The Foodservice Packaging Institute’s Foam Recycling Coalition announced that its grant program is now open for 2026, offering a major opportunity to expand foam polystyrene recycling across the United States. Since its inception, the grant program has enabled over 15 million additional residents to recycle foam polystyrene in items like cups, egg cartons, takeout containers and packaging materials. Facility operators, non-profits and solid waste authorities are encouraged to apply for grants of up to $50,000 to help establish or enhance foam polystyrene recycling in their communities.
The 2026 application period is open now through April 17, 2026. Eligible entities must operate a material recovery facility, manage a residential curbside recycling program, or manage a drop-off or convenience site recycling program.
“The grants are meant to empower communities and businesses to purchase equipment that enables efficient and long-term success of foam recycling programs,” said Natha Dempsey, president of the Foodservice Packaging Institute. “By supporting efforts that take action, we can see tangible impact in recycling access.”
Previous grant awardees used Foam Recycling Coalition funding to purchase equipment, including collection bins and foam densifiers, that aid in the efficient collection and on-site material preparation before shipping to processors and end markets. No cash match is required. However, additional costs by the grantee may be incurred for related items, such as site preparation, electrical infrastructure, freight, etc.
Grants are made possible through contributions to the Foam Recycling Coalition, which focuses exclusively on increased recycling of post-consumer foam polystyrene. Its members include Americas Styrenics; Chick-fil-A; CKF Inc.; Dart Container Corp.; Dyne-A-Pak; Genpak; INEOS Styrolution America LLC; Novolex; and Republic Plastics.
Visit www.RecycleFoam.org/Grants to apply for a grant.
Published March 2026