84286577 A description typical polyurethane flexible foams applicable herein are polymeric reaction products containing urea type and urethane type linkages and are made by reaction of a mixture containing polyisocyanate and high molecular weight e g number average exceeding about 1000 ether or urea polyol polyisocyanates often utilized in making flexible polyurethane foam and especially found suitable for the method herein include aromatic polyisocyanates particularly those diisocyanates comprising arylene or alkarylene moieties e g 2 4 tolylene 2 6 tolylene and 4 4 39 diphenylenemethane as are well known for their use in preparing flexible foam the high molecular weight ether or urea polyol typically used in making flexible foam has a molecular weight number average in a range below 10 000 as for example in a range between about 2000 9000 and the recovery method herein is advantageously applicable to flexible foam made with ether polyols such as polyether triols having a number average molecular weight in a range between about 4000 7500 moreover combinations of polyols of varying molecular weights within these ranges are also often used in making flexible polyurethane foams other ingredients often used in preparation of flexible foam that is suitably recovered according to this invention include catalyst surfactant water fillers and other modifiers including amines in minor amounts besides flexible foam the method herein can utilize other polyurethane e g semi flexible and rigid foams during the dissolution stage as such other polyurethanes can undergo decomposition at these conditions recovery of fixed amounts of well characterized flexible foam scrap however provides for ease in process control the low molecular weight aliphatic diol used in the dissolution of the flexible foam preferably comprises one or more aliphatic diols having up to 6 carbon atoms and of the formula.