Honolulu Weekly

For a couple of environmentalists, a perfect world would start with a ban on Styrofoam. But until then, Krista Ruchaber and Mike Elhoff will peddle their disposable and biodegradable dinnerware, take-out containers and utensils to anyone who’ll use them. Their fledgling company, Styrophobia, sells earth-friendly food gear and so far, restaurants town and sister eatery Downtown are on board with the goods.

The take-out containers are made from sugar cane fibers, the plastic cups and utensils are made from corn starch and the message is: Be afraid of polystyrene. Ruchaber and Elhoff are. And they’re putting their fear of the everlasting polystyrene to good use with a company that has high hopes of turning the trash tide here in Hawai’i. They’re starting small, with an import company that ships in the biodegradable containers for their distribution, but they’re dreaming big and they hope that the City Council will follow in the environmentally small footsteps of San Francisco and Oakland and pass a ban on polystyrene. They want the island to be 80 percent polystyrene-free in five years.

All of their products biodegrade within 45 to 180 days, depending on the product. The green stuff is a little more expensive than the white, foamy stuff–it would cost about 25 cents more per meal if fast food restaurants made the switch–but what’s a few cents compared to an eternity (literally) of plastic trash?