Styrofoam is a popular and lightweight material made of polystyrene foam. It's commonly used as packaging material, but it's also used in food containers, cups, and other disposable items. While it’s a very useful material, unfortunately Styrofoam is not biodegradable or easily recycled. But there are still ways to responsibly dispose of and recycle Styrofoam.
See the below map for locations where you can recycle styrofoam.
While there is no money to be made from recycling Styrofoam, recycling the material does help save money over time. For instance, it can prevent additional costs for disposing of the product in landfills or other disposal methods, which can be expensive. Furthermore, recycling styrofoam keeps the material out of landfills and reduces pollution from production processes associated with creating new materials like plastic or foam.
Similarly, see if you can recycle styrofoam boxes.
Recycling styrofoam involves grinding down the pieces into smaller particles that can be used in various ways. This process is called “densifying” and the results are small pellets that can then be used to make products such as picture frames, crown molding, furniture insulation and more. The pellets are then sold to companies that create these items with them instead of producing more waste in their factories by using petroleum-based products like plastic which require energy intensive production processes.
Similarly, see if you can recycle styrofoam peanuts.
By recycling styrofoam you can:
Reduce landfill space by not throwing away large amounts of foam waste
Keep an environmentally friendly footprint by reducing use of petroleum plastics that often come with environmental issues like air or water pollution
Cut down on costs associated with purchasing new materials for manufacturing purposes
Create opportunities for businesses to increase their profits from selling recycled styrofoam products
Create new jobs for those involved in collecting and processing styrofoam for reuse
Similarly, see if you can recycle styrofoam coolers.
Step 1: Collect used styrofoam items such as packaging materials, takeout containers or other forms of foam waste generated by your business or residence.
Step 2: Bring your collected styrofoam items to a local facility that accepts this type of material for recycling such as a public drop-off center or mail-in service.
Step 3: Sort your collected styrofoam items into separate categories such as EPS (expanded polystyrene) foam blocks/cups/plates/egg cartons; XPS (extruded polystyrene) foam insulation boards; PET (polyethylene terephthalate) foam trays/containers; hard molded expanded EPS foams; compressed PS beads; etc., so they can be processed efficiently at the point-of-collection center.
Step 4: Label each container according to its contents so recyclers know what they’re dealing with when they start processing them at their facilities.
Step 5: Deliver your sorted recyclables to a designated collection center where they will be further sorted by type and then sent off for reprocessing into new usable materials – typically small pellets that can later be melted down into objects like picture frames and furniture insulation – at specialized industrial plants equipped with densifying machinery specifically designed for this purpose.
By following these steps you will have successfully recycled your styrofoam! And with any luck you may even have saved yourself some money too!
Jordan Klyde is passionate about helping the environment. He spends much of his time thinking and writing about ways to recycle, reduce waste, and conserve energy. As an advocate for environmental sustainability, Jordan works closely with businesses and local governments to develop ways to make our planet better.
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