Almost everything in the world is now wrapped in some sort of Styrofoam packaging. Usually, this packaging is a type of box that can be used and reused. Besides packaging, top Styrofoam cups are also hugely popular. Usually, once the Styrofoam has been used, it is disposed of and ends up on a landfill site somewhere.
Unfortunately, a lot of recycling programs across our country do not accept Styrofoam packaging materials anymore as they claim they are too difficult to recycle. The reality is that they aren’t truly aware of the methods for recycling and that the methods they are aware of are simply too expensive for them to be viable. Some may say this is laziness, others say it is simply part of what an economy is.
So is there nothing that you could possibly do in order to help Mother Earth? The reality is that you cannot not use Styrofoam because it is often decided for you that something is served or packaged in that way. You will be happy to know, therefore, that there are some Styrofoam recycling options.
Recycling Styrofoam
First of all, if you receive boxes made of Styrofoam, keep them in your garage. They don’t weigh anything and people regularly find themselves needing boxes for a variety of purposes. You can also break them into small pieces and store them in bags, which takes up even less space. The broken up pieces can be used to protect fragile items in transit, for instance.
Artists also absolutely love Styrofoam. Generally speaking, you should be able to go to local craft shops, art colleges or other such establishments and they will happily take the Styrofoam off your hands. Your packaging, which you believed to be useless, can be turned into a beautiful piece of art. Styrofoam recycling, therefore, can also be a lot of fun and it means that you help local artists, who are often struggling.
There are also many online organizations that help fight for recycling. These tend to be either charities or non-profit organizations and they are actively involved in various campaigns to save the planet. They can help point you to a recycling collection point or they can sometimes collect it for you.
There are also a number of foundations that now accept Styrofoam for a variety of purposes. Look them up online. Generally, you can simply mail all your Styrofoam to them (you do have to pay for the packaging yourself). However, if you are committed to saving the planet, then you may also be willing to pay for it a little bit.
Finally, there are many companies that are looking for Styrofoam for a variety of reasons. Packaging companies, schools, community centers and more may all have usage for them.
So is it difficult to recycle Styrofoam? Yes if you are talking about traditional recycling. However, recycling is about reusing things as much as possible, and Styrofoam certainly can be reused in a variety of ways.
