How to dispose of Styrofoam depends on your city, and the answer to “is Styrofoam recyclable” is usually no, not in the curbside cart. Phoenix, Seattle and Austin all keep foam out of the blue cart, whatever number is stamped on it. Seattle picks up clean foam blocks free, and Austin recycles them at its drop-off center by appointment.

Photo: Expanded polystyrene foam packaging material. Acdx, 2006-06-13. CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source. Resized for web.

“Styrofoam” is a trademark. Hawaii’s county foam ordinances, as the state Department of Health summarizes them, describe it as a trademarked polystyrene foam insulation; the foam cups, food trays, takeout boxes and packing blocks people call Styrofoam are expanded polystyrene, often marked with a #6. Clear or solid polystyrene is a different, hard plastic.

Why foam rarely goes in the recycling cart

  • The #6 is not a yes. Under the Federal Trade Commission’s Green Guides, a resin code printed prominently on a package counts as a recyclable claim, and an unqualified claim needs recycling facilities available to at least 60% of the people where the item is sold. The Guides also say an item that recycling programs do not accept should not be marketed as recyclable. Phoenix puts it plainly: foam is often labeled #6 with a recycle symbol, but foam is not recyclable in Phoenix.
  • It needs its own machine. Austin Resource Recovery says Styrofoam does not go in the blue cart. At the city’s drop-off center, a machine shreds and melts it into dense blocks, which are sold and made into products such as picture frames and crown molding.
  • Only clean blocks are taken. Austin takes Styrofoam only clean and dry, and Seattle’s pickup wants tape and packing material removed. Both refuse packing peanuts.

States that ban foam food containers

A handful of states limit foam at the point of sale. These laws cover what businesses sell and serve; your local program still decides what happens to foam at home.

  • New York: since January 1, 2022, no foam disposable food containers and no polystyrene packing peanuts may be sold or distributed. Since January 1, 2026, foam coolers and ice chests not encased in a sturdier shell are banned too.
  • Oregon: since January 1, 2025, food vendors may not serve prepared food in foam containers, and foam containers and foam packing peanuts may not be sold in the state.
  • Maine: since July 1, 2021, restaurants, stores and other covered establishments may not use disposable polystyrene foam food service containers. A temporary exemption for raw meat, fish, seafood and egg packaging ends July 1, 2027.
  • Maryland: since July 1, 2020, expanded polystyrene food service products may not be sold in the state, and food businesses and schools may not serve food or drinks in them.

Where it turns local

Phoenix: foam stays out of the blue container

  • In Phoenix, Arizona, the city’s Recycle Master List puts polystyrene and foam on its list of items that do not belong in the blue recycling container.
  • Phoenix says to follow the master list rather than the plastic number. Its list accepts hard plastic cups, tubs and clamshells, but with no foam.

Seattle: garbage, or a free pickup of foam blocks

  • In Seattle, Washington, Seattle Public Utilities sorts foam trays, instant food containers and foam blocks into the garbage, not the recycling cart.
  • Its Special Item Pickup collects Styrofoam blocks and forms free instead: up to two 32-gallon bags per house. No packing peanuts, no overly large pieces, and all tape and packing material removed.
  • The utility account holder books online or at (206) 684-3000. The pickup comes on your next regular garbage day, and the bags go out by 7 a.m. where your carts are collected.

Austin: drop-off by appointment

  • In Austin, Texas, the Recycle and Reuse Drop-off Center takes Styrofoam, clean and dry, but not packing peanuts.
  • The center works by appointment only, booked in the Austin Recycles app or online. It is free for Austin and Travis County residents.
  • Austin asks residents to keep Styrofoam out of both the blue recycling cart and the trash cart.

How to find your local answer

  1. Open your city or county page from States & Cities and read its recycling list for the words “foam” or “polystyrene.” The number on the bottom does not decide it.
  2. Search the drop-off locations catalog for a recycling drop-off center near you, and check whether it lists foam.
  3. Look for a bulky or special item pickup on your city page; Seattle’s takes foam blocks.
  4. Before a drop-off or pickup, follow the program’s own rules: clean and dry in Austin, tape and packing material off in Seattle.

What this is not

  • Hard #6 plastic. Clear or solid polystyrene, such as a rigid clamshell or cup, is not foam. Phoenix takes hard plastic cups, tubs and clamshells in the blue container while refusing foam.
  • Packing peanuts. Seattle’s pickup and Austin’s center both refuse them, and New York and Oregon ban their sale.
  • Plastic bags and film. Soft plastic is its own problem; Phoenix sends it back to grocery and retail stores, and Austin’s center takes it clean and dry.