SPI Recycling Committee targets increased EPS collection and recovery
The Recycling Committee of SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association (plasticsindustry.org) released a paper Monday detailing the current state of the expanded polystyrene (EPS) recycling market, finding that the demand for post-consumer recycled (PCR) EPS presently outweighs the supply of this material available, and that technologies exist today to make EPS recycling not only possible, but profitable.
“Expanded polystyrene serves many important roles in our lives,” said the Recycling Committee in the paper, titled “Unlocking the EPS Recovery Potential: Technologies Enabling Efficient Collection and Recovery.” “It insulates. It protects. It has a fraction of the environmental impact in the full life cycle compared to other non-resin alternatives. The greatest challenge for this material at end-of-life is, however, also a symptom of its best feature; it is light, creating a unique set of challenges for collection and processing.” However, as the paper outlines, when paired with the right technology solutions, these challenges can certainly be overcome.