The results are in and they are impressive! Since 2017, more than 19 Foam Cycle systems have been installed, allowing a whopping 4,042,423 people access to foam recycling where none existed before!
Foam Cycle locations from across the country recently took part in a Penn State University research project. The lofty goal was to quantify the impact of foam (aka Styrofoam) recycling for local communities that have Foam Cycle systems in operation. The Foam Cycle 2021 Annual Report provides a snapshot of the overall impact that each municipality, county, public-private partnership, and non-profit organization have on recycling efforts. These impacts include providing access, diverting landfill airspace, and reducing trucking. These practices add valuable and reusable material to the circular economy, all by recycling foam — one piece at a time.
Thank you to all of the communities who have taken part in this journey, and welcome to all of the new member communities who continue to join the movement.
“They say it can’t be recycled, we’re here to prove them wrong” - Foam Cycle
The first Foam Cycle system was placed in 2016 at the 250-acre Sussex County, New Jersey landfill and recycling drop-off center under a public-private partnership agreement. Since then, the Foam Cycle system has won numerous state and national waste reduction awards including a “Green Team” grant from Montclair State University (MSU) in New Jersey. In the summer of 2017, the MSU Green Team analyzed the impact of foam on the Sussex County landfill. In addition, they followed the recycling path of the material generated from the Foam Cycle system to an end-user repurposing facility that makes picture frame moulding, producing a white paper report of their findings.
Today, Foam Cycle systems can be found successfully operating at municipal recycling drop-off centers in several states throughout the country. Foam Cycle's positive and long-lasting impact on foam waste reduction in our landfills and waterways can only be realized when the system is available to every municipal recycling site in the country.
Fact: Most municipalities do not realize that foam waste can even be recycled. For more information please visit www.FoamCycle.com