How do most recycling plants recylce Styrofoam?

Question

Please help, I am doing a P.S.A. in my 6th hour science class on recycling Styrofoam!!!!

Answer 1

I'd suggest that you use a search engine on the words "recycling styrofoam."

Have you heard of search engines?  They're very helpful.  You can type in a few words about what you're looking for, and the search engine will show you many many web pages that have those words on them.   Some search engines that you might want to try are Yahoo.com or Google.com or Ask.com.

Search engines are actually easier to use than Yahoo!Answers, and you can find much much more information than you can find on here.

Great question.  Good luck.

Answer 2

http://sciencelinks.jp/j-east/article/20...

Answer 3

First, check to see if Styrofoam isn't a registered trademark for a rigid sheet product that is used primarily as insulation in building.

I think it is a word that is often misused when people really mean polystyrene, a type of expanded plastic foam.  That might get you some points from your science teacher.

One of the biggest ways that things like cups and plates made from it are used for another purpose is to create energy by burning them.  This works when large quantities can be collected from institutional food service facilities like schools, hospitals or prisons.  The advantage is that they can be burned with food waste.  They generate a great deal of heat that can be used to make electricity.

Contrary to popular misconception, many paper goods like coffee cups can't really be recycled because the paper is lined with plastic and most places don't have recycling plants that can separate the plastic from the paper.  Also many plants can't accept products that are soiled with food waste, like cream from your double latte.

I did a project on this once and found out that foam cups were made from petroleum byproducts and actually used less energy to produce, transport and recycle than paper and in the final analysis might possibly be better for the environment. Surprising, huh?

Answer 4

Um, yeah, use Google or the Wikipedia.

People on here are slow and often tell you to pay attention in class and do your own d**n homework, since depending on us will ultimately hurt you.

Dissolve it in acetone and then I don't know where it goes from there.

Presumably, the solution can be reformed into styrofoam.