Styrofoam is everywhere. It holds the takeaway food we buy, protects the products delivered to us, keeps our beer cool, or even insulates our house. So what is it, and is Styrofoam recyclable?
It might keep your coffee or takeaway food hot, but polystyrene is amongst the worst plastic pollution. It takes more than 500 years for a styrofoam cup to decompose. Often not disposed of properly, styrofoam cups are lightweight and blow around easily. They litter our waterways and oceans, fill up our landfills, and have disastrous impacts on animals and marine life.
Despite this, over 500 billion plastic disposable cups are used every year worldwide, 25 billion in the US alone. That’s about 82 cups per person!
Our convenience is devastating the planet!
Read on to find out what is Styrofoam. Is Styrofoam recyclable? Where can you recycle it? And how can you reduce your use?
What is Styrofoam?
Styrofoam is also referred to as polystyrene. What is the difference between Stryofroam and polystyrene? Styrofoam is a trademarked brand of polystyrene produced through a particular process. They are the same thing.
Styrofoam has become a common term for most polystyrene products. It’s a bit like the Band-Aids. It’s a brand name that is commonly used to refer to the item no matter what brand it is.
Polystyrene or Styrofoam is most recognizable in its foam form. Picture the white, clean blocks from packaging. Similarly, you might picture the coffee cups or clamshell containers from takeaway food stores. This type of polystyrene is referred to as EPS to expanded polystyrene foam.
Polystyrene is made from petroleum, like the majority of plastics. Learn more about plastics in What is Plastic: A Simple Explanation. EPS, the most common type, is made by expanding beads of polystyrene plastic and then fusing them back together. It looks like a bunch of small bean bag balls stuck together.
Styrofoam is most commonly found in food packaging and product packaging. However, it can also be formed into rigid plastic objects. Examples of this plastic are medical bottles, smoke detectors, toys, and coat hangers.
Common examples of EPS food packaging include:
- Disposable coffee cups
- Plastic food boxes
- Plastic plates, bowls, cutlery
- Clamshell Take out containers
- Meat and poultry trays
- Beer coolers
- Seafood container
Common examples of EPS product packaging:
- Packing foam
- Packing peanuts
- Packaging for electronic items
- Protective foam packaging for furniture electronics and other items
Is Styrofoam Bad For The Environment?
As a whole, the world produces more than 14 million tons of polystyrene (Styrofoam) every year.
The properties that make polystyrene so popular also make it disastrous for the environment.
Being so lightweight, Styrofoam can blow around out of bins and landfills and get into the environment. Much of the polystyrene in landfills is Styrofoam packaging (also referred to as EPS foam). This type of polystyrene is made up of lots of small balls that can easily separate. These balls are incredibly lightweight and spread very quickly. They are also small enough for animals to ingest. Below are some examples of these balls in our local creek.
When eaten, Styrofoam has been demonstrated to reduce fertility, decrease energy and affect the development of invertebrates. Like other plastics polluting the oceans, polystyrene can fill up an animals’ stomach and create a false sense of fullness or cause blockages that lead to internal damage.
Is Styrofoam Recyclable?
Even though Styrofoam is recyclable, it can be costly depending on access to suitable facilities. Although polystyrene is lightweight, it is bulky, and it can be quite expensive to transport it, increasing the costs of recycling. The foam is run through a machine called a densifier. It basically compacts the foam into smaller, more dense bricks that are transported more easily.
Some curbside programs do offer styrofoam recycling but be sure to check with your local authority before you drop your styrofoam cups in your bin.
In many locations, there are drop-off centers. Refer below to Where Can Styrofoam be Recycled for helpful links to find your nearest location.
If you’re wondering is Styrofoam Recyclable, here are the answers for some common everyday items.
Can Styrofoam Egg Cartons be recycled?
Here are some ways you can reduce your use of styrofoam egg cartons:
- Avoid polystyrene or Styrofoam where possible. Choose cardboard egg cartons or PET clear plastic egg cartons over foam.
- Buy eggs from a local farmer if you can. Then you can bring back your egg cartons and reuse them.
- Give the cartons to someone who has chickens so they can be used again.
- Encourage your local egg supplier to make the switch to paperboard.
Can Packing styrofoam be recycled?
Packing Styrofoam from boxes and furniture can be recycled. In most cases, it must be clean white blocks of EPS polystyrene (expanded polystyrene). They should be broken up, bagged (for easy handling), and taken to your local polystyrene drop-off center. See below for helpful links to find your nearest styrofoam recycler.
