Brad Hollerbach is the Director of Information Technology for the Southeast Missourian. His opinions are his own and do not reflect those of the newspaper or its editorial board. He writes this blog primarily for his own amusement and to parody the absurdities of the world we live in. He lives with his wife and two cats that don't really care for one another in Cape.

Lack Of Styrofoam Recycling Makes No Sense

Posted Tuesday, December 28, 2010, at 12:00 AM

I consider myself an average recycler.

I recycle almost all cardboard and paper and plastic that exits our house. However, I'm a little inconsistent with aluminum cans. Sometimes they get recycled and sometimes they don't.

And ever since the City of Cape Girardeau changed to the "single-stream" recycling program last spring, I no longer recycle glass. The City will only accept glass dropped off at a half-dozen designated collection points around town or at the recycling center on the Southern Expressway, but I don't bother. It doesn't seem worth the effort for the few beer or wine bottles we throw out.

However, there is one item that the city does not accept for recycling that has baffled me for a long time:

Expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam packaging.

Most people call it Styrofoam, a version of EPS foam trademarked by Dow Chemical Company.

EPS foam is commonly used in shipping a multitude of items, from peanut-sized packing material to blocks that are custom-formed to fit around specific items to keep them from being damaged to mini-coolers used to send perishable foods overnight.

This time of year especially showcases the amount of EPS that is used for shipping and packaging. Over the past two months, I have personally filled up more than an entire trash bin with packing foam that has come with items we've purchased.

While I may be just an average recycler, I've long thought it stupid to throw away a product that could be used over and over again with minimal re-processing.

Just last week my household received an order of frozen croissants and sticky buns from Williams-Sonoma. The items were shipped from California, each in its own mini foam cooler wrapped in plastic and kept frozen with dry ice. These two coolers will take up half my trash bin if I were to throw them away.

However, since Williams-Sonoma calls that bastion of liberalism San Francisco its corporate headquarter, it seems appropriate that the firm would include recycling instructions within each of the coolers. I can take them to any UPS Store for recycling.

Too bad the other Styrofoam-type shipping and packaging products that exit my house can't be so easily recycled. I guess there's no profit motive.

And unfortunately ideas that make sense, but have no incentive tend to go nowhere.

Comments

View 13 comments or respond

Community discussion is important, and we encourage you to participate as a reader and commenter. Click here to see our Guidelines. We also encourage registered users to let us know if they see something inappropriate on our site. You can do that by clicking "Report Comment" below.

You're right about the transport cost, Nil. It would be wholly impractical to ship the quantities we consume elsewhere for even minimal processing.

I've tried my own form of recycling on occasion. I have used chunks of styrofoam to help fill up large pots in the spring time for planting. It makes them a lot lighter, although it is kind of a mess in the fall when you dump out the remains. I had to fish out all those little chunks. I've since resorted to placing old plastic pots upside down in large containers. It actually works much better.

Good question on the plastics recycling. My understanding is that the city "gets paid" for the recyclables shipped to the company in St. Louis that does the "single stream" sorting.

The payment -- if any -- is nominal and based on the company making so much per ton of stuff sent to them for processing. Considering that the company is in St. Louis, you may be right -- the plastics might literally be shifted "downstream" if they can't resell them.

Rick, I have not personally tested this, but from what I read, Styrofoam is highly flammable and not a good way to insulate a house -- or at least not from a recycling standpoint.

In other words, we shouldn't just chuck our old packing material into the attic and hope for good or safe results.

Thanks for reading.

-- Posted by Brad_Hollerbach on Tue, Dec 28, 2010, at 8:51 AM
Styrofoam is HIGHLY flammable. On another note I remember once in the '70s I put gasoline in a Styrofoam cup to prime my engine in the car. BAD IDEA! It melted right out the bottom.

I think Bacardi 151 rum melts it too.

-- Posted by jcwill on Tue, Dec 28, 2010, at 9:32 AM
I read online that spraying a mist of acetone on Styrofoam will make it melt into a goo. Haven't tried that either, because I don't have any acetone at home.

Also remember back in the early 80s my sister bringing home some KFC Styrofoam containers that some of her co-workers decided to test in the restaurant deep-fryer. The quart containers were shrunk to not much bigger than a thimble.

