ability to hunt, feed or escape predators, and ultimately kills them.
  • It can leach the toxins Styrene and Benzene (both suspected carcinogens, and known neurotoxins) into the environment and your blood stream
  • Polystyrene has been known to be manufactured with hydrocarbons and Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) with significant global warming potential (1000 times more potent than CO2)
  • Contains brominated flame retardants
  • The styrene monomer (from which polystyrene is made) is a cancer suspect agent.
  • Can interact with carotene (Vitamin A) or cooking oils 
  • The National Human Adipose Tissue Survey identified Styrene residues in 100% of all samples of human fat tissue taken in the US.
A major manufacturer of polystyrene is the Dow Chemical Company, one of the companies that brought you:
  • plutonium triggers for hydrogen bombs,
  • radioactive waste leakage,
  • napalm and
  • Agent Orange.

via GIPHY

Picture
Let’s dig a little deeper…

There are two ways that polystyrene degrades: photodegradation and leaching.

Photodegradation occurs when polystyrene is exposed to sunlight for an extended period of time. Polystyrene starts to break apart into smaller, powdery pieces, becoming a micro plastic. Micro plastics act as a magnet for other pollutants such as heavy metals, and once in the form of a micro plastic, are near impossible to remove from the environment.

Do you really want to grow your vegetables in this?

Leaching occurs when the plastic becomes exposed to a certain amount of heat – such as that of a compost system. Under these conditions, tiny amounts of styrene can seep out of the plastic and contaminate the surrounding soil and water.

Meanwhile in Australia...

Picture
​
We are throwing out corks.

Hundreds of thousands of corks.

Straight to landfill. Do not pass go; do not collect $200.

See, the cork recycling industry in Australia just, kind of, stopped. Once recycling an item is not economically viable, it just doesn't happen. Cork recycling in Australia ceased around 2014. 

But just because there is no recycling, does not mean there should be no reuse. 
Instead of polluting our soil with polystyrene, why not use a natural product that is also lightweight, buoyant, water repellent, naturally fire retardant, and at the same time low emissions, non toxic, and organic?
Picture

So the million dollar question...

Where do you get enough corks to bolster up soil volume?

With no cork recycling programs currently in Australia, the best option is to partner with a local Community Garden or community group and start up a collection. 

Chooktopia has been stockpiling corks for a couple of years now to trial uses including soil additives, concrete aggregate, gabion walls, retaining wall drainage substrate, insulation and more. Chooktopia is happy to share any excess.
​Remember: polystyrene may break up, but it will never break down. It has no place in the natural environment. 
References

Bandyopadhyay, Abhijit; Chandra Basak, G. (2007). "Studies on photocatalytic degradation of polystyrene". Materials Science and Technology. 23 (3): 307–317. doi:10.1179/174328407X158640.
Berkeley Barring Use Of a Food Container. The New York Times. Associated Press. 24 September 1987.
Berkeley Widens Ban on Foam Food Containers. The Los Angeles Times. 16 June 1988.
Global Warming Potentials of ODS Substitutes. EPA.gov
Hofer, Tobias N. (2008). Marine pollution: new research. New York: Nova Science Publishers. p. 59. ISBN 1-60456-242-0.
Kim Robson, Why Styrofoam Is So Bad for the Environment, February 27, 2018 https://green-mom.com/styrofoam-bad-environment/#.WyNrJ9UzbX4 accessed 15 June 2018
Max Roman Dilthey, sciencing.com
National Human Adipose Tissue Survey 1986
National Toxicology Program (10 June 2011). "12th Report on Carcinogens". National Toxicology Program. 
Polystyrene & Health,  Energy Justice Network. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
Polystyrene Foam Report Archived 25 March 2013 at the Wayback Machine.. Earth Resource Foundation.
Sakamato H, Matsuzawa A, Itoh R, Tohyama Y (2000). "Quantitative Analysis of Styrene Dimer and Trimers Migrated from Disposable Lunch Boxes". J Food Hyg Soc Japan. 41 (3): 200–205. doi:10.3358/shokueishi.41.200.
Why You Should Never Use Styrofoam Again goinggreenservices.com/Articles.asp?ID=260 retrieved 15 June 2018
9 Comments
Patrick Keogh
25/2/2020 07:29:34 pm

Where on earth do you think you will get a sufficient quantity of corks? With almost all Australian wines now using screwtop closures, I doubt if you could get 20 tonnes of cork a year across all of Australia if you captured every one in circulation!

