Polystyrene foam is a durable and low-cost material often used for food service products. Contrary to popular belief, polystyrene foam, or foam #6, can be recycled. In fact, the material is currently being recycled in over 170 locations in Canada and over 350 locations throughout the United States.
There are a number of different reasons why you should recycle foam:
✓ Reduce solid waste
✓ Decrease our dependency on virgin resources
✓ Prevent pollution
✓ Save energy
✓ Protect the Earth's atmosphere
✓ Demonstrate sustainability
The foam recycling process is simple:
Step 1: Foam products are collected for recycling
Step 2: The foam is compacted into dense bricks
Step 3: The compacted foam is converted into pellets
Step 4: The pellets are used to create new plastic products
For every job collecting recyclables, there are 26 jobs in processing the materials and manufacturing them into new products.
