While unpacking your latest online order or while drinking a coffee to-go you might come across styrofoam and be wondering: Is styrofoam recyclable?
The short answer is yes! Styrofoam is technically recyclable. But unfortunately the reality ain’t so simple as there are several major challenges that restrict the recyclability of styrofoam.
In this article, we’re going to explain why recycling styrofoam is so hard and explore alternative materials that you can use instead of styrofoam. Let’s dive right in!
What is Styrofoam?
Styrofoam is a type of plastic foam that is used for insulation and cushioning. In fact, Styrofoam is a registered trademark by DuPont but is nothing else than polystyrene foam also referred to as EPS (expanded polystyrene packaging). EPS is a petroleum-based plastic and identified by the recycling mark #6. Styrofoam is light and easy to shape, which makes it ideal for a variety of applications. It is commonly used in insulation, packaging, egg cartons, single-use plate, trays, but it can also be used in construction and crafts.
Is Styrofoam Recyclable? Can you Recycle Styrofoam?
Yes, styrofoam (EPS) is technically recyclable, which is also why it contains the small recycling symbol and the #6 label. However, in practice styrofoam is rarely recycled because it is inefficient to do so and difficult to process. There are also several challenges that hinder the recyclability of styrofoam (EPS).
Why is Styrofoam Difficult to Recycle?
Styrofoam is 90% air and usually very lightweight and bulky. This means that if you put it into a recycling bin, it will take away space for other recyclable materials such as aluminium cans. Plus, it is very inefficient to transport styrofoam due to its bulky shape.
Though, styrofoam can only be recycled when it is “clean”, meaning that it must not contain any contaminants or food leftovers. Otherwise, it will go straight to landfill.
Nevertheless, these are not the only reasons why styrofoam is hard to recycle. Furthermore, even with proper machinery, styrofoam is very expensive to recycle. It costs around $2,500 to recycle a ton of styrofoam, which is very pricy compared to recycling a ton of paper, which costs only $100. These costs make styrofoam economically unattractive to recycle, which is also the reason why most styrofoam ends up on landfills.
So, in fact when asking: “Is styrofoam recyclable?”, the answer should be a no, as this is rarely the case. And even if styrofoam is recycled, it can only be used for inferior products due to the lower quality of the recycled materials. Thus, styrofoam recycling is a perfect example for downcycling.
Where can you Recycle Styrofoam?
Most recycling locations don’t have the machinery that allows to recycle styrofoam. In case you would like to know if your local recycling plant can recycle styrofoam, check out the Foodservice Packaging Institute. Otherwise, just ask if your local curbside recycling programs accepts styrofoam (EPS). In case none of these recycling locations is near you, try to contact shipping stores as they are often happy to take back some old styrofoam like packing-peanuts for reuse in new packages. If all of that doesn’t work, try to find out if your local government has a drop-off point, spcifically for old styrofoam packaging.
How does Styrofoam Recycling work?
Generally, there are two ways to recycle styrofoam.
Recycling styrofoam into pellets:
Old styrofoam is cleaned, then shredded, melted down into a paste, and finally transformed into pellets in order to recycle it. These pellets can be delivered to factories to help them create new goods.
Recycling styrofoam into paste:
Old styrofoam is cleaned and feed into a machine that reduces the bulky EPS bricks to about 1/90th of their original size. The condensed polystyrene foam can then be used to make insulation sheets, ceiling molding, and other materials. In fact, recycled styrofoam can also be transformed into surfboards, jewelry, cases, or public benches.
The future of styrofoam recycling:
Some recyclers also use new developments in chemical recycling to chemically breakdown polystyrene in order to reprocess it. While conventional recycling systems for this material only take clean foam, this sort of recycling may also handle dirty polystyrene, such as that found in food packaging that has been contaminated. Chemical recycling is still a rare and relatively new practice. But unfortunately this type of recycling isn’t wide-spread and only available in a bunch of locations.
