This past weekend I bought a lot of larger items, a big toolchest from Craftsmen, night stand, those kinds of things. In the boxes is a ton of styrofoam. I’m not sure what to do with it. Can I reccyle the stuff or can I only throw it out. My girlfriend thinks that you can only throw it out, we both think it’s a huge waste.
So is there something I can do with all of it? I’ve got a large trash can filled with the stuff and there’s still more in my house. I could probably build a nice addition to my house but that’s about all I know what to do with it.
Is there a reason they use so much of it then? I’ve gotten stuff packed in cardboard before, at least then I can recycle it. Sounds strange they can’t even break the larger stuff down to use for making those packing nuts.
Do you plant in large pots? I always put a good-sized chunk of Styrofoam (to fill about 1/3 of the pot) in any big pots I’m planting. It keeps the weight down and allows me to use less dirt. I mostly do this with annuals but as long as there is enough room, I don’t see why you can’t do it with permanent potted plants.
Note: don’t use that biodegradable stuff. It has to be regular packing Styrofoam, otherwise it will melt when you water the plants.
At the county recycling station my dad goes to, they have always had a special bin just for styrofoam packaging materials. You really should try to find a place that accepts that for recycling (like the place suggested above by UnlceBill). Mongomery County probably does this, I imagine, as liberal as the county is. This stuff does not biodegrade, you do not want to throw it out!
You could spray paint it silver and attatch it to your wall as “futuristic art”. (I read the set designers on StarTrek: TOS used to do this because the budget was so low.)
Walloon: I was just about to say that. I remember seeing a more extensive ‘There’s no such thing as a STYROFOAM™ cup’ page that says that, beside insulation, they also manufacture Styrofoam craft supplies. There’s a kit for making molecular models, one for making a model of the solar system, and various balls and shapes such as Styrofoam hearts. But cups, as they say, are not Dow Styrofoam™ but ‘expanded polystyrene foam’. (Does anyone know if Dow ever did make Styrofoam cups? I thought maybe they stopped making them when the CFC problem became well-known.)
Colophon: No! Acetone is a dangerous solvent that contains oxygen, the gas that makes things burn! If you want to really help the Earth, there’s an easy way to get rid of your extra styrofoam and your surplus chlorinated solvents at the same time. Just dissolve the styrofoam in chloroform or dichloromethane – or, better yet, carbon tetrachloride. (If you have any leftover Freon, though, don’t waste it like this. Sell it to someone with an old car.) Then pour it down the grate in front of your house.
Disclaimer: Obviously, you should never do this, unless you’re a greedy oil company executive or you own a lot of land more than 250 feet above sea level. Your local recycling center can help you, and I’m sure the friendly people at the Alliance of Foam Packaging Recyclers could provide plenty of useful information.
(I read the set designers on StarTrek: TOS used to do this because the budget was so low.)