Can styrofoam peanuts be recycled?
The colors of packing peanuts are not a perfect means of identification. An excellent way to tell which type of packing peanuts you have is to test if they dissolve in water. Plant-based or biodegradable packing peanuts will dissolve in water, whereas Styrofoam peanuts will not dissolve. Leave the peanut for a few hours, and if it hasn’t dissolved completely, then it’s Styrofoam.
Can you recycle Styrofoam packing peanuts?
Firstly, check with your local authority to see if you have access to any recycling or reuse programs. You can also check with your local mail or delivery services to see if they will take them.
If you are lucky enough to live in the United States, there are a few options for recycling packing peanuts; see below:
- Pak Mail provides consumers with a place to take packing peanuts for reuse, with 500 locations across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Japan.
- Home for Foam also has a map locator available.
Can plastic hangers be recycled?
Unfortunately, plastic hangers can not be recycled in most locations. Most of them are made from polystyrene (plastic number 6) or one of the plastic no 7’s.
The best thing to do with plastic coat hangers is to avoid them in the first place. If you have some already, use them as long as you can or donate them. They must be disposed of in the trash can when they are no longer usable.
Can styrofoam cups and food containers be recycled?
Typically styrofoam cups cannot be recycled. Even though made from Styrofoam, these cups and containers are often contaminated with food or other materials rendering them non-recyclable.
Most curbside recycling services do not accept styrofoam cups or takeaway food containers. However, be sure to check with your just in case things change all the time.
Can styrofoam boxes be recycled?
You can recycle styrofoam boxes made from clean white blocks of EPS polystyrene. They should be broken up, bagged (for easy handling), and taken to your local polystyrene drop-off center. See below for helpful links to find your nearest styrofoam recycler.
Can styrofoam meat trays be recycled?
The foam trays used for meat are a form of polystyrene but are often PSP (polystyrene paper) instead of the more common EPS. These are recyclable but are done in a separate batch as they are commonly regarded as “post-consumer grade “even when clean. Even perfectly clean white meat trays turn mint green when recycled.
Where Can Styrofoam be Recycled?
Below are some links to help you find styrofoam recycling near you.
| Country | Polystyrene Recycling Links |
| United States | Recycle Foam Or you could try Pakmail Store Locator Home for Foam recycling locator |
| United Kingdom | Recycling in the UK If you have commercial or large quantities of polystyrene try Molygran or EPS Recyclers |
| Australia | Expanded polystyrene Australia |
| New Zealand | Junkrun NZ list some companies |
How Do We Fix Our Styrofoam Addiction?
Our reliance on Styrofoam or polystyrene is something that needs to be worked at many different levels.
We need the government to step in and create legislation that will put enough pressure on businesses to implement change. Some countries are already making progress. For example, Australia has planned to phase out all polystyrene foam by mid-2022.
Brands can also make a difference, especially large brands with a lot of influence. Some great examples of brands driving change are McDonald’s and Dunkin Donuts. Both these companies have both committed to phasing polystyrene out of their business.
There are also many innovative companies developing materials to replace Styrofoam packaging. There are packaging products being made from popcorn, mushrooms, and many other organic or biodegradable materials.
As individuals, we can also play a part. Here are a few tips:
- Use your own reusable food containers instead of getting takeaway containers. See if your local takeaway will let you bring your own.
- Try to choose companies that use biodegradable packaging like cardboard or biodegradable packing peanuts. If they don’t, use your voice and encourage them to switch.
- Reuse everything that you can.
The Wrap
As with many other items, the answer to “Is Styrofoam Recyclable”, depends on what type of Styrofoam and your location. Be sure to check our recycling links above or check with your local recycling center or council to find out if you have these services available. And, of course, It is always best to avoid this type of packaging wherever you can.
Want to learn more about plastics and plastic recycling? Here are some other useful articles:
- Plastic by Numbers Summary
- Plastic Number #1 – PET or PETE
- Plastic Number #2 – HDPE
- Plastic Number #3 – PVC
- Plastic Number #4 – LDPE
- Plastic Number #5 – PP
- Plastic Number #7 – Other
Or why not join our mailing list, and you will get a free plastic recycling guide.
Sources
- Measuring biodegradability
- Earthday.org, 2018, FACT SHEET: HOW MUCH DISPOSABLE PLASTIC WE USE
- Hazel Akester, Fauna & Flora International, 2018, How big a problem is ocean polystyrene pollution?
