New! Styrofoam Recycling Now Available at the Bedford Recycling Center

DPW is excited to announce that beginning in April 2025, Styrofoam recycling will become a permanent offering at the Bedford Recycling Center (BRC). This new material stream is now available to residents as part of our regular drop-off recycling services.

Previously, Styrofoam recycling was only available during special events. Thanks to community demand and DPW’s continued efforts to increase recycling options, the BRC will now accept Styrofoam year-round, during operating hours. 

What’s Accepted 
The BRC will accept solid, white Styrofoam (EPS #6) as part of the new program. When dropping off your Styrofoam, please ensure the following:

• The material is clean, free from stickers, tape, ink, or dirt.
• The Styrofoam snaps when bent—this ensures it is the correct type of foam.

What DPW Can’t Accept
 To ensure the quality of the recycling stream, we are unable to accept the following:

• Dirty, painted, or colored Styrofoam
• Coffee cups (even if they appear to be Styrofoam)
• Packing peanuts
• Meat trays or other food containers
• Other expanded foams  

Other types of expanded foam are chemically different than polystyrene and contaminate the raw material when mixed into the load. Dirty or colored material also reduces the quality significantly. In order for the Styrofoam to not only be collected but then actually recycled, it is important that we only take in clean, white EPS #6. Thank you for helping DPW keep this stream free from contaminants. 

By providing this service on a regular basis, we hope to provide an easy, convenient option for recycling Styrofoam and help reduce waste volumes in our community. Moving Styrofoam to a permanent offering will also free up space in our special collection events for electronics recycling appointments. 

Collected material will be delivered to Conigliaro Industries in Framingham, a specialty recycling partner that the Town has worked with for a number of years. 

Remember, Styrofoam is not acceptable in the blue curbside recycling carts, as it is not sorted at our single stream recycling processor. If you cannot bring Styrofoam to the BRC, please dispose of this material in the trash. 

We encourage all residents to take advantage of this new, convenient option and help us improve Bedford's waste diversion efforts.

Please contact the Department of Public Works at (781)275-7605 x4261 or trashrecycling@bedfordma.gov with any questions.