Where can one recycle Styrofoam?
A. Although the City of Knoxville (and campus) accepts #6 plastic (polystyrene), Styrofoam cannot be recycled locally. In general, plastics with higher #s (e.g., #7 versus #1 or #2) are more difficult to recycle. Moreover, #6 and #7 plastics are typically not recycled in the U.S. So, the environmental benefits of recycling these plastics are lower than that of lower-numbered plastics (#1 and #2 are the best). So, we should do everything possible to avoid these plastics in the first place. If you can spare a moment of time, I would recommend expressing your concerns with vendors who package their goods in Styrofoam. Most pack-and-ship stores such as Mailboxes Etc. and UPS will accept clean Styrofoam peanuts for reuse in customer shipments. You can call the “Peanut Hotline” at 1-800-828-2214 to find a local outfit that will claim unwanted packing peanuts. If there is no EPS recycling in your community, please send your EPS via the U.S. Postal Service or other carrier to the nearest mail-
