The recycling of EPS packaging

In Australia, about 45,000 tons of expanded polystyrene (EPS) is created and consumed each year. 
Much of this EPS is embedded in long-term use (such as waffle pods used in housing construction and engineering/manufacturing components) however, approximately 40% (or 18,000 tonnes p.a) is single-use or short-term packaging that can be recycled after use. We currently only recycle about 27% (or 4,900 tonnes p.a.) of this EPS packaging，so there is a plenty of opportunity to recycle more. 

MWRRG is currently looking at ways to assist industry, businesses and councils in metropolitan Melbourne to recover more EPS packaging and divert it from landfill for reprocessing.

Look for ways that you can reduce the amount of polystyrene waste that you generate.

Polystyrene packaging can’t be recycled from your kerbside recycling bin, and when thrown in your garbage bin it ends up taking up precious space in landfill, and does not break down. So, taking actions to realize polystyrene recycling is important.

Using a reusable cup instead of the disposable polystyrene cups will stop some polystyrene from entering the waste stream.

Polystyrene meat trays are not accepted for recycling because they are contaminated by uncooked meat products; they must be disposed of in your general trash. Biodegradable meat trays made from plant oils are in development but are not widely available due to high manufacturing costs. Improvements in manufacturing efficiency will hopefully bring the cost of these trays closer to the cost of polystyrene food trays and we will begin to see more and more of them on our supermarket shelves.

Because of the varied uses for EPS, recycling requirements are a little more complex than, say, paper and other plastics, but it is worth taking the time in order to keep this prevalent material in use and out of landfills.