Expanded Polystyrene (EPS)

Expanded polystyrene (EPS) often finds its way to landfill but it is
100% recyclable!

What is EPS?

This material is one of the many types of plastic groups. It’s a “rigid, closed cell, thermoplastic foam material produced from solid beads of polystyrene, which is polymerised from styrene monomer and contains an expansion gas (pentane) dissolved within the polystyrene bead” (Source: British Plastics Federation). 

Did you know that EPS is made of 98% air? This makes it one of the lightest packaging materials in existence! The properties of this material include: 

  • Waterproof 

  • Insoluble 

  • Non-hygroscopic 

  • High impact 

  • Long-term stable thermal conductivity 

  • Non-toxic 

  • Chemically inert

How to recycle?

Made of 98% air, it is an incredibly lightweight material. This means that collecting it from curb side recycling bins makes it more difficult, particularly for your local council or local authorities. As a result, it often ends up in rubbish bins and subsequently, landfills. 

Currently, most local authorities in the UK do not collect it for recycling, even though it is 100% recyclable. 

EPS recycling is more cost-efficient than producing new polystyrene products (Source: Compare Your Business Costs), yet the current UK recycling rate is > 50%! 

Further information can be found on the British Plastics Federation website.

How we can help at Regenthill:

We can accept loose, compacted and processed EPS here at Regenthill. Our production capacity is over 1000 tonnes per year - equivalent to over 10,000 truckloads of material!

We have worked with many different industries to produce innovative strategies to reduce emissions with transport. We also have an on site recycling service available, for different types of plastic and types of polystyrene too.

If you have compacted EPS already we can offer the strongest of market rebates for your material! This is because we are one of the only accredited re-processors in the United Kingdom.

We accept all amounts of material - we recycle with individual members of the public right through to large corporations. This is part of our combined mission to prevent this material ending up in landfill.

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us if you are interested in finding out how to recycle your EPS with us today!

 

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“Regenthill have always provided a good service and I have found all staff to be very helpful.”

Customer in Waste Solutions