There has come a paradigm shift in disposing of foam coolers and that new, more practical way is to recycle as opposed to casting them aside.
Today's foam coolers are constructed of a space-age material called Expanded Polystyrene (EPS for short) and is a perfect material for recycling.
Back in the days when these types of coolers were commonly known under the nickname of "Styrofoam", nobody batted an eyelash at leaving cheap, flimsy, broken ones on the beach or throwing them into the environment to serve as ugly eyesores that could even endanger natural wildlife (some animals would tear into the foam and choke on the bits).
In these wiser days of environmental awareness however doing such a thing is entirely frowned upon, and for good reason.

1. Today's young people are well-educated about the importance of taking care of the environment and how careless litter can end up affecting the very circle of life, inevitably impacting human beings as much as natural wildlife.
   
2. The concept of styrofoam itself has taken a serious image beating because of a pervasive level of inconsiderate littering in the past.
   People now think of themselves in closer relation to the planet on which we live, and want to take better care of it.
   Fortunately, today's foam coolers are not made from styrofoam, yet the stigma remains.
   
3. An increase in public awareness has resulted in a greater availability of resources available for the recycling of foam coolers (re-purposing them to make other products) so to the point that even throwing them into the trash has become an unnecessary waste.
   Local and regional waste service providers have begun integrating necessary logistics, and for those areas not covered, people are able to either do drop-offs at participating facilities or simply send the recyclables by mail to a proper service provider.
   
4. The EPS foam material resulting from the recycling process can be converted to production of hundreds of other products (that's IF the coolers are not simply cleaned and reused) thereby allowing for industry growth and creation of jobs to boost local, regional, and national economic vitality.
   

Keep in mind that most of the foam coolers that people discard tend to be cheap and disposable.
When customers purchase high quality ones they tend to keep them, often for years, even making creative use of them for purposes other than keeping drinks cold.
By purchasing high quality foam coolers, you basically are doing something positive for the environment in that regard because you don't have to continually replace them.
If on the other hand, you do as many people do and make impulse purchases in a department store or gas station and choose the cheaper, flimsy type that end up broken on the beach, then make the better choice to recycle rather than trash.
By choosing to recycle, you not only make yourself look good, but help the environment and the economy in the process.