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Expanded Polystyrene

Expanded Polystyrene

Each year, nearly 9,000 tons of expanded polystyrene (EPS) is disposed in King County, excluding Seattle.¹ Because of its light weight, EPS makes up less than 1 percent of the waste stream by weight; however, its volume is about 540,000 cubic yards (uncompacted).² The ultra light, bulky nature of EPS makes transporting the material expensive and recycling a challenge.

In 2008 LinkUp completed a research study (PDF, 89 K) on EPS in King County and advertised a competitive request for proposals (PDF, 70 K) to establish EPS processing capacity here. Two local businesses — recycling company Total Reclaim (external) and SKCAC (external), a non-profit production services company that employs people with disabilities – were selected to receive technical and/or marketing assistance from LinkUp in 2008 and 2009, respectively. Because of severely depressed recycling markets and a lack of funding due in part to the weak national economy, these companies were not able to take advantage of the assistance offered.

Since then, an EPS recycling facility, Vic and Ginger’s Styrofoam Recycle, opened in Renton, Wash. The company accepts EPS drop-off from the public and small businesses, and also offers pick-up services for businesses.

Expanded polystyrene resources

The following is a list of resources intended to give information about expanded polystyrene recycling. Organizations listed are not necessarily affiliated with or endorsed by King County.

Websites

• Tom Watson's EcoConsumer polystyrene packaging blog posting
• Alliance of Foam Packaging Recyclers (external)
• Canadian Plastics Industry Association - Expanded Polystyrene page (external)
• YouTubeT videos of two different types of polystyrene recycling equipment in action:
• Video 1 (external)
• Video 2 (external)
• Plastic Loose-Fill Council (external)