How to Recycle Polystyrene Foam (#6)
Expanded or extruded polystyrene used for foodservice: foam cups, clamshell takeout boxes, and foam meat/produce trays marked #6 PS. This page covers food-contact foam, not densified EPS packing blocks (see Expanded Polystyrene).
Quick answer
Foodservice polystyrene foam (#6) cups, clamshells, and meat trays almost never belong in curbside recycling. EPA notes very few localities accept styrofoam at the curb. Reuse clean items when you can, seek a foam drop-off if one exists, or place them in the trash.
- Recyclable
- Not curbside
- Recycling code
- #6 PS
- 1Scrape out all food; greasy foam is rejected even at specialty sites
- 2Separate foam cups/trays from rigid clear PS cutlery if a drop-off distinguishes them
- 3Do not put foam in curbside carts; it breaks into beads and contaminates paper/plastic streams
- 4Search Earth911 or your city site for polystyrene foam drop-off before assuming none exists
- 5Bag packing peanuts are often reusable at shipping stores; keep them separate from food foam
- Specialty polystyrene drop-offs (limited)
- Some municipal HHW or transfer stations
- Trash when no program exists
Foodservice #6 foam is bulky, low-density, and easily food-contaminated, so MRFs exclude it. Do not confuse it with clean EPS packing blocks, which sometimes have separate densifier drop-offs. Rigid PS cutlery and clear PS cups are also rarely curbside-recyclable.
Foam fragments persist and are hard for wildlife to distinguish from food. Recycling exists only where densifiers or specialty collectors operate; most US communities landfill or incinerate foodservice foam.
- Reusable cups and containers
- Fiber or paper takeout packaging where accepted
- Ask restaurants for non-foam options
Accepted
- Clean foam cups and clamshells only where a foam recycler lists foodservice PS
- Clean foam trays if the same program accepts them
Not Accepted
- Foam with food or grease
- Curbside recycling bins
- Compost bins (petroleum foam is not compostable)
- Mixed loads of food foam with dirty trash bags at film drop-offs
Is food foam the same as packing EPS?
Same polymer family (#6), different use and often different drop-off rules. Food foam is usually dirtier and less accepted. EPS packing blocks and coolers are covered on the Expanded Polystyrene page.
Can foam cups go in with plastic bottles?
No. Foam breaks apart and contaminates bottle and paper streams. Keep it out of curbside recycling.
Do any cities recycle styrofoam curbside?
EPA states very few localities accept it. A handful of cities have had pilot or drop-off programs; treat curbside acceptance as the exception and verify locally.
What about foam packing peanuts?
Many shipping stores reuse clean peanuts. They are not the same as foodservice trays and usually should not go in bottle recycling or PE film bins.
- How to recycle PET Bottles (#1)
- How to recycle HDPE Containers (#2)
- How to recycle PVC Pipes (#3)
- How to recycle Plastic Bags (#4)
- How to recycle Polypropylene Containers (#5)
- How to recycle Mixed Plastics (#7)
- How to recycle Agricultural Film
- How to recycle Six-Pack Rings
- How to recycle Expanded Polystyrene (EPS)
Recycling centers that accept Polystyrene Foam (#6)
RecycleFind lists recycling centers that accept polystyrene foam (#6). Open a listing for hours, contact info, and directions.