Foam recycling is an important step toward a cleaner environment

Can you imagine how many tons of foam products are consumed globally every year? One million tons? Or 10 million tons? Actually, more than 14 million US tons of plastic foam each year have been produced worldwide every year, according to a report from the Green Dining Alliance (GDA) in 2016, but only 118 million pounds of which were recycled. Most foam products were thrown away after being used only once and became the “white pollution”, threatening the natural environment that humans and animals depend on for survival. Indeed, foam waste is 100% recyclable and foam recycling has been an important step toward a cleaner environment.

“The chemical makeup of foam is deadly to the environment and can cause serious harm to people living in communities close to the processing facilities.” Kristin Weed said, the Kent Island Beach Clean-Ups founder who is attempting to rid his community of single-use pollution. The words also gives us reasons for foam recycling, whether from the perspective of human health or environmental protection. Then how to recycle waste foam?

For individuals, foam recycling is to collect your waste foam packaging or food containers, cups or boxes and send them to professional recycling centers or facilities. You can find where the local recycling center is

As for waste management company and local recycling centers, having a foam densifier is the priority during recycling, since waste foam is often bulky in volume and light in weight. When the waste foam is dropped into the foam densifier, it will be cut into pieces by the crusher. Once the foam scraps are heated by the heating ring, they would be transformed into a solid form at a ratio of 1:90, which will greatly save the storage and transport space. After the densified foam cools down, it will be shipped to the foam end-products manufacturer for making photo frames, molding or other foam products.

Recycled foam products are more environmentally friendly than others because of the following reasons:

1. Protecting Trees

Recycled foam can replace woods so that prevent the forests from being destroyed.

2. Saving Resources

Foam recycling itself saves foam resources scattered around. Meanwhile, it could save fuel that recycling every ton of foam saves as much as 637 gallons of oil

3. Protecting Animals

The animals will mistakenly eat foam and cause death. Only from the source can we stop the foam from entering the animal's field of vision, can they be protected from threats.

All in all, foam recycling is a matter of consuming time and energy. But if we can overcome the difficulties to do foam recycling, it will lead us into a cleaner world.