Help with a project

[altech6983]

Is paper better than polystyrene (Styrofoam) or is polystyrene (Styrofoam) better than paper for cups. Every time you go to a restaurant or your favorite coffee house are you helping or hurting your environment?

Below is a three question survey for my project. My project consist of me performing a Life Cycle Assessment for paper and polystyrene (Styrofoam) and then determining which one is better for the environment. With the survey I would like to also show why one is used more than the other, is it really better or do the people just think it is better?

Link to Survey (SurveyMonkey) (http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=hOPGC3xVdAclJb3Apihthg_3d_3d)

Thanks for the help.

[koenn]

How does asking random people what they think is better for the environment help a chemical engineer determine which is better for the environment ?

[altech6983]

It doesn't help me determine which is better, but it helps show what misconceptions could keep a product that is worse for the enviroment going. There is a big difference between, if you know B is better than A but everybody only uses A so you have to to (such as you like McDonalds and you know that B is better than A but they only use A), than, you think A is better than B so you use A.

Hope that made sense, if it didn't let me know, I have another way to explain it.

[koenn]

I think I got it, but out of curiosity, what's the other way to explain it ?

[altech6983]

You can look at it this way, it depends on demand. If the demand is greater for A than B, then more people are using A. Usually the majority is what makes the demand, but there will always be the minority that will either follow the majority even though they know it is wrong, or go to the extra trouble to get B.

It doesn't really help when there is all the hype on the subject, so facts get confused and then people get confused and so even if there clear advantage for B over A, because of skewed facts, they believe that A is equal if not better. It also doesn't help when there aren't immediate returns; Example, would you take (1 million dollars immediately) or (one penny on the first day where the amount doubles each day for thirty days). Sure, thirty minutes from now you won't notice a difference but what in twenty years, what about fifty?

I do have to admit though, this was not the other way, I went to class and forgot the other way of was thinking of when I wrote the other one, so I wrote this one.

[forrestcupp]

It's not a fair survey. I use plastic cups more than either.

Also, of course paper cups are better for the environment. But if I'm drinking hot coffee, at that moment I care more about not burning my hands than the environment. Styrofoam is a better insulator.

Also, I've noticed that paper cups leak a lot more.

[altech6983]

While I do agree that there are some things about this survey that are not fair, that is not one of them. The reason is because the experiment only encompasses paper vs styrofoam, nothing else. Even something as simple as just styrofoam cups becomes immensely complex when you study it in this much detail (Life Cycle Assessment). That is why the scope of the survey and of this project is only paper vs styrofoam. It may be true that reusing plastic cups is much better (yes I know it IS better) but as the scope of the project is only paper vs styrofoam, I need to know of those two, which one do you think is better, of those two which one do you use more, and of those two which one(s)/none (the none part is one of the unfair things, I assumed that if you did not recycle any of them then you would just skip it (I can track the skips) but I understand that there should have been a neither choice also) do you recycle. That is why plastic, ceramic... are not in there, same as why aluminum cans are not in the recycling question.

I'm not trying to be rude or anything I am just trying to explain why it was written like that.

TO EVERYONE:
If you would like to know the results and which one is better then please check back in about a week, I will post the results (of course I already have results of the research and I know which one is better but I can't post it because it would influence the survey).

[diesch]

Over here in Germany I haven't seen any styrofoam cups during the last few years.

[forrestcupp]

It may be true that reusing plastic cups is much better (yes I know it IS better) but as the scope of the project is only paper vs styrofoam, I need to know of those two, which one do you think is better, of those two which one do you use more, and of those two which one(s)/none (the none part is one of the unfair things, I assumed that if you did not recycle any of them then you would just skip it (I can track the skips)

No, I'm talking about disposable plastic cups that get used once, then get thrown away. Those aren't very good on the environment, either. I think those are relevant to the recycling/environmental debate as well. But if that's not what you're studying, I guess it's not relevant to your study.

But the thing that isn't fair about the survey is that it is too simplistic. Everyone knows that paper is safer, so of course that is what everyone will say if they're honest. But sometimes styrofoam is the better option. So until there is an alternative that is just as cost effective as styrofoam, there is still a place for styrofoam in the consumer market.