Foam Recycling Locations
Polystyrene foam foodservice products are not manufactured with chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) or any other ozone-depleting chemicals. [i]
Foam cups insulate better than popular alternatives. Often, when not using foam cups, users will stack two cups to protect their hands from hot temperatures. This practice doubles the amount of solid waste by volume, and can result in more than five times as much solid waste by weight. [ii]
Recycled foam is used in eco-initiatives such as alternative energy production and “green” buildings. Recycled foam is an extremely effective insulation material, and can be combined with concrete for an alternative building construction material. [iii]
What goes into your foam cup… other than your drink? Foam products are non-toxic. No regulatory body in the world has classified polystyrene as a human carcinogen, and scare tactics should not persuade serious policymakers.
Unlike some popular alternative materials, foam products are only made with one material – polystyrene, which is composed of carbon and hydrogen. This simplicity makes foam recycling very efficient, and when carbon and hydrogen are properly incinerated, the only byproducts are carbon dioxide, water, and trace amounts of ash. [iv]
Polystyrene foam is often mistakenly referred to as Styrofoam, a registered trademark of the Dow Chemical Company that is used for insulation, not food packaging products.