The Biggest Benefits of Foam RecyclingWith online shopping being such a huge business now, many of us find ourselveswith packing materials that we don’t know how to get rid of. Whilst cardboardmakes up the majority of most packages, there’s also the packing material usedto protect the items.

Foam is a very common packing material that’s used in shipping. It makes sensesince it’s very lightweight and, therefore, doesn’t increase shipping costs yet italso does a great job of protection delicate items. If you have a lot of foam that’scome with packages you’ve received then below are some of the biggest reasonsto recycle it.It’s ValuableYou might think of foam as being something that’s essentially valueless and justto be thrown out once it’s been used but this is actually not the case. There is agrowing market for foam and the price that’s paid for it will often exceed pricesfor cardboard and other similar recyclable commodities.Foam Recycling Is Very EfficientFoam is very efficient nowadays and allows for compacting machines known asdensifiers to compact foam to an incredible ratio. For example, it’s possible forthe foam to be compacted in a way that enables 40,000 lbs worth of material tofit on a 48’ trailer. Because foam recycling is so efficient, it also cuts down on theamount of human labour that we required in the past.

It’s Good For The EnvironmentPerhaps the most important reason to recycle foam is that it’s beneficial to theenvironment. Foam is very easily converted to make new products and reducesthe need for crude oil harvesting from the earth. The end result of this is areduction in green house gases and less dependence on oil.Extruders are used to take compacted foam and to convert them into smallpellets, which can then be used to make other products.These reasons show why recycling foam is so important. There are so manyareas of life where we need to make an effort to be kinder to the environmentand whilst most people recycle responsibly now, there are still areas, such asfoam recycling where we need to do better.Cutting Down On Foam UsageIn order to cut down on the amount of foam you have in your home, there areseveral steps you can take. Firstly if you like to go to coffee shops regularly thenit’s worth investing in a reusable coffee mug instead of having to-go foam cupsthat are difficult to recycle.Also when buying eggs from the supermarket, you should get them in cardboardboxes made from recycled material rather than foam boxes. Whilst Styrofoamegg cartons provide a bit more protection, they are hard to recycle so you shouldavoid them when you can.A lot of people have Styrofoam in their home because it came with a packagethey ordered online. If you have a lot of foam packing peanuts then an obviousway to reuse them. Recycle peanuts packing by putting them in packages thatyou send out.Source URL:http://polystyreneworld.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/the-biggest-benefits-of-foam-recycling.html