Can I Put Styrofoam In My Recycle Bin?

Styrofoam is a good material that can be used to make some essentials that help keep your food warm, safe, and well taste. We use it to keep food leftovers, biryani, and more stuff. Besides, there are multiple uses in which you can find the excessiveness of Styrofoam. But you may ask yourself can I put Styrofoam in my recycle bin once it is used? Or should it go to the garbage? Is Styrofoam recyclable, or is it has other applications?

It doesn’t matter how many questions are jerking your mind and making you feel troubled with the Styrofoam. Let’s get this conversation started and find what to do with the used Styrofoam products. 

Is Styrofoam Recyclable Or Garbage?

We use Styrofoam in many things or products that we use on a daily basis. It can be found in those small coffee cups, meat trays, and takeaway food containers. It is even used in packing stuff like LCDs, refrigerators, etc. 

But despite these extensive uses of Styrofoam, is it really recyclable, or should it go to the garbage? That’s likely to be the answers we will be found here. 

The thing is, Styrofoam or simply Polystyrene foam is not recyclable and should only go to landfills. 

Due to the Styrofoam propensity, as it usually bursts into a bunch of small pieces, it is not that suitable to let it go through the recycling machines. 

Therefore, this material is not really recyclable and doesn’t work just fine in those recycling centers. 

Always consider sending this used Styrofoam to the nearest landfill because they only belong there. 

So, Can I Really Put Styrofoam In My Recycle Bin?

Since Styrofoam is not really recyclable, there is no need to put it into a curbside recycling bin. Because no recycling center accepts recycling Styrofoam products in most areas due to the complicated recycling procedures and less efficient behavior.  Moreover, suppose you would like to keep that Styrofoam into the recycling bin. In that case, it will even contaminate your whole recycling bin.

Therefore, the only thing you need to do with this Styrofoam is sent it to the general waste such as a landfill. 

But that’s the only side of the picture. If you dig a little more, you will find Styrofoam recyclable and some dedicated recycling bins where you can keep it. 

The thing with not recyclable is that it takes a lot of time and effort and is really not that efficient work in practicality. 

Therefore, most recycling centers don’t like to accept Styrofoam. But others will go through this complicated process and recycle Styrofoam so that it can be used for something better. 

What Is Recycling Bin Dedicated For Styrofoam If The Recycling Is Done In Your Area?

Usually, Styrofoam Or EPS is treated as plastic. But most local Styrofoam collectors, such as the Govt. or waste management agencies, ask people to keep the Styrofoam in a totally separate recycling bin. 

It can be of any color. But at most times, it is white, having a Styrofoam symbol on it, which shows that you can keep the Styrofoam stuff in that one. 

However, even if you like to keep products made from EPS, you should keep them separately in your house’s general recycling bins or waste bins. 

Because when such items go to the recycling units, it will be less difficult for the recyclers to sort these materials out, recycle them and use them for a new purpose. 

Read more about what can I put in my recycling bin in the comprehensive guide we already have published for you!

For How Long Does It Take For Styrofoam To Decompose Off At Landfills?

Styrofoam is a hard material that usually takes a lot of time to decompose. One study shows that it takes almost 500 years to decompose, which is latterly something totally not beneficial for environmental sustainability. 

Therefore, government officials and other health advisories always recommend reducing the usage of Styrofoam in all the applications where you use it. 

This will allow us to reduce further pollution to the current environment. 

Is There Any Way To Recycle Styrofoam?

When you look a little deeper and go for the more technicality, you find that it can be recycled on some technical basis. But is it not really an efficient process to do something like this?

That’s because, it usually takes a lot of space in all those recycling bins placed or dedicated for the commercial recycling bins. 

The thing with Styrofoam is very clear as it is much lightweight, contains almost 90% air inside it, and is bulky in its size. 

Therefore, there shall be no orders for putting these Styrofoam products into the commercial recycling bins. 

This shall be done otherwise in those more compact recycling bins designed especially to keep Styrofoam stuff. 

Besides, there are some recycling programs that may help you or provide services to incorporate with the recycling of Styrofoam waste. 

How To Decompose Your Styrofoam Cups, Boxes, Or Other Products You Have?

