A locally driven initiative is giving new life to one of the Central Coast’s most problematic pollutants: Expanded Polystyrene (EPS), commonly known as Styrofoam.
Today, Heal the Ocean and MarBorg Industries announced an expansion of their EPS recycling program, now able to handle far more material on-site thanks to the purchase of specialized densifying equipment that compresses foam for more efficient reuse.
Since the program began in 2021, it has already diverted over 80,000 pounds (40 tons) of EPS from landfills, preventing it from breaking down into microplastics that pollute waterways and the ocean.
The EPS recycling program is the only one in the region between Los Angeles and San Francisco, and represents an innovative nonprofit-business partnership that started with identifying a problem and working together to tackle it.
- EPS densifier at MarBorg (credit: Harry Rabin, HTO)
Beginning modestly, with Heal the Ocean gathering loose foam and storing it in their back office, the program has evolved and expanded over time, and now Santa Barbara and Goleta community members and businesses can drop off clean foam packaging at two local MarBorg facilities. Once compressed, the material is sent to manufacturers and transformed into products such as picture frames, home molding, and other construction and packaging items—turning a waste problem into a resource. Having a local densifier means that compression of the foam can happen on-site instead of being trucked off-site, reducing program emissions by more than 70%.
“Expanded polystyrene is one of the most destructive materials entering our oceans,” said Karina Johnston, Executive Director of Heal the Ocean. “By investing in densifying equipment and expanding our program, we can now recycle more foam than ever before, keeping it out of landfills, preventing plastic pollution in the ocean, and turning it into something useful for the community.”
EPS foam is difficult to recycle through conventional curbside programs due to its lightweight, bulky nature. Without dedicated collection and processing, most EPS ends up in landfills, where it occupies large volumes of space, or escapes into the environment where it breaks into harmful microplastics. The Central Coast relies heavily on the Tajiguas Landfill, which is already under pressure from growing waste volumes. Diverting bulky materials like EPS reduces landfill strain and keeps coastal ecosystems healthier.
Since 2021, community participation has been robust and is currently growing substantially, reflecting strong local demand for responsible recycling solutions. With the new densifying equipment, MarBorg can now process all foam on-site, making the program more efficient and scalable while strengthening its environmental benefits.
“As a family-owned company serving the Central Coast for more than 75 years, we see it as part of our responsibility to help the community manage waste in smarter, more sustainable ways,” said Brian Borgatello, President of MarBorg Industries. “This partnership with Heal the Ocean is an example of innovation in action: we’re compressing foam that was previously difficult to handle, and now it’s being recycled into beneficial products.”
The EPS recycling program is a continuation of a long-standing collaboration between the nonprofit and MarBorg. Heal the Ocean continues to focus on reducing plastic pollution at its source, including advising on local and statewide policies, while MarBorg has provided infrastructure and operational expertise to make community recycling solutions practical. Together, they are transforming one of the region’s most persistent pollutants into something valuable, while protecting the ocean and reducing the impact on local landfills.
“Protecting our coastlines starts with practical solutions like this,” Johnston added. “Every pound of foam we divert is one less pound that can fragment into microplastics, harm wildlife, or travel through storm drains to our beaches and ocean.” Residents and businesses are encouraged to bring clean, dry EPS foam to participating MarBorg facilities.
Clean foam can be dropped off at the downtown Santa Barbara MarBorg facility (132 Nopalitos Way) or Goleta (20 David Love Place). To donate to the program, visit www.healtheocean.org.
Also Read
- Volunteers Haul 2,200 Pounds of Debris from Santa Barbara Harbor in 17th Annual Clean Sweep
- Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara Held Senior Fair, “Young at Heart”
- United Way Volunteers File Over 1,700 Community Member Tax Returns for Free for This Tax Season
- NICU Graduates Celebrated at Marian Regional Medical Center’s Annual Reunion
- Goleta Unites for the Planet with City’s Beautify Goleta Earth Day Event
Great news. We have a small closet where we keep bits of styrofoam packaging and try to reuse it when we can. Now a lot of it can be recycled. Too bad that packaging peanuts are not recycled as well. “Rigid” styrofoam only.
Good news for sure but can we include expanded sytrofoam in our recycling pickup? If not, will Marborg use resources to pull the stuff from trash cans in deliver it to the recycling place? I suppose this is seen as a first step but really, they should be prohibited from putting this product into land fill and manufactures of this product should be paying a recovery fee to the government to fund such efforts as these so they can be much more efficient.
Ya, good try. If you can’t put it in your recycle bin this really isn’t going to help much. Not too many folks are going to store up the stuff until it makes the special drop-off trip appealing. So, it’s still going to end up in the trash. Ring the bell for everyone when we can throw it in the blue can. Until then, shhhhhh.