Nashville foam recycling project is music to the ears 

In a move aimed at reducing landfill waste and to boost sustainability, the US city of Nashville in Tennessee has launched its first foam recycling drop-off programme for both food-service polystyrene foam and protective foam packaging.

The initiative is the result of a partnership between the Nashville Department of Waste Services, the Polystyrene Recycling Alliance, Foam Cycle, and the Plastics Industry Association.

Slow decomposition

Polystyrene foam is a material long considered difficult to process through conventional recycling systems. Foam packaging is widely used around the world in food containers, shipping materials, appliance protection and disposable products because it is lightweight and inexpensive. However, environmental experts have long criticised the material for its durability and slow decomposition rate. According to researchers from Washington University, polystyrene foam can take up to 500 years to break down in landfills.

Until now, Nashville residents had no local option for recycling foam products so most discarded materials ended up in landfills.

From blocks to new products

Once collected at the city’s East Convenience Center, the material is processed through a Foam Cycle densifier system. The machine compresses and melts the foam into dense recyclable blocks, reducing its volume. The blocks are then transported to a manufacturing facility in La Vergne, Tennessee where they are transformed into new commercial products such as insulation materials, roof tiles, concrete additives, carpet products, furniture components, picture frames, hangers and new packaging.

Nashville….and beyond  

According to experts, Nashville’s foam recycling programme reflects a wider international trend as cities search for solutions to hard-to-recycle plastics and packaging waste. While many municipal recycling programmes accept paper, metal and certain plastics, foam products are frequently excluded because they are bulky, lightweight and costly to transport.