On April 1, 2018, the article titled “The importance of recycling electronics” reminded readers that we need to be more aware about the impact our waste is having on our wildlife and our environment.

Our economy encourages us to make, use and toss at the greatest possible speed not only in the area of electronics another large area of concern is the use of polystyrene. Often, we don’t think twice about getting our coffee to go in a foam cup or food in a foam takeout container. 

Currently, 70 million plastic foam cups are estimated to be disposed by Americans every day. Of these, about one-third end up in our waterways, rivers, lakes and even in our state parks. One of my favorite places to go and unwind during finals and dead week, especially in the spring, is Ledges State Park. I couldn’t even imagine the pain and disappointment I would feel if the beauty and integrity of Ledges State Park were compromised by the numerous effects of polystyrene. 

To protect our wildlife and our waterways we need to dramatically reduce our plastic waste and we can start by banning foam cups and takeout containers here in the State of Iowa.