HI, is there not any way that it could be used for insulation in any way if it was broken down. Is that not what they pump into walls and attics or is that stuff fireproof. If it is impossible to recycle then should we not use for insulating our houses. Let me know if any of ye know anything about this or in fact anything useful about saving on insulation.

I use it to make christmas decorations.

Is styrofoam Recyclable?
 

Hi dee1,

Can you give an example of your styrofoam decorations. Christmas is almost upon us and I believe Stanta might be bringing some styrofoam - lucky us! So I would appreciate any suggestions for ways of using it.

What I do is cut it into whatever shape you want for eg. say baubles, if short on time, [these are not to be left where little ones can reach] wrap in ribbon or a mix of different width, material of different textures and ribbon also work well, secure with the straight pins with the little balls on top,decorate in this way to your hearts content.I display mine all year round by hanging off each end of the curtain poles.shelfs,hall ceiling, anywhere really.If you have the time the material etc can be glued on and decorated in glitter glue.so long as you let the child out in you the possibilities are endless,.you can make wraped parcels in different shapes and sizes to hang on the tree minus the pins of course,and also to put under the tree.trains for under the tree also,the list is endless.

Another item I did was for my son, he had a toy army so Icut oue some timber base covered with felt of different colours,cut and painted shapes and suck it all together to make a terrain type thing ,It went down a treat,so much so that a friend who saw it asked me to make one for her son who is into farming.Oh and for trees you can use bottle brushes.
hope this is of help to you...

Bright Blessings to all at jumbletown,Wishing you and yours a Stress Free and Peace Filled Christmas.

Regards dee1.

Come on Dee... we need to see some pics.... please... give us some inspiration


take care

Summersun

re using it for attic insulation.
Be very careful, I think the normal stuff used in packaging is flammable. The stuff sold in DIY centres for the job is treated. I am open to corection on this. I'd love to be wrong cause it would be a brilliant way to use up the bloody stuff.

Also re using it for decorations- can you put glue on it? I thought it disolved if you did? If so again be careful the gas thats given off is nasty nasty.

styrofoam
 

ya i had thought of how flammable it is but dont know if bein flammable is a big issue with in sulation making companies, put a lighter to kingspan and youll see what i mean its like its soaked in petrol. anyway for anyone who might do diy on insulation, one major thing you must remember is to never let your electrical cables to be in contact with styrofoam of any kind even exposed kingspan, meaning kingspan without foil, whatever is in these will react with the insulation of your cables and dry them out so if there ever moved slightly the cable insulation will just crack off. may seem like useless information but electrical safety is one of the most important things to consider after the structure of your building so much so i just got a brainwave to open a thread for advice for anyone who might think about doin home diy in electrical.

from Admin
 

Thanks for this information, DeeBee3000.
I don't think we can carry such a thread, DeeBee3000. It's our view that electrical repairs ought best be carried out by qualified personnel.

Regards
Chris P
Admin

Electricians Advice
 

Hi, ya i had started to write something but the only advisable thing i have to say on that matter is to get a proffesional to do it, what i realised through it was i should be giving advice to electricians who have been trained by money mad tradesmen during the money mad boom scam we just went through but where do you start there so i just didnt write anything at all, safer job id say.

If you immerse pieces of styrafoam in petrol , it will dissolve and disappear . Now I wouldn't advise putting the resulting''petrol'' into an engine, So what do you do with it ??

On another point it is extreemly toxic if burnt , producing thick black acrid smoke , Unbelievable that it was (is ? ) sold in the form of nice white , ''Aeroboard'''' ceiling insulating decorative tiles'' for kitchens etc., for years . I do know that ceiling decorative cornices and centrepieces of this material are still sold nationwide . . a bit like cigarettes eh! nice and white on the outside but will kill you if burn it and breathe it !!

hi there are places which recycle polys ask at your local atourity they will tell you who to my memory some diy stores do its available on the web who recycles which did electrical do all you have to do is call

polystyrene.
 

My local council accepts it for recycling. Apparently it is remoulded into insulation and other products. They only take the white stuff - not black or green. They charge €3 per bag to take it (It's a very big bag which they supply at the recycling centre.

...
 

I can suggest to use it as insulation. It is commonly used like that in many countries. Shred it into pieces as small as possible - say pea, rice size. Mix with concrete /cement, water, little sand/ it is great. I know about company producing plasto concrete - same thing instead of styro they put in shredded plastic. Concrete is then lighter but same strong as normal. It is cheaper, better for insulation. If you want to make your own dont forget to put cup of washing up liquid into cement mixer as plastificator it will help plastic stick to concrete it has something to do with static electricity... I saw few bricks made from that material and boy they are strong but light and keep warm... I have some pictures somewhere...

Styrofoam can be recycled in the sense that you can use it at anything and with any form. Re-using Styrofoam will be the best step to know its purpose again rather than be destructive in the environment. Some of environmental advocates suggested its total ban in the market. While some are totally hopeless to re use it again that even cause a big damage and total loss f diversity. In fact, Michael Bloomberg, mayor of New York City, wants to basically ban every little thing anybody loves though one ban he has in mind has a respectable enough rationale. Bloomberg is touting a Styrofoam ban, as the stuff is very challenging to do away with due to high costs of collection and recycling. Read more here: Styrofoam ban

Hi

I would have to say in the strongest possible terms that styrofoam should NOT be packed between joists in the attic as insulation- it would be extremely dangerous in terms of fire risk. Ironically, cavity wall insulation is made from styrofoam also, but crucially it is pumped between the the block layers in the wall or into the cavities in cavity blocks.

In terms of recycling, styrofoam is actually very recyclable (and here is the important bit)- once it can be reduced in bulk. The technical name for the packaging is EPS- expanded polystyrene. The "expanded" part is why it is used as a packaging material. Some recycling centres such as the one at Silliot Hill near Kilcullen (http://www.oxigen.ie/Kildare-Amenity...recycling.html) do take it. They have a special compactor that turns it from EPS to plain old PS, just by using pressure. The resultant "brick" is much more economical to transport and therfore to recycle. I think one of the issues for the recyclers is that it takes up so much space for it's weight that it is relatively labour-intense and so they don't promote the fact that they can recycle it.