How to Recycle Styrofoam in San Antonio, Texas

Styrofoam is used in packagaing material like peanuts to help protect items during transport.

Styrofoam enjoys widespread use in packaging material, containers and even in disposable kitchenware like cups and plates. However, Styrofoam is not recyclable because it is made out of a plastic material called polystyrene. This chemical pollutes the air with toxic chemicals when burned and does not break down naturally. As a result, unused Styrofoam accumulates at landfills unchanged. Nonetheless, the best way to "recycle" Styrofoam in San Antonio is to get it into the hands of companies and people who will re-use it or collect it and break it down for another purpose.

Instructions

1. Place Styrofoam cups, plates and food containers into blue recyclable bin. Rinse Styrofoam items with water. An article about recycling in San Antonio on mysanantonio.com reveals that Styrofoam plates, cups and food containers are accepted by the city's curbside recycling program if the items are thoroughly rinsed of any liquid or food. The city collects recyclable items one a week.

2. Drop off packaging peanuts at UPS or another shipping outlet. Shipping outlets like UPS can reuse packaging peanuts in additional shipments. In theory, if more packaging peanuts are reused, fewer new peanuts are manufactured.

3. Request a pickup from the City of San Antonio. The City of San Antonio web page for Purchasing and General Services states that the city will respond to a city department's request for pickup of Styrofoam packing material in addition to batteries, ink cartridges and electronics. You can contact the Purchasing and General Services department for more information by calling 210-207-7260.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not drop off Styrofoam pellets at the recycling center at Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio. The base previously collected Styrofoam pellets for a San Antonio-based company called Amazon Forms, which broke down the pellets and reused them in construction materials like concrete. However, Amazon Forms went bankrupt in 2009.

References

• Peace Recycling: "Styrofoam Recycling"
• My San Antonio: "An item-by-item list of what's recyclable, what's not in S.A.'s curbside program"
• San Antonio: Purchasing and General Services
• Randolph Air Force Base: "Recycling center earns high honor"