Is Styrofoam Recyclable?

Styrofoam is a brand name product. Styrofoam is expanded polystyrene plastic, also called EPS. EPS is a petroleum byproduct. It is not biodegradable. Because EPS does not biodegrade and there is a lot of it in use, the issue of recycling is often brought up. Styrofoam and other EPS products are recyclable, but recycling of these products is not easily done. The recycling process for EPS is time consuming and expensive. Consumers are encouraged to re-use rather than recycle EPS. Blue Earth Solutions is a new company that does recycle EPS. If their method does prove to be environmentally friendly and cost effective, other companies might follow their suit and offer EPS recycling.

Reuse

Re-use is the most popular method for dealing with EPS. Many mail center businesses allow customers to drop of EPS peanuts to their stores. The EPS peanuts are re-used in other mail packages. Some people re-use EPS creatively. An example is using the EPS to create school art projects.

Recycling

Most companies do not recycle EPS products because the process is slow and not cost effective. A company called Blue Earth Solutions claims that they have developed a non-toxic way to recycle EPS products. Their recycling process involves grinding the EPS and combining it with a solvent called StyroSolve. The mixture becomes a gel that the company calls Polygel. According to the company, the process "reduces the volume of the EPS by as much as 98%." The company sells the Polygel to plastic companies for the manufacture of new products.

Expert Insight

According to NextStep Recycling Center, EPS foam "constitutes, by volume, as much as 30 percent of landfills worldwide." With the current environmentalist concerns over landfills, the invention of biodegradable EPS alternatives is especially appealing. New biodegradable products are making their way into the consumer marketplace. One example is biodegradable packing peanuts made out of cornstarch. The cornstarch peanuts are non-toxic and they are easily biodegrade in a landfill.

Reduced Packaging

Even large corporations are getting in on environmental preservation. Wal-Mart announced that they are encouraging manufacturers to use less EPS in packaging. Many Wal-Mart stores have drop-off EPS centers where consumers can bring their EPS foam. Wal-Mart sends the EPS products out to companies for reuse or recycling.

Significance

Although Styrofoam does appear to be recyclable, there are not many companies that are actually providing Styrofoam recycling. The few companies that do recycle EPS products cannot possibly recycle all of the world's EPS foam. It would take many more recycling plants, to reduce EPS landfill waste. It is likely that the increased use of biodegradable non-toxic alternatives is the best choice for the future.

Resources

• Blue Earth Solutions
• Biodegradable Cornstarch Packing Peanuts