And they do degrade. I have dug up plastic grocery bags in my yard that were at least 10 years old and they are like confetti. Same thing with disappearing styrofoam cups. Is there not a way to make styrofoam more environmentally friendly? I actually re-use styrofoam cups at work a few times and have even run them through the dishwasher dozens of times. I cannot believe that the double-hulled stainless steel thermos style water bottles that get thrown in the dump when the lining/coating breaks down are more enviornmentally friendly.