Can you recycle styrofoam?

What each state's own agency says about styrofoam (EPS foam): the page it was read from, the date it was read, and where that state takes it.

The federal baseline

There is no federal rule that makes foam recyclable or keeps it out of the household trash — EPA treats the question as a local one: "While most recyclers don't accept Styrofoam, check with your local recycling provider first to be certain." EPA's recycling guidance also says that "very few localities accept styrofoam in curbside recycling" and points residents to a drop-off locator instead. And it warns what happens when foam rides along anyway: "putting items in the recycling bin that can't be recycled can contaminate the recycling stream," and "non-recyclable items can contaminate a whole load of recyclables, causing them to all be thrown out." What your cart takes is set by your state, your hauler, and the facility that sorts the load — not by EPA.

Read from EPA.

What happens to it

1. Foam in a curbside cart is the wrong plastic for the load
2. It can break recycling equipment or contaminate a bale sent to a manufacturer
3. Sorting it back out costs the recycler labor and landfill disposal fees
4. Foam is recycled only at private collection locations — Wisconsin DNR calls the market extremely limited
5. Foam that finds a buyer becomes thermal insulation, thermometers, rulers and license plate frames

Steps read from Wisconsin DNR.

All 50 states

One row per state, with the sentence its agency page states, the page itself, the date it was read, and where that state says to take it. A state whose name links has a page of its own; for the rest, this row is everything that state says.