Styrofoam recycling works best when the material is properly sorted and free of contamination. The ReCollective accepts certain types of rigid expanded polystyrene (EPS), commonly called styrofoam, through our hard-to-recycle service.
For the complete list of accepted and non-accepted items, visit our styrofoam recycling guide.
What styrofoam can be recycled?
The ReCollective accepts rigid styrofoam packaging and coolers. The material should be empty and free of food residue, tape, labels, cardboard and other attached materials.
Food containers, cups, packing peanuts and soft or flexible foam should stay out of your styrofoam recycling. A good rule of thumb is that accepted styrofoam is rigid and brittle. It snaps or breaks when bent rather than flexing like soft foam.
How to avoid styrofoam contamination
- Remove tape, labels and cardboard. These materials should not remain attached to the styrofoam.
- Keep food containers and cups out. Even washed food-service foam is not part of our accepted styrofoam stream.
- Do not include packing peanuts. They are not accepted with our styrofoam recycling.
- Keep flexible foam out. Soft foam that bends instead of breaking is a different material.
- Avoid unnecessarily breaking large pieces. Larger pieces are easier to handle and feed into the recycling equipment.
How to prepare styrofoam for pickup
Small accepted pieces can be placed inside your black waterproof bag. For larger pieces, use your clear styrofoam bag and set it beside your black bag when it is full. There is no need to break large pieces apart just to make them smaller unless necessary for storage.
How does styrofoam recycling work?
After collection, The ReCollective checks and consolidates the material before sending it to our recycling partner, Orange Recycling Services. The styrofoam is densified, dramatically reducing its volume so the material can be transported efficiently and used as recycled feedstock for new products.
Good sorting matters. Keeping other types of foam, food-service containers and attached materials out of the collection helps make the styrofoam recycling process more efficient.
Styrofoam recycling examples
Want to recycle styrofoam with The ReCollective?
See our complete styrofoam recycling guide for accepted materials, preparation instructions and answers to common questions.
You can also view all materials accepted by The ReCollective.