End of Life – options

Most EPS waste is collected and easily converted into other EPS products, including long-life applications. These include coat hangers, CD cases and wood-substitute products. When used in fish boxes, EPS is less likely to be collected due to the fact that it has been contaminated by the fish it has protected. However, our industry is constantly searching for viable recycling options which would enable the growth of facilities able to cope with EPS packaging used in the cold supply chain.

In Spain the EPS Sure Project has created a pilot plant which demonstrated how to handle EPS fishboxes waste. Waste is successfully collected and recycled into new food-contact packaging.

In spite of the widespread use of EPS in packaging, it has been calculated that EPS accounts for only 0.1% of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW). A growing share of EPS waste is recycled year by year while the remaining waste is mostly used in clean-burn incinerators thanks to the high calorific value of EPS. A minor share is still landfilled but its percentage is decreasing rapidly towards 0%, thanks to the efforts of the EPS industry and the EPR activity towards full recycling and circular economy.

EPS is easily recycled and its resources recovered for long-life applications

Expanded Polystyrene is technically very easy to recycle and, wherever this is economically viable, recycling can take place in both closed loop and open loop processes. It can then be used in a wide variety of new applications from recycled-content packaging to long-life, highly-durable goods to innovative new products in sectors such as building and construction.

• Nearly all types of plastics can be recycled – learn more about EPS Recycling
• There are many EPS recyclers in the UK – see a contact list here