Polystyrene Beads? Can expanded polystyrene foam, such as disposable coffee cups, coolers or packaging...
Can expanded polystyrene foam, such as disposable coffee cups, coolers or packaging material, which are typically white and are made of expanded polystyrene bead be run through a wood chipper or mulched by a lawnmower then added to soil to loosen it up and allow the soil to hold more moisture? Will it harm the soil content??
Um, no. I know some of the stuff in potting soil looks approaching that is what it is, but that is not one and the same thing. Besides, who wants a courtyard contaminated with tiny little bits of trash, eh? But you can take the just chopped foam or packing peanuts and use them to fill the bottom of a very generous pot holding a plant with a shallow root system - it reduces the immensity of the pot.
Now and within the immediate future, no it will not hurt your garden.
Polystyrene, as beside other plastics they take an incredible long period of time to break down.
It will allow for a short time more porosity in the soil, thereby allowing more moisture to penetrate the soil and a better oxygen/nitrogen exchange.
Would I broad basis say to everyone...chop your coffee cups and put them into your garden..no, you should recycle them. But just as ground tires, plastics and other materials that are destined for the landfill, they sometimes find within way to the soil as a soil conditioner.
Answers: Perlite - the white bits surrounded by potting soil - is actually a naturally occurring volcanic rock (similar to pumice), not a synthetic substance such as styrofoam. It is NOT recommended that you chop up styrofoam and put it into your garden as it is NOT biodegradable, nor is it necessarily adjectives that great for plants...because it IS just a bunch of chemical compounds, after all.