Can you recycle foam in Australia?
The 2 most common types of foam include:
Expanded polystyrene (EPS)
Polyurethane
Expanded Polystyrene (EPS)
EPS is a lightweight cellular plastic material consisting of small hollow spherical ball. Applications include insulated panel systems for walls, roofs and floors as well as facades for both domestic and commercial buildings. It is also used as a void-forming fill material in civil engineering projects. EPS are also used in packaging applications. Its is used for the storage and transport of fragile and expensive items such as electronic equipment, wines, chemicals and pharmaceutical products. The thermal insulation and moisture resistant properties of EPS enables freshness extension of perishable products such as produce and seafood.
EPS is recyclable. However, EPS CANNOT be recycled in your Kerb side bin. Unfortunately there are limited drop off locations around Australia. To check your nearest drop off location, refer to this link (EPS Australia)
Polyurethane foam
Rigid polyurethane foams are effective insulation materials that can be used in roof and wall insulation, insulated windows, doors and air barrier sealants.
Flexible polyurethane foam can be created in almost any variety of shapes and firmness, resulting in a variety of consumer and commercial products, including bedding, furniture, automotive interiors, carpet underlay and packaging.
In theory polyurethane foams can be recycled. Unfortunately I can’t find a commercial operation that accepts it. I note that Dunlop Flooring accept old foam underlays, but they don’t seem to accept other foam sources. For now (please let me know if you know otherwise), polyurethane foam can not be recycled.
