Top 10 Styrofoam Recycling Tips
Here are a few methods that you can use to stop Styrofoam and Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) from going into the trash and onto landfills or spilling over into the environment.
Utilising Styrofoam in the creation of new items is one approach to recycling it. Pens, picture frames, and egg cartons are just a few new goods that can be made from Styrofoam. Additionally, foam can be utilised to create brand-new components for buildings and homes, including insulation, wall panels, and furniture.
1. Styrofoam Recycling With Oranges
When sprayed with limonene, an organic citrus peel extract, Styrofoam dissolves to a tenth of its original volume, and the resulting sticky liquid can be utilised as super glue. There are various items on the market right now that contain limonene. On a large scale, Sony Corporation of Japan is currently beginning to recycle Styrofoam using this eco-friendly method. In contrast, regular polystyrene products need to be treated before creating industrial-grade foams and pellets for reuse, limonene can be used again for recycling EPS.
2. Visit Drop-Off Sites With The Styrofoam
Today, most cities have designated drop-off locations for all recycling. The Publix grocery store company for example is widespread in the American South and frequently offers Styrofoam drop-off options, making it a dependable choice in many places. Examine whether supermarkets, recycling facilities, and other commercial areas have Styrofoam drop-offs set up for local recycling in your area.
3. Use Styrofoam For Fishing
If you're fortunate enough to reside close to a fishing community or village, they might be in need of your large amount of EPS. They can serve as floaters, buoys, holders for fishing flies, markers, lifters for underwater net traps and components to be used in the building of artificial reefs.
4. Printing On Recycled Styrofoam
Want to get creative with your Styrofoam recycling? Then try block printing with cutouts made from recycled Styrofoam. Anyone, even young children, can create a printing block using this material because the polystyrene is particularly amenable to imprints. You can use any piece of old Styrofoam, from the packaging of an old TV for example. It is easy to sculpt so you can create your unique matrices for manual printing.
5. Macro Landscaping With Styrofoam
Interested in miniature trains? For adding additional enjoyment to the model train experience, EPS and styrofoam are great materials for making miniature structures that look as authentic as possible. Things such as buildings, bridges, mountains, and trees can be perfectly sculpted. If you don't want to build tiny train tracks running through styrofoam towns and mountains, you might want to take your bulky packaging to a nearby craft store instead. You never know, it might end up being a prize-winning submission in an art competition.
6. Use Styrofoam To Grow Plants
Your neighbourhood gardener might be interested in accepting your polystyrene blocks. Styrofoam is used for achieving better drainage and to lighten and loosen the soil in plant beds.
Alternatively, you can use it to grow your own little garden in the backyard or on your roof deck using such improvised planters made of Styrofoam cartons.
7. Encash Your Styrofoam
If you have a sizable collection of EPS in your home or place of business, you might want to think about selling it. If you reside in the United States, The American Chemistry Council can help you identify a buyer in your state. The Recycled Plastic Markets Database is hosted by them, and there's a good chance that you'll find a buyer that also runs a Styrofoam recycling plant.
If you reside in a location lacking a dependable drop-off location, some recyclers also give you the option to mail in your Styrofoam. This is an alternative for packing supplies or loose-fill peanuts, although it can be difficult if you've accumulated a lot of the stuff.
For businesses located in the Middle East, GreenTheory can help you take care of all your Styrofoam recycling needs, from compaction to transport.
8. Make Sculptures Using Recycled Styrofoam
There are many artists who use Styrofoam in projects ranging from towering robots to entire retail stores. Schools and vocational institutes need to incentivize the use of Styrofoam as an art medium in their curriculum. This is a great way to turn trash into treasure.
9. Check If Your Styrofoam Is Recyclable
Ensure that the Styrofoam you are using is authentic. Styrofoam-containing products can be recognised by looking for the number 6 inside a recycle triangle. Egg cartons and food containers typically cannot be recycled, even at the proper drop-off sites. These are unrecyclable forms of expanded polystyrene, which is slightly different to styrofoam. Try to avoid purchasing or using these kinds of Styrofoam products.
Expanded Polystyrene Foam (EPF) resembles and feels like expanded polystyrene (EPS), but it has a more plastic-like feel and glistens. It has a slightly different texture and cannot be recycled the same way as conventional #6 EPS. Any Styrofoam with a sheen should be avoided whenever possible.
10. Start Your Own Styrofoam Recycling Program
If recycling EPS in your area is painfully challenging, think about creating your own programme with local consumers and business owners to improve your neighbourhood. Engaging with a recycling organisation like the Alliance of Foam Packaging Recyclers (AFPR) for pick-up service is advisable, especially if you work for a company that receives a lot of EPS. If you can promise a large quantity, asking for a new pickup location will be much simpler.
Most businesses demand that storage bins be outside in an area where EPS is kept hygienic, dry, and protected from the elements. If stacking, bagging, or bundling loose Styrofoam is appropriate for pickup, confirm with AFPR, and then plan a routine pickup on behalf of your business.
If you are located in the Middle East and have Styrofoam to be disposed of, contact GreenTheory for a quick solution.
In some business settings, EPS compactors can be used to compact and make an EPS supply more transportable for pickup. This can significantly reduce the commotion caused by a build-up of a significant amount of Styrofoam scrap while waiting for them to be collected. In the Middle East, GreenTheory can help you compact your loads on-site to be transported to its facility for recycling, all at no cost.
Safety Tip: Avoid Burning Styrofoam
EPS cannot and should not be burned at home, even though it can be incinerated at extremely high temperatures in specialised incinerators without emitting any dangerous chemicals other than carbon and water.
But burning it in a conventional fire, the kind you would make at home is highly hazardous because it produces and lets out damaging carbon monoxide and black carbon into the atmosphere. Both of these are toxic to humans. Use one of the other methods listed above to dispose of your Styrofoam.
Conclusion
When considering saving resources and safeguarding the environment, there are various complex aspects to consider. Styrofoam recycling has both advantages and challenges. The solutions are not always simple. We can't necessarily always avoid the issue of environmental pollution by looking at alternative resources and products. For instance, the take-out coffee paper cup, which we think is more environmentally friendly, is typically plastic-coated and not recyclable. It also doesn't decompose in landfills.
Industry leaders need to take responsibility for recycling Styrofoam by finding innovative solutions that are economically feasible without causing harm to the environment.
