Recycling foam is crucial for our future, both socially and economically. The recycled foam is used to create new materials, and the recycling process and the production of new materials from waste creates employment opportunities. Also, recycling foam diverts waste from already occupied landfills, and the reduction of waste preserves energy and helps sustain the environment. We need to keep it green and keep recycling.
Styrofoam, also known as Styrene, Polystyrene, Expanded Polystyrene, EPS or foam#6 is versatile, durable, sterile, a great thermal insulator and noise absorbent material. Those attributes make this material so suitable to be used in food industry, such as utensils, cups, plates and trays, in the medical industry as medical coolers, as well as packaging material and building insulation agent. There is a misconception that this foam cannot be recycled, where in fact, not only it can, but recycling methods and equipment have been progressed and updated in recent years.
Styrofoam can be melted, compacted, grinded or shredded thus reducing itself by up to 98% of its original volume in this process.
Recycling foam has a positive impact on our environment and our economy.
Recycled foam has a good market where companies will pay you money to take it off your hands. These companies will reuse the recycled foam to create new materials and sell them to various industries. By recycling foam we do not just reduce its volume, but we also reuse it, making it energy efficient – The recycled material can be reprocessed and molded eventually mixed with other materials to make a new products: It can be mixed with wood, plastic or concrete to create a low-cost building material, insulation, interior moulding, it can be made into picture frames, pens, rulers and other products. By recycling foam we are reusing discarded material and significantly reducing waste at the same time, instead of having to produce new materials.
Another very important advantage of recycling foam is the fact that by doing so we are clearing space from landfills. If not recycling, we throw it away as waste in our garbage bins, it takes up a lot of space and ended up thrown away and buried. Styrofoam currently takes up about 30% of our landfills. The material is partially made up of petroleum and it takes a very long time for it to decompose and break down. Thus, recycling helps prevent the deterioration of the environment and helps keep our environment green and sustainable.
Recycling foam is good for the economy and for industries. On one hand, the need to recycle foam and the fact that we produce new materials from it creates more jobs and employment opportunities, thus boosting the economy. And on the other hand, recycling decreases the frequency and cost of waste disposal. The process nowadays is so much easier – recycling machines are now taking up less space than they used to, process time is much faster and the volume reduction is maximized. To summarize, we need to keep it green and keep recycling, for our well being and for our future.
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Do You Really Need a 5-Axis CNC Router in Your Machine Shop?
A 3-axis CNC router involves movements of the cutting tool along x, y and z rotation, and is suitable for creating parts that are not too deep. A 5-axis router adds 2 additional axis movements and is able to machine a shape such as a cube from all 5 sides simultaneously, thus shortening set up and machining time. However, it requires a longer x-axis which can result in less stability and less accuracy and requires more attention from the operator. The answer to the question of which machine should we use lies in the manufacturing application needed. In some instances, a 3-D printer can either replace or work along the router.
Why Use Foam Material to Fabricate Dimensional Letters, Logo or Signs
When creating and fabricating dimensional letters, logo and signs, few material options are metals, plastics, acrylics, wood or foam. More companies are now turning to foam as a low-cost lightweight solution. The material can then be coated, painted, laminated and illuminated to create more effects on it and to resemble other materials. But, no matter what material is chosen, the letters, logo and signs are a good way to stand out and attract customers.
What is The Triangular Recycling Symbol Found at the Bottom of Plastic Products?
At the bottom of almost any plastic container there is a triangular three-arrow sign, also known as SPI code, which gives us information about the recycling restriction and the material it is made of. The numbers go from 1 to 7 and the distinction helps recyclers know which machine to use in the recycling process. Foam#6, also known as Polystyrene or Styrofoam, is the subject of this article, which emphasizes the importance of recycling foam.