Expanded polystyrene (EPS) recycling is still generally a costly procedure, therefore local recycling facilities sometimes do not provide it. Manufacturers do not believe employing it to be cost-effective since producing new EPS packaging from crude oil is often less expensive than using recycled EPS materials. Obviously this makes sense, as a recycling facility is less likely to accept material for recovery if there isn’t a market for the recovered materials because then it wouldn’t have anywhere to go.
Styrofoam takes up a lot of room in industrial recycling bins, and EPS is difficult to recycle efficiently and affordably. For the collecting of styrofoam to justify the costs associated with shipping such a lightweight commodity, a technology that can compress it into very dense form-factors is required. Then it has to be sent to a specific facility where the styrofoam may be shredded and put to other uses. Because it has been compressed during processing, it is no longer extensible and is frequently converted into hard plastic for usage in:
- Insulation
- Park benches
- Packaging
- Egg cartons
- Crafts
- etc.
What should I do with Styrofoam?
First of all, research for styrofoam recycling plants nearby. If there is none that allows for styrofoam recycling, check if your local government has any drop-off point specifically for materials like EPS (styrofoam). If that isn’t the case either, ask your local shipping stores if they would like to reuse your old styrofoam.
If none of these things works, the only option you have left is to get creative and upcycle your old styrofoam by creating something valuable with it. This may be done in a number of ways, such as utilizing a Styrofoam cup as a container for seedlings or donating it for reuse to a nearby Facebook Buy Nothing Group or Freecycle.
The Downsides of Styrofoam
There are plenty of drawbacks to Styrofoam.
1. It takes at least 500 years for styrofoam to biodedegrade, often it is not biodegradable at all, meaning it won’t break down naturally.
2. When styrofoam is manufactured, fifty dangerous chemical byproducts are emitted.
3. Styrofoam is made of styrene, a chemical that may cause cancer.
4. Burning Styrofoam causes dangerous chemicals to be released into the atmosphere.
5. Due to its low weight, improper disposal of Styrofoam may wind up in rivers, where it may eventually be consumed by fish or other marine life and injure those creatures.
6. Styrofoam contributes to the problem of microplastics.
7. When styrofoam products get sent to landfills or are littered they release chemical pollutants and greenhouse gases. Both of which contribute to global warming.
Is Styrofoam Bad for the Environment?
Yes, there is no doubt that styrofoam is bad for the environment! These are the most important reasons:
- The majority of styrofoam will end up on landfills.
- Sunlight exposure causes it to create air pollutants that harm the ozone layer.
- Styrofoam takes centuries to break down into its orgininal components, but these are not biodegradable.
- Because styrofoam isn’t biodegradable, it releases microplastics into the environment.
- Less than 10% of styrofoam is recycled, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
- The production of styrofoam involves the use and disposal of hazardous chemicals.
How to avoid Styrofoam - Alternatives
There are almost always alternatives to using any type of plastic, and styrofoam is no different.
In order to limit your use of styrofoam try to do the following:
- Carrying a reusable coffee cup to avoid using a styrofoam cup at the coffee business
- Choosing restaurants that utilize paper takeaway containers instead, or bring your own.
- Supporting eco-friendly companies who utilize packaging that decomposes.
- Using reusable containers, plates, cups, etc. and avoiding single-use products.
- Using paper bubble wrap instead of styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap when mailing presents or merchandise since plastic bubble wrap is difficult to recycle.
- Using orbeez instead to let kids play around with.
- Re-using old styorfoam as many times as possible.
- Disposing of styrofoam properly and finding a recycling location.
- Checking how a product is packaged before buying prevents the use of styrofoam.
It might be difficult to find alternatives to Styrofoam packaging, but thankfully there are more and more sustainable solutions available nowadays. Companies are attempting to create polystyrene substitutes using biodegradable substances like corn starch, mushrooms, and other substances. Green innovations of this nature are revolutionary.
Conclusion - Styrofoam Recycling is a Challenge
Though theoretically recyclable, a large proportion of Styrofoam ends up in landfills or, worse, pollutes the oceans. Limit your usage of styrofoam and polystyrene packaging in general. If you want to do more to protect the environment, learn how to live a more sustainable lifestyle, how to make paper biodegradable, and read the best sustainable living books.
