Styrofoam Recycling

Maybe you find yourself with plenty of Styrofoam after unpacking a new electronic or after using those infamous white Styrofoam coolers. Maybe you’re a manufacturer who goes through thousands of pieces of Styrofoam per week or a household who deals with it just once per year.

What’s your next step?

Styrofoam and other types of foam are in abundance all around us. They’re most commonly used to pack products and serve as insulation. While foam might help protect the things we ship, it’s important that once it’s out of the manufacturer’s hands and into ours, we take the responsible next steps. It’s because of this abundance that Gold Circuit E-Cycling decided to create a way for our customers to dispose of their Styrofoam in a way that’s easy and keeps our environment happy. Whether you’re recycling foam for your household, business, or municipalities, we’ve got a solution for you.

What’s our Solution?

We created Recycle Your Foam to transform EPS, XPS, and EPE foam into reusable options. EPS is Expanded Polystyrene foam, XPS is Extruded Polystyrene foam, and EPE is Expanded Polyethylene foam. All of these types of foams are used for packaging, insulation, and more. But once these foams have been used for their initial purpose, is that the end of their timeline? It doesn’t have to be.

The thing is, these foams include air, which gives it its notable lightweight feeling (and ability to float). These foams are made up of beads that are fused together and can easily be broken down through a two-step process we’ve perfected.

What we do

Our facilities provide a hot melt densifying solution. We transform these three types of foam to make it economically viable to ship to manufacturers. If left at a landfill, the foam will never go away. Because it is plastic, it does not decompose. Rather than adding to the growing issue of landfills filled with plastic, we encourage you to take time to educate yourself on your options. When you find yourself with foam, we’re here to assist you with it so that you know you’re making the responsible and environmentally-friendly choice.

Our two-step process consists of first crushing the foam and then applying a hot melt to form a solid, 55-pound block. This process removes the air and allows it the opportunity to be reused and accepted by manufacturers as they create new items with it.

What Next?

Once recycled, the materials can be used to create all new items. Some examples of things that can be created through recycled foam include picture frames, baseboard or ceiling molding, house or building insulation, and insulation board. Your Styrofoam can take on a new life and have new uses thanks to your environmentally-conscious choice.

Things to Note

While we’d love to be able to recycle each and every type of foam, we do have some criteria that we have to follow to ensure a smooth process. We are unable to accept packing peanuts, food containers, colors other than white, and foam that is dirty or contaminated.

We hope you can see how Styrofoam recycling is an accessible service to improve our environment and give you peace of mind knowing you made the responsible choice.

To learn more about our Styrofoam recycling efforts, visit our new, focused website here: https://www.recycleyourfoam.com/.

Have questions or want to talk with someone more in-depth about what this process looks like for your used Styrofoam that you’re ready to part with? Give us a call at 888-283-0007 or email us at info@goldcircuitecycling.com

Furniture: What to do When It’s Time to Say Goodbye

When it's time to say goodbye to a piece of furniture, you might find yourself with a few options. We’ve all seen that couch or mattress find its way to the neighborhood dumpster only to get rained on until someone eventually gives in and hauls it to the dump. Many trash companies actually won’t even pick up large items like that.

While it’s of course “easier” to throw that piece of furniture to the side of the road and hope it gets picked up or dumped out, that’s not the best option. Furniture isn’t something that can decompose the longer it sits out at a landfill. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency actually found that in 2005, 9.69 million tons of furniture and furnishings were dumped at a landfill. That number has only grown tremendously and will continue to grow.

So, what are your other options?

If you’re looking into other options for getting rid of furniture you no longer want, you may consider donating or recycling it. There are many organizations out there that take donated furniture and give it to people who need it, such as those coming out of homelessness, poverty, or domestic violence. There are also many organizations that exist to help Veterans furnish their homes. You may also be familiar with stores like Goodwill who take donations and then put them on the sales floor for prices far below retail.

Donating Furniture

While most of these are tax-deductible opportunities and thus desirable, not every piece of furniture is made equal. Many times, the quality of or state that the furniture is in may not be ideal to be reused or donated. If your furniture has stains, has lived long beyond its years, or is no longer usable, donating it may not be a good idea for you.

If you want more information on where and how to donate furniture, this resource may be helpful.