Suppose you have a lot of Styrofoam collected in your house, office, or anywhere else. In that case, you should know all the available ways to decompose it fully. 

The process is simple. Yet you have to learn these things very carefully. 

Therefore, below, I am going to recommend you do two ways to get rid of the Styrofoam material. Please have a look!

Way 1: Sending Styrofoam For Recycling:

The best way to get rid of and have no Styrofoam at the house is to send it to the local recycling facility accepting Styrofoam and ready to recycle it. The process goes as follows:

Pick Up The Styrofoam: 

The only EPS material which can be recycled should be clean and clear packaging foam. But if it is not clean, the recycling center may not accept it. 

Check If That Styrofoam Is Recyclable:

Before sending that collected Styrofoam material and the rest products made from it, you have to find whether it is recyclable. 

For this, look for a Triangle Symbol on the back or front side of any Styrofoam product and look for the number 6 as well, which shall be stamped inside the triangle. 

Once confirmed, move on to the next step. 

Find If There Is Any Unit Accepting Styrofoam To Recycle: 

This is the most important step in ensuring whether that collected Styrofoam will go to the recycling center or you have to do something else with it. 

Google it and check if there is any organization accepting Styrofoam products for recycling purposes. If you find any, you are the lucky guy. 

But if you don’t, you should try something new and find another way to decompose this Styrofoam stuff. 

Way 2: Sending Styrofoam To The Landfills If Not Recyclable;

In any case, if your town doesn’t possess any recycling units nearby, you should consider throwing that away as soon as possible. 

But even if you throw this Styrofoam cup or a food container, you should learn to do it properly. Please follow the steps below for the right decomposing of Styrofoam in the landfills. 

Consider Removing The Parts That Can Be Recycled:

Take a cup of Styrofoam or a food container and examine it closely. This investigation should be done for cardboard, paper, or even glass. 

If you find any, consider removing these pieces and collecting them separately for later recycling.

Besides, these can be placed in your recycling bin so that you may send them to any nearby recycling facility. Once this is done, move to the next step!

Make Decomposing Easier:

You know that those bulky pieces of Styrofoam take longer than usual to decompose. Here the best thing you can do is to cut these boxes into small pieces. This way, you will be able to keep more Styrofoam in your waste bin. 

For this, take a saw or knife and carefully cut whatever Styrofoam product you have into small pieces. These pieces will go into those trash bags, which can be taken care of in the next step. 

Take Those Styrofoam Pieces Into The Garbage Bins Or Waste Bins: 

In the final step, take all those pieces of Styrofoam and put them in a garbage waste bin. Once it is there, those waste collectors will help you reach that Styrofoam to the landfills. 

As stated earlier, recycling Styrofoam is not that easy and not really efficient. 

Besides, it is a costly process. That’s why most Styrofoam waste goes with your everyday trash from home to the landfills of waste. 

Final Thoughts:

Conclusively, you cannot keep Styrofoam in any recycling bin if you are not asked to do so. Suppose there are no local laws or instructions on collecting Styrofoam for recycling purposes. In that case, you don’t have to do this. Instead, waste bins will be the most suitable place to keep Styrofoam products. So, I hope that your query on can I put Styrofoam in my recycling bin has been answered. But if you have some others, you may let me know. 

Keep those Styrofoam products in separate bins due to their waste and other properties. Or just cut them into pieces for the nearest landfill. Have a Styrofoam-free day, and see you soon on the next one!

References:

• Ismail, Z.Z., Jaeel, A.J., Alwared, A.M. and Závodská, A., 2021. Experimental investigation of a new sustainable approach for recycling waste styrofoam food containers in lightweight concrete. Innovative Infrastructure Solutions, 6(2), pp.1-8.
• Siyal, A.N., Memon, S.Q. and Khuhawar, M.Y., 2012. Recycling of styrofoam waste: synthesis, characterization and application of novel phenyl thiosemicarbazone surface. Polish journal of chemical technology, 14(4), pp.11-18.
• Hung, A., Ip, D. and Comstock, N., 2010. An Investigation into Styrofoam Recycling on Campus.