This story first appeared in the Lede, a digital news publication delivered to our subscribers every morning. Go here to subscribe.
Taking part in cleanups of the Cahaba River, environmentalist Jean Cox noticed a recurring theme.
Styrofoam cups were among the most pervasive forms of litter found in the river.
“The amount of Styrofoam that collects down by Highway 280 is enormous,” she said.
To a lesser extent, she saw some of the same trash in cleanups further upstream in Trussville, and in the Pinchgut Creek that feeds into the Cahaba River.
She began to talk to Trussville officials about the need to reduce the amount of toxic litter that was ending up in the headwaters of the Cahaba River. Trussville Mayor Buddy Choate and the City Council signed on.
On May 19, Trussville adopted a proclamation promising to ban the use of polystyrene, or Styrofoam, in city concession stands and facilities.
“Trussville was our very first municipal partner,” said Lauren Guillebeau, a board member for the Alabama Environmental Council. “Other cities are becoming aware of the problem. We’re hoping this idea will catch on.”
She said the idea is being presented to other cities in Jefferson County.
Cox would like to see cities throughout the Cahaba River watershed do the same.
“I would love to see this happen in Birmingham, Hoover and Helena,” she said. “If we can get every city to do the same thing, that would make a huge difference. It’s not too crazy of a thing to ask a city to do.”
It’s not that people are intentionally putting Styrofoam cups in the river, Cox said.
“Most of it gets blown away in the wind, goes in the storm drains and ends up in the river,” she said. “It’s difficult to clean up. It breaks apart into tiny pieces that we can’t clean up.”
Guillebeau, organizer of the Earth Aware Team started in 2021 that encourages restaurants to favor reusable over disposable products, has also been working with restaurants with a focus on reducing the use of Styrofoam in carryout food orders.
That became especially noticeable during the pandemic. Guillebeau said she noticed more restaurant carry-out trash littering the streets where she lives, on Highland Avenue in Birmingham.
“I saw all this Styrofoam litter on my street,” she said. “This really is a serious problem. I was amazed at all the toxic waste that was winding up as litter. About 8 of 10 litter items are food containers.”
She has been lobbying restaurant owners to stop using Styrofoam and single-use plastic bags.
Bottega, Birmingham Breadworks, Filter Coffee Parlor, Sol y Luna, El Barrio and Cahaba Brewing Co. are among those who have signed on to participate in the EAT restaurant initiative.
The Cahaba River and Black Warrior Riverkeeper organizations are among those that have long recognized the problem of Styrofoam leaching toxic chemicals into water and soil.
“It’s amazing the support we’re getting from river alliances,” Guillebeau said. “Styrofoam is the number one issue in our rivers. It’s horrible for our health.”
About a dozen restaurants in the Birmingham area have signed on this year to the Earth Aware Team.
“We provide a seal of approval to restaurants so we can support these sustainable practices,” Guillebeau said. “It’s just a start, making people aware.”
Carryout containers don’t have to be made of Styrofoam, she said. There are biodegradable options available.
“The cost difference can be as low as 25 cents,” she said. “The dream is that when people are ordering food on apps they’ll look for the EAT seal.”
Most people would be willing to pay extra if they knew it would help keep the rivers and drinking water clean. “They first have to learn about the issue,” Guillebeau said.
The younger generation has grown up eating out of Styrofoam containers. They need to change their ways, she said.
“You think you’re throwing it away, but there is no ‘away,’” Guillebeau said.
Weston Stitt, who has a master’s degree in sustainable development practice from the University of Florida, works as sustainability manager for the Stitt restaurant group, which includes Bottega, Chez Fon Fon and Highlands Bar and Grill in Birmingham.
Stitt said the restaurants have moved toward using bamboo straws instead of plastic, along with biodegradable utensils and packaging for take-out meals.
“It’s just a matter of time until most restaurants you see, with curbside and to-go, will be using these,” Stitt said. “Cost is the ultimate prohibitive factor, in a business where margins are already tight as it is. That’s just the trade-off.”
Sysco and other wholesale restaurant suppliers offer eco-friendly products, and restaurants are moving that way as an industry, Stitt said.
“It’s happening pretty quickly,” Stitt said. “Birmingham is a close and tight-knit community. We’re always trying to support and help each other. People trying to start a new business are interested in the trends, such as having less impact, consuming less.”
That may mean disappointing a customer who prefers plastic straws.
“If someone asks, we don’t actually carry them,” Stitt said. “We no longer bought them anymore. As a business, we have to offer what’s best. That may mean a change from what people are used to.”
In the end, everyone benefits from cleaner rivers and cleaner drinking water, and preserving Alabama’s natural resources, Guillebeau said.
“We’re rich in these amazing biodiverse rivers,” she said. “We don’t need to destroy those.”