TFR

-- Posted by Brad_Hollerbach on Tue, Dec 28, 2010, at 9:52 AM
There could be a recycling idea right there Brad! We could use a fryer to shrink down the Styrofoam to tiny pellets and then it actually might be feasible to ship those pellets to be recycled. I wonder if boiling water would work instead of oil...

-- Posted by jcwill on Tue, Dec 28, 2010, at 10:09 AM
maybe you could consult with that science guy in the other blog and see if between the semissourian blog staff the earth's problem with styrofoam can be eradicated.

-- Posted by TommyStix on Tue, Dec 28, 2010, at 10:48 AM
Tommy, while I wasn't intending or expecting to solve the recycling dilemma that is Styrofoam with this blog, I wouldn't mind seeing what would happen if a large quantity of the stuff was blown up. Purely in the name of scientific research, of course.

And while the Science Guy on this website might delve into this matter, I feel TV's Mythbusters are much better suited for the task. They blow up stuff all the time.

Now we just need to come up with a plausible myth and spread it around the Internet, then wait for them to bite.

TFR

-- Posted by Brad_Hollerbach on Tue, Dec 28, 2010, at 11:08 AM
I will never understand why we created two substances that last nearly forever--plastic and Styrofoam--and then turn them into one use drink containers. BTW, the city of Jackson recycles Styrofoam, but only for its residents.

-- Posted by Just_Wondering1 on Tue, Dec 28, 2010, at 11:44 AM
I didn't know that about Jackson, JW.

Interesting thing about Styrofoam is that there appear to be very few places that accept it or recycle it. Makes one wonder if the recyclables are REALLY being recycled.

TFR

-- Posted by Brad_Hollerbach on Tue, Dec 28, 2010, at 11:53 AM
Styrofoam, or polystyrene is highly recyclable, its just that no one wants to bother with it due to the bulk. Its 95% air. WalMart actually recycles it internally, but doesn't accept it from the public. Polystyrene is the same stuff your plastic silverware at the fast food place is made out of. Styrofoam is acceptable as building insulation by most building codes. US Dept. of Energy actually recommends it as building insulation. It is soluble in acetone, and can be dissolved in acetone or other paint thinner and used as a coating material, leaving behind a polystyrene coating.

-- Posted by carbonates on Tue, Dec 28, 2010, at 5:04 PM
Well there you go Brad, problem solved. ☺

-- Posted by Turnip on Tue, Dec 28, 2010, at 10:09 PM
Where does the city collected cardboard go. Is it sold, given or does it cost to have it picked up?

Some of those containers that the good stuff comes in make great beverage coolers, much sturdier than the what you buy at the store.

For me the reason to recyle is three fold. I save on trash service, I get a kick out of making something useful out of something [plastic bottle to funnel etc] and it somehow kinda hurts to think of something that could be of value or use going to the landfill.

-- Posted by Old John on Wed, Dec 29, 2010, at 12:48 AM
Good information, Nil. Really illustrates the magnitude of the waste EPS.

EPS_Recycler, thank you for the offer, but I doubt our city would take you up on it. In fact, you somewhat illustrate the problem. Based on Googling your firm and your email address, you are located in Western, Michigan about 550 miles away from us. I don't see how it would be practical or cost effective to ship trailers of ESP that distance.

Our City already sends its "single stream" recycling 2 hours north of us and I have yet to understand the reason or the effectiveness of it. I guess we don't have people smart enough here in Southeast Missouri to sort trash.

TFR

-- Posted by Brad_Hollerbach on Wed, Dec 29, 2010, at 8:57 AM
As an environmentalist, i feel it is a pity that people pay no attention to styrofoam recycling. I pick up a company called INTCO recycling, which recycle styrofoam and eps around the world. This company provide EPS compactor and purchase compacted EPS to reproduce new products such as mouldings and frames. On the homepage

http://www.intcorecycling.com, the company provides many solution on recycling.

-- Posted by Alexgreen on Wed, Oct 28, 2015, at 10:16 PM

Respond to this blog

Posting a comment requires a subscription.