Yes, I can hardly believe it myself: There is a way — two ways, actually — to recycle the giant white bricks that come with TVs, furniture and appliances.
When I first asked for “Stump the Recycler” questions earlier this summer, Charlene of Mukilteo was quick to jump in with a recycling query that has nagged at me for years.
Question: “Ah-ha, I have been waiting for you!” Charlene said. “Where can I recycle Styrofoam, that molded kind that comes around appliances and such.”
Answer: First, I need to make one clarification on those bricks: They — along with the coffee cups and take-out containers we refer to as Styrofoam — aren’t Styrofoam at all. They are EPS, also known as expanded polystyrene foam packaging. Styrofoam, as Grist’s Umbra Fisk has pointed out before, is actually the trademark name of a blue extruded polystyrene insulation of the Dow Chemical Co., also known as XPS, typically sold in sheets for construction jobs. This was revelation for me, I must admit.
Anyway, on to the good news: There are basically two good ways to deal with EPS, typically labeled with a No. 6 recycling symbol.
First, you can mail it to the Alliance of Foam Packaging Recyclers in Crofton, Md.
Yes, you unfortunately must pick up the postage tab, but the foam is relatively light will be sent to a manufacturer for actual recycling into packing peanuts or other reusable plastics commodities. Complete online instructions tell you how to do it and what’s accepted. Most of all, your foam needs to be clean and free of cardboard and tape. You can even call the office and talk to the friendly staff about how to do it at 410-451-8340.
Second, more local mailing stores are starting to accept the foam as well as the peanuts for reuse. The UPS store at 10121 Evergreen Way in Everett will accept bricks as well as packing peanuts for free. If you want to leave bricks, however, call ahead to make arrangements (425-353-9144). The UPS store at 4917 Evergreen Way does not accept bricks, but will take peanuts anytime, preferably in plastic bags (425-259-2332). Check with your regular mailing service shop.
If all else fails, turn to reuse. Break them up and use them for own packing materials or give them to the kids for cool art projects. I used to use them in garden planters until my co-worker Master Gardener Debra Smith said that technique comes from old, failed wisdom. Planters should be filled with potting mix with good drainage, not plastics.
Thanks for a great question, Charlene. Happy recycling!
Stump the Recycler: Do you have a hard-to-recycle or odd item you want out of your life? Write me with your question and I’ll do my best to get you answers.
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