Friday, September 14, 2007

The annals of Dow Chemical Co.


Not only has Dow given us Agent Orange, Napalm and other cool substances that no one else thought to invent, it also has given us Styrofoam, which, really, isn't Syrofoam at all (if you believe the below quoted Mainstream Media, and I'm not sure that you do, not in the day & age.)

...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...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.


Recycling the stuff, in the classic sense, isn't all that simple. But that's not Dow's problem. That's your problem, if you're a recycler. Dow's got bigger problems on its Styrofoam plate.

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 (and) 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....
...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.
[link]


We'd like to note that if you, your ownself, recycle your foam blocks into peanuts, DO NOT EAT THEM. They are not REAL peanuts, in the classic, edible sense, but PACKING PEANUTS, in the sense of stuff you place into a box to protect breakable things, that, after you put them away in your garage, attic or basement for safe storage, then re-open in 10 to 20 years wondering what in the hell is in that ol' dusty box, you open the damn thing and, WOW, nothin's broke and these packing peanutes are in Pristine Condition, THANKS DOW CHEMICAL!

That is all.

1 comment:

AUSET said...

Thank you for the information about where to send styrofoam for recycling. I had just gotten off the phone trying to get some information from Co-Op America, which has a database of recyclers. They had no knowledge of any company that recycled styrofoam, but you did. Thank you. I am also going to start an art program using styrofoam.