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| You asked for it, you got it: White Block Foam Recycling at the CHaRM! |
To celebrate our 4th birthday at the Eco-Cycle/City of Boulder Center for Hard-to-Recycle Materials (CHaRM), we have added white block foam packaging to our list of regularly accepted materials.
Block foam is accepted free of charge from residents. Businesses will be charged $6 per cubic yard.
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Guidelines and Location
We are now accepting white block foam packaging* at the CHaRM at 5030 "old" Pearl St. in Boulder, Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., along with our other regularly accepted materials such as electronic equipment, plastic bags, books, and textiles.
Please review the guidelines below to make our collection a success.
*You may know this material best as Styrofoam, but Styrofoam is a registered trademark of Dow Chemical that refers to blue foam insulation. |
| YES, WE CAN ACCEPT: |
#6 CLEAN WHITE BLOCK FOAM
(typically used to pack computers, TVs, wine, etc.)
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and RIGID WHITE FOAM INSULATION
(typically used around building foundations)
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| WE CANNOT ACCEPT ANY OF THE FOLLOWING MATERIALS: |
NO
- Food-grade packaging (to-go containers, meat trays, disposable cups, etc.)
- Packing peanuts*
- Bubble wrap*
- Any foam other than #6
- Foam with tape or moisture
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*Packing peanuts and bubble wrap are usually accepted for reuse at packaging stores. Call your local store or view a list of locations. We do not know of any local recycling options for polystyrene food packaging.
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Sponsor our Block Foam Collection
We will not be getting paid for the block foam so we need your help in keeping our collection free of charge for individuals. Consider sponsoring our collection on a permanent or "sponsor of the month" basis and receive great recognition and promotion at the CHaRM and on our website.
Contact CHaRM manager Dan Matsch at 303-444-6634 for details. |
Take Action
Hundreds of Eco-Cycle volunteers, known as Eco-Leaders, actively promote recycling in Boulder County. Many of our Eco-Leaders distribute flyers to their neighbors, co-workers, and friends to notify them of new recycling opportunities. Click here for a flyer to distribute in your community or let us know how many you'd like.
Eco-Cycle strongly encourages businesses and consumers to avoid the use of white block foam packaging. Click here to download a sample letter to tell businesses about alternatives to block foam packaging. |
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Our volunteers find many creative ways to get the word out about white block foam collections and other recycling news. Learn more about our volunteer program and how you can get involved.
(Photo courtesy of Barbara Taylor) |
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Avoiding White Foam Products
Though Eco-Cycle recycles white block foam, we consider this to be just a small milestone in light of a larger problem. What we’d really like to see happen is for the nasty white stuff to disappear altogether – in block, “peanut” and food-grade forms. Food-grade foam products pose a particular challenge. There is currently no market for them in terms of recycling, and no way to reuse them. Their effects on humans and the environment are many:
- Food packaging is one path of exposure to styrene, a possible carcinogen. Styrene may be ingested through food as a result of leaching from food packaging or contact materials. Styrene exposure may cause nervous system effects such as depression, muscle weakness, nausea, and nose, eye, and throat irritation. Populations at high risk for styrene exposure include styrene industry workers, smokers, and people eating a high concentration of foods packaged in polystyrene.
- Food-grade foam products are designed to be used once and then thrown into the landfill where they do not biodegrade—ever.
- Some foam products use blowing agents such as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are powerful greenhouse gases, in some cases several thousand times more potent than carbon dioxide.
- All foam packaging is made from non-renewable petroleum products.
With these facts in mind, Eco-Cycle suggests that folks do what they can to avoid purchasing food products packaged in white foam. We’ve offered some suggestions below for how to just that. And as for the block stuff? We’ve got a few tips for handling that, too. With your help, we can make white foam obsolete!
How to avoid food-grade foam products:
- Buy reusable and recyclable containers and packaging.
- Avoid products that are unnecessarily packaged in food-grade foam products, such as instant soup. Instead, buy a can of soup, which is 100% recyclable.
- Buy meat directly from the butcher to avoid foam meat trays.
- Instead of foam egg cartons, buy eggs packed in recyclable paper cartons.
- When going out to eat, bring your own reusable container for your leftovers.
- Carry a reusable mug or cup for coffee, juice or smoothies.
- Tell others what you think. The more of us who refuse the stuff, the quicker we can phase it out.
How to make block foam packaging obsolete:
- Make your voice heard by purchasing products with eco-friendly packaging, like molded paperboard.
- Write a letter to express your concerns about foam packaging and your preference for safer alternatives. View a sample letter.
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Last modified November 2005
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