Reply
brian clark
6/7/2020 06:17:46 pm

not enough corks is not the point Patrick. Too much scrap styrofoam and the temptation to use it as filler in garden beds is the point. I was thinking about it - stupidly in hindsight- until this site pointed out that I would be adding to the micro-plastic calamity facing the world.

Reply
Sarah Smith link
27/2/2020 04:02:25 am

Thank you for explaining that it is better to use soil with corks in it than plastics because the corks are non-toxic and organic. My husband and I would like to change our landscaping, but we need to add soil to make sure everything has room to grow. We'll start looking into different landscaping soils to make sure we get a high-quality product.

Reply
Susan Luck
20/5/2020 07:42:16 pm

Good points! You also need to be careful what materials you use for the construction- some wood preservative is very toxic to use near veg. https://www.ramsburyraven.com/life/home_and_garden/diy-raised-garden-beds/

Reply
Jack
22/2/2021 03:45:48 am

I’m still gonna use Styrofoam. This article was bad.

Reply
What
28/3/2021 12:09:27 pm

You're an idiot

Reply
Vanessa shearer link
9/5/2021 10:36:37 pm

Of all the micro and not so micro plastics showing up in the world.. A high percentage is from vehicle tyres.. The rest is from degradation of other bits and bobs.. The things designed to make our lives hassle free, cheap and cheerful.. Only one day not so cheerful... We are breathing it in,, its in the atmosphere, the bottom of the ocean..
Put something so degradable (and by degradable I mean it just gets smaller but the same) in the very place you want to grow nutrition, just adds the the toxins we already can't prevent..
Like drinking a plastic laced smoothie

Reply
Michelle link
25/2/2022 07:49:48 pm

Thanks for sharing this useful information! Hope that you will continue with the kind of stuff you are doing.

Reply
Body building Product Review link
20/5/2022 10:17:11 pm

The blog post you shared here with us is very informative. Thanks for providing such great knowledge about organic products’ benefits for our health.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Categories

    All
    Bokashi
    Compost
    Events
    Gardening
    Moreland
    Plastics
    Products
    Recycling
    Soil
    Worm Farming

    Archives

    September 2021
    August 2021
    March 2020
    November 2019
    April 2019
    June 2018
    December 2015

    RSS Feed

Member Councils

East Gippsland Shire logo
Glen Eira council logo
City of Greater Dandenong logo
Hume Compost Community
Knox Compost Community
Manningham Compost Community
Maribyrnong Compost Community
City of Monash
Moreland City Council
Mornington Peninsula Shire

Chooktopia logo - Sustainability starts with soil


(c) Chooktopia 2021
​
​Compost Community is a program by Chooktopia in partnership with local councils.
Phone 03 97766559 or 0418 879 667 10am-5pm Mon-Fri; SMS other times 
​
1195 Westernport Hwy Langwarrin 3910 by appointment. 

Terms of use and Privacy Policy
  • Home
    • Join
  • Order
    • East Gippsland
    • Glen Eira
    • Greater Dandenong
    • Hume
    • Knox
    • Manningham
    • Maribyrnong
    • Monash
    • Moreland
    • Mornington Peninsula
    • Everywhere else >
      • Rest of Victoria
      • Rest of Australia
    • Accessories
    • Spare parts
  • Learn
    • Food Waste
    • Choosing a compost system
    • Worm farming >
      • Guide to Worm Farming
      • Fun facts
      • Surviving Heat Waves
    • Composting >
      • Introduction to Composting
      • Feeding your compost
      • Compost Maintenance
      • Harvesting and using Compost
      • Troubleshooting Compost Problems
      • Composting FAQs
    • Bokashi
    • Chooks
    • Pet poo
    • Troubleshooting
  • Toolbox
    • FAQs
    • Community >
      • Compost hotspots
      • Chat
      • Sharewaste
      • Community gardens
      • Baseline data
    • Downloads >
      • Kids' activities
    • Videos
    • Blog
    • Back to Earth
  • About us
    • How it works
    • Terms and Policies
    • Our Products >
      • Our Worm Farms >
        • Subpod Care
      • Our Bokashi bins
      • Our Compost bins >
        • Tumblers
        • Compost bins
      • Our Accessories
    • Councils
    • Contact us