ACH Foam Technologies, a producer of expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam, is asking its business partners and others to join in a collaborative effort to recycle EPS foam, the white foam packaging commonly called, but different from, Styrofoam.

The latest recycling figures for EPS foam from the Alliance of Foam Packaging Recyclers show that 32 million pounds of post-consumer EPS foam were recycled in 2006, about a 28 percent recycling rate. The Alliance releases recycling figures every two year. In 2004, 25 million pounds were recycled. The Alliance plans to release 2008's figures in the middle of this year.

EPS foam is rarely collected through municipal or curbside recycling programs. Los Angeles is one of the rare cases, though, accepting all clean plastics and types of polystyrene in its curbside pick-up program.

ACH Foam Technologies, which operates 10 plants in the U.S. and Mexico, uses scrap EPS foam in producing new EPS foam, and its plants also serve as drop-off points for small amounts of EPS foam, identified by the #6 plastic symbol. They only take EPS foam not contaminated with food, but many recyclers that accept large volumes of EPS foam will take contaminated items. The Alliance keeps track of Alliance members and non-Alliance companies that have drop-off locations for EPS foam. The Alliance also accepts foam though a mail-in program, though the senders must cover the cost of postage.

Recycled EPS foam is either used in the production of foam packaging or to make foam peanuts and plastic wood.