Would be nice if industry came up with some packaging standards to reduce waste and increase recycling (or at least the ability to recycle). Recycling styrofoam is too expensive to be practical. Fortunately, I didn't receive any styrofoam for Xmas. A couple of products with copious packaging at least used cardboard or plastic padding which should be recyclable. All manufacturers could switch to these materials if they wanted to.

Paul, hopefully this time you chose a subject that won't get locked. I do agree with you, materials that can't be spelt should not be used for packaging, particularly if they can't be recycled. One suggestion I have heard worked, take the packaging back to the store you bought it from and ask them to deal with it. If everyone did this the stores themselves would get the message then pass it on to the manufacturers. Even if we buy online, returning the packaging to Amazon or someone might send the right message if all of us were to do it. You could start the movement. Palo Alto could be leaders. You would be a green giant.

Many manufacturers are based (or at least headquartered) here in Silicon Valley. Palo Alto resident Steve Jobs' products were some of the most popular this Xmas. Do any big name local companies use non-recyclable packaging? Or is it mostly generic imported products?

I like that suggestion to take the materials back to the store! That's new to me that you can't take recycle it anymore. Just the other day I found a foot cream in a very big box and a tiny tube inside and put it right back on the shelf because it's deceptive packaging and wasteful. Good point, and worthwhile to try to change this.

Foam is not recyclable. Years ago, I visited a foam production company in Hayward and was AMAZED at the products they made for construction. Casinos, for one, owe a lot of their flamboyant architecture styling to styrofoam. Lightweight, easy to carve and surface, amazing, almost fantastical results. And absolutely not recyclable. When asked, we were told the scraps are ground down and shipped off for bean bags. Uh-huh. Quite the demand for bean bags, I suppose. re: Apple - I don't think Apple has used foam for a decade at least.

Styrofoam is the perfect packing material. I imagine that damage claims are way down where Styrofoam is used. Styrofoam is properly disposed of in your garbage can. To deny the advantages of Styrofoam just because it is not recyclable is foolish.

I would just throw it in the garbage. Yes, we know that Palo Alto lead the world in being green and plastic bags, Styrofoam, paper bags, cars, any and all garbage are evil. Maybe the new PA mayor can force the city council to ban the sale of any products that have styrofoam packing within the borders of Palo Alto. After all we want to achieve zero waste soon.

I had the same problem last week. Went to take it to the recycling center and they told me to toss it in the garbage. What did PASCO do with it, since they used to have a bin for it at the recycling center??? Also (to announymous), Apple, does indeed use styrofoam. My 6 month old iMac was packed nice and securely in it when I took it out of the box. I needed to send it back and took it to Kinko's and they use some new fancy air based packaging to send it back to Apple. Maybe all of the styrofoam will produce enough garbage so the city won't have to raise refuse rates due to lack of refuse...

Now here's an opportunity to invoke the spirit of enterprise everybody talks about, and find a use for the phome. For example, I bet it would make a dandy soil amendment if ground to a suitable granularity, opening the local clay and perhaps storing water for dry seasons. Be sure to copyright that name quick, Paul L. Today's misspelling might be tomorrow's trademark.

Is the fact that you can't spell Styrofoam (or commemorating or know the difference between then/than) supposed to be witty? I'm confused as to why this blog is hosted on the Palo Alto Daily website. Do they want to host my home remodeling website too?

I have read in several places that you can bring styrofoam to UPS stores and they will accept it for packing future boxes. Web Link If your closest UPS store refuses, this site let's you search for other sites that will accept styrofoam. Apparently the closest in their database are Sunnyvale or San Mateo. Web Link