Recycling Furniture

When people hear the word “recycling,” they often don’t associate it with furniture. The thing is, furniture is made of a variety of materials, many of which can be recycled. When it comes to mattresses, 80% of the materials in it can actually be recycled. At our facility, we accept mattresses and box springs and do our part to get them separated and recycled where we can. To read more about what this process looks like, check out our previous blog here.

Our facility is able to process old furniture such as couches, recliners, chairs, dressers, desks, and more. We remove any steel that’s in the furniture and send whatever remains for further recycling of the wood and materials. Our fees for recycling furniture are $20 for mattresses, box springs, tables, dressers, recliners, and loveseats, and $40 for couches.

Before you recycle furniture, make sure that you remove any personal items, especially if it’s something like a dresser or desk.

Helping the Environment

Recycling furniture rather than leaving it at a landfill is a responsible choice for the environment. By recycling, any of the materials that can be recycled can be reused and made into other items. Materials like metal, wood, and foam can be used for things like scrap metal, mulch, carpet padding, and fabric.

When it’s time to say goodbye to furniture in your home or office, we’d love to be your first stop for items that can’t be donated or repaired. Give us a call today if you have any questions at 888-283-0007. We look forward to helping reduce your waste production and helping you make the most out of the furniture you loved!

Kids and Recycling: Summer Fun to Help the Environment

With summer right around the corner, it’s no doubt you’re starting to brainstorm activities to keep your kids busy. As you start to make your lists and do your research, we wanted to share some ideas with you that are both fun and great for the environment. Teaching kids about recycling, no matter the age, is a way to create environmentally conscious kids that are aware of why it matters.

Reading about recycling and participating in hands-on activities are the perfect ways to involve them in the process. Not only can you make these activities fun, but you may also learn a thing or two along the way.

Today, we’re sharing five ideas on making recycling something that is fun in your household. Your kids will be excited to learn and play while helping the world we live in.

Idea One: Go on an adventure to your local park or beach. Bring two trash bags!

Walking around at a park or beach and picking up the trash you see keeps everyone active and helps teach kids the importance of not littering. Recycling comes into play here because you can help them sort the trash they find. If you find an empty water bottle or cardboard box, it can go in the recycling bag. If you find a candy wrapper, it can go in the trash.

Having these conversations as you walk can help your kids understand why littering is harmful to the environment and how it can also affect the wildlife that lives there. Make sure you bring pairs of gloves to wear while picking up the trash.

Idea Two: Conduct an up-cycling challenge.

Have your kids go through their closets, rooms, and playrooms to find objects they don’t use anymore. Maybe these are toys they don’t play with or articles of clothing that don’t fit and are ready to find a new home. Teaching your kids about how you can donate items rather than throw them away will help them to give back and up-cycle.

Idea Three: Create a family recycling system.

Start at home by creating a recycling system designed by your kids. Having a few bins for recycling various materials, such as paper, plastic, aluminum, cardboard, etc., can be a fun way to practice sorting and get them excited about recycling.

After they help create the bins, they’ll be able to practice going through each item before you throw it away to see if it fits in a recycling category. You can also use this as an opportunity to educate your kids about how recycling facilities work to help them learn even more.

Idea Four: Learn through books and blogs.

Even when school is out, your kids can keep learning all summer long. This list of books on the topic of recycling is a fun way to keep your kids’ brains engaged as they enjoy a break from the summer heat. Reading through books like this with your kids can help you explain things about recycling they may not understand on their own.

Since you’re reading our blog right now, you’re in the right place for more knowledge about recycling things you may have never thought about. By reading our blogs with your kids, you can use this as an opportunity to teach your kids about the items in your home that you can recycle, such as electronics and furniture. They might be shocked to know this!

Idea Five: Create recycling games.

Whether it’s sorting through materials the fastest or seeing who can find the most recyclable things in the house the fastest, create your own games that include recycling. You can also create fun art projects using only recyclable objects and some creativity. See what you and your kids can come up with as fun ways to integrate recycling into their imaginative play.

How will you work recycling into your kids’ summer activities?  We’d love to answer any questions you have or welcome you to our space for a tour.

Reach out today at 1-888-283-0007.

Happy Summer!