You Can Feel Good About Using Our Products

Contrary to what you may have heard, products made of expanded polystyrene (EPS) or “foam” — usually bearing the #6 recycling symbol — are in fact, recyclable, and efforts to do so are increasing year after year. Because of its cost-effectiveness and insulating properties, EPS is used for building materials as well as many forms of packaging, including foam cups and containers.

Master Containers has been participating in an active recycling effort, along with several other companies in the Polk County, Florida area thanks to a grant awarded by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The grant helped establish a polystyrene recycling facility called Recycle Tech Corporation located in Lakeland, Florida. Since its inception, it is estimated that the plant has recycled more than 1.2 million pounds of polystyrene!

Did You Know...?

• EPS products, including our full line of foam cups and containers, are not manufactured with ozone-depleting CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons).
  
  
• Foam cups are more environmentally friendly than paper cups because of their recyclability. Surprised?
  
  The plastic coating inside paper cups cannot be separated from the paper for recycling. This coating also prohibits paper cups from naturally decomposing in a landfill. In addition, paper cup production requires more raw materials, energy and chemicals.
  
  
• EPS is comprised of more than 95% air! Therefore, it can be economically shipped to a central location for recycling, or reduced to a fraction of its original size using a variety of recycling methods.
  
  
• EPS foam does not give off toxic emissions when incinerated since its chemical make-up is carbon and hydrogen. It gives off carbon dioxide, water vapor, and a trace amount of ash when completely combusted.
  
  
• EPS represents less than 1% of the solid waste disposed in U.S. landfills.

Back in 1991, polystyrene suppliers, foam packaging manufacturers and equipment makers across the country, joined together to form the Alliance of Foam Packaging Recyclers (AFPR). The AFPR continues to facilitate recycling efforts between EPS manufacturers and the companies that buy their products to this day.