Why are Styrofoam Coolers so bad for our environment?

Styrofoam coolers are currently perceived negatively because, after use, the majority of products made from the material are placed in landfills. Also, because they are so bulky, Styrofoam materials occupy a disproportionate amount of space in a landfill. Also, Styrofoam or polystyrene products are typically brittle and therefore tend to break and fragment easily. This makes it more likely that they end up in runoff, and eventually our streams, rivers and oceans.

Frightening Statistics

Every day Americans discard enough Styrofoam waste to fill Yankee Stadium!

Styrofoam materials, by themselves, constitute of 30% of the volume of waste Americans discard!

It takes 500 years for a Styrofoam cooler to decompose completely!

Why is Styrofoam more likely to end up in landfills?

It is difficult to collect and largely non-recyclable.

Styrofoam is very bulky relative to its weight, so it consists of very little solid material/mass relative to overall size

High volume/low weight materials yield very little resin (this is what recyclers are after)

High volume/low weight bulky materials like Styrofoam are expensive to gather and transport to recycling centers, proving inefficient for recyclers.

Because less companies are willing to gather and transport Styrofoam to recyclers, there are less recyclers that have established the capability to collect the material.

Styrofoam is also unlikely to be collected because it is brittle and not compressible.

If it is recycled, the process is very expensive and tedious, and for this reason, the material is not truly recyclable.

 

As result the harsh reality is that most Styrofoam products we Americans discard do end up in landfills.

What are the solutions?

Sustainable Alternatives

When possible we Americans can use alternative products that have higher secondary market values than Styrofoam. These materials are more likely to be collected and recycled as they are more desirable to recycling companies. The recycled materials are used to produce other "downstream" products such as carpet padding or other products. This is an example of "sustainability".

What Materials Are Likely to be Recycled into other products?

Compactable, dense materials

Products with secondary market value

Materials that are more dense relative to the volume they occupy and also collapsible are better suited for collection and recycling.

When compared to bulky molded Styrofoam coolers, collapsible products made of denser materials are easier to collect and transport.

IPC's GreenLiner is a collapsible insulation liner that is made of relatively dense polyurethane foam.

GreenLiner is Recyclable

(GreenLiner polyurethane foam panels)

Because the liner is collapsible the panels can be collected and transported efficiently.

There is also a large network of recycling centers nationwide that are willing to purchase the material.

Polyurethane foam is also easy to collect and transport because it is not brittle and it is easily compressible. These characteristics make the material ideal for collection and recycling.

Recycled Polyurethane Foam

Learn more about recycling here

In addition to temp shield temperature control shipping materials , we also manufacture gel pack refrigerant products.