how to recycle styrofoam

after doing some follow-up research on my last post about being jealous of japan’s styrofoam recycling, i found some important information that reinforces the idea that america still rules (sort of).

up until now, i thought that there was really no way to recycle styrofoam (a.k.a. polystyrene) waste in the u.s. but check it out: we currently recycle expanded polystyrene foam packaging at a rate of approximately 10-12% each year. so there must be a way, even if your city’s curbside program doesn’t do it.

here are 3 ways you can bypass the system:

1. you can always save your polystyrene for the next time you need to package something fragile, or use it to make something else - sculptures, crafts, organizational trays

2. mail it back to be recycled: the alliance of foam packaging recyclers shows you how.

3. carry it back: here is a pdf of places in your neighborhood that will take your styrofoam off of your hands.

4. sell it back: the recycled plastic markets database hooks you up with buyers who will pay you for your old styrofoam.

my grandpa pwns me by recycling styrofoam

this is my grampa.

he’s not my real grampa, which is probably why i didn’t inherit his tragically good looks, but look! we do share a love of plaid!

like most japanese grampas, ojiichan, which is what i call my grampa because i have no idea what his real name is, does not know much about planet green, eco-blogging, or even really what the internet is for that matter. so when i went to my grandma and grampa’s mansion (this means apartment building in japanese - so odd!), i was blown away by the magnitude of eco-innovation that exists in their little household. in japan, it is not unheard of for thick booklets of more than 20 pages to be distributed showing people how to sort their trash, and community crusaders have been known to dumpster dive to investigate the whereabouts of improperly sorted garbage so that they can return it to the non-compliant owners.

since i usually pride myself on being the annoying eco-cop in any group, i almost swallowed my muscat flavored gum when i confidently tossed away a thin, plastic wrapper from some noodles (you know, the kind that comes on cup-a-noodle), only to be pwned by ojiichan who showed me the six bags he set out to sort trash. six! he told me to throw the wrapper into one bag and a twist tie that i was trying to throw out into another. a twist tie!

but here is the clincher - japanese people recycle styrofoam!

jepsra’s mascot: his darn pants are part of his shell. he went as far as to recycle his shell! how can i possibly compete?

anyhow, i found this info on the japan expanded polystyrene recycling association or jepsra’s website, and thought it was both interesting and envy-inducing.

the collection method:

note: epsy plazas are recycling bases for styrofoam. the “eps” stands for expanded polystyrene and the “y” is to make it sound cuter.

how the eps gets recycled:

these are the most current charts i could find about eps recycling in japan. if anyone has any newer information, please share!

why is this a site?

swyyne has always been an experiment for me. with all of the other super eco sites out there, i've been feeling like i want to contribute something just a bit different. so for now, here are my random musings.