Hardware

How packaging foam can be part of green practices

Blog provided by The Foam Factory

You might have heard that polyethylene and polyurethane, two types of foam used for packaging foam and custom foam inserts, are non-biodegradable materials, which means they won’t be doing the environment any favors. Despite this, materials such as polyurethane have provided many benefits for the storage and preservation of natural resources. For example, polyurethane insulation has helped reduce the consumption of gas, oil, and electricity.

There is a lot of potential for non-biodegradable foams to be involved in sustainable practices, as long as people make the effort to recycle them. A quick search will show that there are many places you can go to recycle your old foam, whether you live in California or Washington State. Recycled polyurethane is often used as carpet underlay, but recycled polyethylene has been relatively unexplored lately. Fortunately, companies such as Intco Recycling are making an effort to cultivate polyethylene recycling with their GREENMAX machine, which is designed to melt down polyethylene.

Now that you’re armed with this knowledge, there’s no need to avoid using packaging foam or polyethylene and polyurethane products. Foam products can make your life easier in many different ways and as long as you dispose of them responsibly, they can be reused for a variety of different products. The Foam Factory has a number of customizable foam products including foam inserts, mattresses, and packaging foam. Be sure to browse through their wares, and if you see something you’d like to buy, make sure you have a plan for recycling your foam after you’re done.