Foam board is its own material
Expanded polystyrene, extruded polystyrene, and polyisocyanurate boards all show up in remodels as rigid sheets, sometimes with a foil face. They are not fiberglass batts, and they do not belong in a recycling cart that only takes bottles. Call the disposal site and ask whether rigid foam is construction debris, whether foil-faced boards are different, and whether the sheets must be bagged. Some sites refuse loose foam because it escapes the pile. Do not burn foam in a barrel or a wood stove. The smoke is not a disposal method. Do not smash the sheets into a hundred chips in the driveway and then try to rake them. Large pieces bag more easily. If you search for a site by ZIP code or city, confirm the foam rule. Listings can be out of date.
Foil, tape, and stuck-on wood
Foil facing and construction tape can stay on the board if the site accepts the board that way. Wood lath or plywood still screwed to a foam panel should come off if the site wants wood and foam in different bays. Sort them at home. Foam that was glued to a wall may carry a layer of drywall paper or adhesive. Describe that. If the foam was used as a float in a chemical tank or soaked with a solvent or gasoline, it is not ordinary construction foam. Take that piece to household hazardous waste guidance. Do not evaporate the solvent out of the cells in the sun. Ordinary construction offcuts from a wall can be bagged. Keep the bags from filling with wind while you work. A half-full bag of foam will still fly.
Tie the bags down
Foam is the lightest thing in the truck and the first thing on the highway. Double-bag crumbs, close the bags, and put them under a heavier item or a net. A loose sheet standing above the rails is a kite. At the site, unload the bags in the construction or trash bay you were given. Do not empty a bag of foam beads into the organics pile. If the attendant refuses foil-faced board, take it with you. Sweep the bed with a broom, not a leaf blower aimed at the parking lot. Beads travel. Check the hitch and the bumper. Foam pieces hide there and fall off a mile later.
Before you go
- Ask the site whether rigid foam board is accepted and whether it must be bagged.
- Sort off wood if the bays differ, and keep solvent-soaked foam out of the ordinary load.
- Close the bags and strap them so they cannot blow out.
- Unload in the assigned bay and do not dump beads into organics.
Leaving unscored foam sheets untied in an open bed on the way to the site.
Questions people ask
Is spray foam the same as board?
Cured spray-foam offcuts are still foam debris. Bag them and ask. Do not treat a can of uncured spray foam as a board. A pressurized can is household hazardous waste.
Can I recycle clean foam with packing peanuts?
Only if a program said it accepts that kind of board. Most peanut reuse shops do not want construction foam with tape and foil. Ask before you combine them.
Search Dumpmapper by ZIP code or city, then call the site before you load the truck. Hours and accepted materials change.