The Biggest Benefits of Foam Recycling

With online shopping being such a huge business now, many of us find ourselves with packing materials that we don’t know how to get rid of. Whilst cardboard makes up the majority of most packages, there’s also the packing material used to protect the items. 

Foam is a very common packing material that’s used in shipping. It makes sense since it’s very lightweight and, therefore, doesn’t increase shipping costs yet it also does a great job of protection delicate items. If you have a lot of foam that’s come with packages you’ve received then below are some of the biggest reasons to recycle it.

It’s Valuable

You might think of foam as being something that’s essentially valueless and just to be thrown out once it’s been used but this is actually not the case. There is a growing market for foam and the price that’s paid for it will often exceed prices for cardboard and other similar recyclable commodities.

Foam Recycling Is Very Efficient

Foam is very efficient nowadays and allows for compacting machines known as densifiers to compact foam to an incredible ratio. For example, it’s possible for the foam to be compacted in a way that enables 40,000 lbs worth of material to fit on a 48’ trailer. Because foam recycling is so efficient, it also cuts down on the amount of human labour that we required in the past.

It’s Good For The Environment

Perhaps the most important reason to recycle foam is that it’s beneficial to the environment. Foam is very easily converted to make new products and reduces the need for crude oil harvesting from the earth. The end result of this is a reduction in green house gases and less dependence on oil.

Extruders are used to take compacted foam and to convert them into small pellets, which can then be used to make other products.

These reasons show why recycling foam is so important. There are so many areas of life where we need to make an effort to be kinder to the environment and whilst most people recycle responsibly now, there are still areas, such as foam recycling where we need to do better.

Cutting Down On Foam Usage

In order to cut down on the amount of foam you have in your home, there are several steps you can take. Firstly if you like to go to coffee shops regularly then it’s worth investing in a reusable coffee mug instead of having to-go foam cups that are difficult to recycle.

Also when buying eggs from the supermarket, you should get them in cardboard boxes made from recycled material rather than foam boxes. Whilst Styrofoam egg cartons provide a bit more protection, they are hard to recycle so you should avoid them when you can.

A lot of people have Styrofoam in their home because it came with a package they ordered online. If you have a lot of foam packing peanuts then an obvious way to reuse them. Recycle peanuts packing by putting them in packages that you send out.

Author bio

Robert Clark has an interest in packaging materials. His articles cover topics such as the benefits of foam recycling.