Recycling Styrofoam aka Polystyrene

Styrofoam is bulky and very hard to find recyclers.  We have encountered lots of it in electronics packaging or to go food containers.  Here are some resources to recycle it and some specific data on the San Francisco area.

EPS Packaging or the Alliance of Foam Packaging Recyclers has a link to Recycling Info Resources on their website. Most of these places do not take consumer waste.  The mail back one in the San Francisco area: FP International does not take consumer styrofoam any more!

You can mail but not drop off foam to:

GB Industrial
528 Atlantic St.
Union City, CA 94587
510-489-0881

Earth911 has recyclers listed.  Be sure to enter styrofoam.  If you enter polystrene, you will get people that only recycle #6 polystrene bottles.

Using acetone or limonene to shrink small amounts of styrofoam is possible but these chemicals need to be used with care.

The cost to ship big pieces of styrofoam is so high, most people will just trash it.  A big problem..

It is far more difficult to recycle styrofoam cups and trays.  Try to avoid them at all costs. Styrofoam packing peanuts can be recycled at most shipping locations including UPS stores.

More recycle locations have turned up!

Related posts:

1. Recycle Everything – Recycling Tips
2. Recycling Clothes and Recycling Patagonia Clothes
3. Green Paper or Greening the Paper Industry
4. Recycling Plastic Bags
5. Mandalay Bay Las Vegas and Recycling
6. Recycling 3D Glasses – Recycle 3D Glasses
7. Recology New Recycling System with Composting
8. Digital Paperless Mailbox with Zumbox

Posted on September 24th, 2009
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