Recycle Your Styrofoam

Styrofoam (also known as expanded polystyrene) recycling is available at the Exeter Transfer Station.  

In 2025, with voter support and grant from the Foam Recycling Coalition, the Town of Exeter purchased a foam densifying machine.  This equipment condenses styrofoam into a produce we can sell as a commodity that will get reused in things like stiff foam board insulation.

The foam densifier heats #6 polystyrene and condenses it into a marketable product called an ingot. These ingots can then be sold to companies who re-purpose it into other polystyrene based products, like rigid foam board insulation. This unit will not only create a marketable product, but will also serve to divert existing bulky polystyrene foam from our waste stream. 

We have installed a collection bin at the transfer station, but for this to be successful, we need YOU!!! 

Only ACCEPTABLE types of CLEAN styrofoam can be used.  Please check the list below before dropping materials into the bin!  

The most common forms of contaminants are:

• dirty materials
• foam that is not labeled #6 polystyrene
• packing peanuts
• flexible foam (often used in electronics packaging or pipe insulation)

WHY DOES IT MATTER?

Tossing the wrong materials can break our brand new machine or impact our ability to sell the materials to offset machine costs. 

YOU CAN HELP! 

Follow the materials list.

Spread the word.