Do you have a lot of spare EVA foam hanging around that you know you won’t use? Then you may wonder, can you recycle EVA foam?
You can recycle EVA foam by taking it to an EVA recycling foam facility. However, there are not many of these facilities around so it usually ends up going to a landfill.
Recycling EVA foam is a great way of reducing your carbon footprint, but what can you do if you can’t find a recycling center near you? You’ll see a couple of ways to get around this problem in this article.
How Is EVA Recycled?
If you throw your EVA foam into your home recycling bin it will more than likely end up in a landfill. So what can you do to prevent this from happening? What is the best way to recycle EVA foam?
The best way to recycle EVA foam is by taking it to an EVA recycling facility. This way, you can be sure that the foam will be treated properly and recycled and will not end up in a landfill.
What should you do to find a recycling center near you? You should start by contacting your local authorities. They will be able to provide you with the details of a center.
What should you do if the EVA recycling center is far away from you? Instead of traveling all the way there with small amounts of the foam, it is best to wait until you have accumulated a larger quantity of the foam and take it all at once.
This way, you can lower your carbon footprint and recycle at the same time.
What happens once the foam is safely at an EVA recycling center? The foam is then processed and taken through a mechanical recycling system.
This system does not interfere with the product chemically.
What Can You Do With EVA Foam Scraps?
Do you have a lot of EVA foam scraps hanging around that you are not sure what to do with? Perhaps you were using the foam to make a costume but have a lot of EVA foam left over.
Then take a look at the following tips that will save you from throwing this material in the garbage.
- Create texture. Use small scraps to make texture-like details for cosplay costumes.
- Add filling. Use smaller, shredded scrap to fill the inside of a piece. This will help it to hold its shape but without adding any extra weight to it.
- Practice. Hold onto large pieces of EVA foam for you to practice new costume designs on.
There’s more to EVA than making cosplay costumes. So, take a look at a couple more ways you can use foam scraps around the house.
- Make bottle cap stamps. Cut the scraps into shapes and stick them on the top of bottle caps. They can then be used as fun stamps for kids.
- Make foam jewelry. Young children will love creating their own line of foam jewelry with EVA foam scraps.
- Cut a flower arrangement. You can make your own fake flower arrangement using scrap foam.
- Design fridge magnets. Cut your scraps into any shape or size to make personalized fridge magnets.
- Put together bath toys. You can make toys that will stick to the tiles outside the bathtub and toys that will float in the water and entertain your children.
Are you looking for even more creative ways to use EVA foam? Then check out this tutorial video that will help you to make mini plant pot fillers.
Is EVA Foam Good for the Environment?
Because of the current limitations on recycling EVA foam, we have to conclude that it is not good for the environment.
EVA foam recycling centers are few and far between. You cannot put it into your home recycling bin.
All of this makes it hard for users to get rid of EVA foam and means that it ends up in landfills.
EVA foam is a type of plastic that is made of a combination of ethylene and vinyl acetate. Although this plastic combination can be recycled, it is not common for this to happen.
Is EVA Biodegradable?
EVA is not biodegradable. Why can we conclude that? Because it is made from plastic compounds. These compounds are ethylene and vinyl acetate.
These materials have a strong atomic bond which makes them harder to break down. These materials do not decompose.
They sit in landfills and pollute the environment as they degrade.
EVA foam when found in a home recycling bin is taken straight to a landfill. EVA in your general household waste also ends up in a landfill.
This product does not biodegrade. If you take it to a specialized EVA recycling center, however, it will be recycled.
But this may not always be possible as there are not many recycling centers around.
Scientists are not currently sure how long it will take for EVA to degrade. When left in contact with moist soil, it stays intact for decades.
There are estimates that it could take hundreds of years or some say even thousands for the material to disintegrate completely. With this said, we should all try to limit how much EVA we use.
Final Thoughts
It is easy to end up with a bucket of scrap EVA foam after making a cosplay costume or something creative for the kids.
But what should you do with it if you cannot find any use for it? Can you recycle EVA foam?
This article has helped us to see that while it is possible to recycle EVA foam it might not always be practical for you to do so.
You cannot put the foam in your home recycling bin and specialized recycling facilities are few and far between.
Sadly, most of our EVA foam ends up in a landfill. To prevent this from happening, try to be as creative as possible with your scraps by turning them into works of art!
