What kind of styrofoam can be recycled

These properties mean the collection and transportation impacts of recycling EPS often outweigh the environmental benefits. Because of this, recycling EPS is only efficient when it can be ground and then compacted into a denser shape. There are some locations where EPS can be recycled. The Foodservice Packaging Institute has more information on foam recycling and locations that accept different types of EPS.

In addition, some shipping stores will take back packaging peanuts for reuse in the store. Because the resultant facsimiles are so lightweight, several airlines have even begun to use them as countertops and accents on their planes. As it happens, many companies have bought into the idea of recycling styrofoam in recent years thanks to the innovations of some smaller companies like Styro-Go. Much of this is thanks to them reaching out to big-box stores that use tons and tons of styrofoam every year.

For appliance stores, styrofoam makes up about 80 percent of their total waste output. Lowes is one of the first major retailers to get on board and there have been some strides as far as fewer carbon emissions and in how much styrofoam is just being dumped into the trash. So long as the technology behind the process continues to develop, more and more retailers may get on board.

Right now, that's tricky because so many different kinds of styrofoam are collected for recycling together, and they're hard to mix into a single product. GreenMantra's additive could help them mix evenly so they can be turned into more products like insulation boards. Morgan likened it to the emulsifier in bottled salad dressing that keeps the oil and water from separating. Di Mondo says the additive can also lower the density of the foam, boosting its performance as an insulator.

The company has just built a Brantford, Ont. And unlike Pyrowave and Polystyvert, which are getting their raw materials for free, GreenMantra says it is choosing to actually pay money for some of the waste polystyrene it will be getting from companies and municipalities.

That's welcome news for cities struggling to find a home for their waste styrofoam. Nadine Kerr, manager of processing and resource management at the City of Toronto, says that's the city's biggest styrofoam recycling challenge right now. At the moment, Pyrowave, Polystyvert and GreenMantra are operating on a relatively small scale as they take measurements and tweak their technology. Polystyvert, for one, says it's getting more offers of free styrofoam waste than it can handle. Kerr said the City of Toronto has done trials with two of the three companies to test the new technology.

Andrea Hicks, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Wisconsin, Madison published a recent study that looked at the environmental impact of polystyrene through its life cycle. It found extracting the raw materials for polystyrene is "environmentally taxing" because they need to be distilled from crude oil.

From that perspective, Hicks thinks it's interesting that new styrofoam recycling technologies are displacing those raw ingredients. But she noted that the styrofoam needs to be re-expanded and shaped, and shaping and moulding alone consumes 30 per cent of the energy in the life cycle of styrofoam. She added that it's not a given that any new recycling technology is better for the environment.

That depends on the amount and type of energy used to power the process, as well as the other materials, such as solvents, used in the process. Hicks's study found that recycling reduced styrofoam's environmental footprint, but reusing did even more.

We're supposed to reduce what we're using, then reuse, and the last case is recycling. She has a PhD in chemistry. Pseudonyms will no longer be permitted. By submitting a comment, you accept that CBC has the right to reproduce and publish that comment in whole or in part, in any manner CBC chooses.

This number number in the recycling symbol tells you what kind of plastic the product is made out of. The most recyclable numbers are 1 and 2. Use containers and disposable cups, plates, and dinnerware that bear the number 1 or number 2 recycle symbol. Use a reusable lunch box. Even for takeaway, if you pick up the food yourself, you can bring your own lunch box. Also use a reusable coffee mug for takeaway coffee.

If you are interested in the risks of other plastics and how they can or cannot be recycled, please check out our writing about which plastics are safe. As we learned earlier in the article, polystyrene foam comes in two basic types: EPS expanded polystyrene and XPS extruded polystyrene. EPS foam is used in many of the items we use everyday, such as disposable dinnerware. XPS foam, on the other hand, is primarily used as insulation in buildings.

But you may have trouble finding a recycling center that is capable of processing it. This is because the process of breaking down these materials is labor intensive and requires expensive machinery. In fact, XPS foam requires larger and more powerful machines to break down because of their thicker, more rigid composition than EPS foam. Aside from finding a recycling program that accepts EPS or XPS foam, there are two other things you can do with styrofoam: 1 reuse it, or 2 use the alternative recyclable materials we discussed in the previous section as much as possible.

People who feel strongly about doing their part to create a healthy, ethically sustainable environment for themselves and future generations on Earth should consider one or both of those two options. Below are some common questions and answers about styrofoam, its impact on the environment, and its recyclability. The materials you put in the recycle bin are processed differently from styrofoam.

Not all recycling centers have the machinery to recycle styrofoam. Ideally, you should save your styrofoam and reuse it or deliver it to a recycling facility that can process it. However, if you must throw it away, break it down into small pieces so it can degrade more easily. Styrofoam is a form of plastic; however, unlike traditional clear plastic, it is not easily recyclable.

It cannot be included in the same recycle bin as clear plastic. You should never burn styrofoam.