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Is Polystyrene Environmentally Friendly?

Posted on by Sristi Ventures

Despite what you may have heard, expanded polystyrene (EPS) is environmentally friendly.

Made from 98% air, no toxic substances are used in the manufacture of EPS and it is 100% recyclable. Further evidence of its green credentials can be seen as we follow the lifecycle of expanded polystyrene:

Is the manufacture of Expanded Polystyrene harmful?

Products derived from plastics, and those especially from oil, tend to be seen as environmentally unfriendly. Polystyrene is also slow to biodegrade which adds to its poor reputation among environmentalists.

Polystyrene is formed when styrene meets with pentane and is made from a rigid cellular plastic containing an expansion agent. Styrene has at times been labelled as a “known carcinogen”, however extensive research has found that unless the exposure is extremely high, styrene will not cause any adverse health effects. Similarly, pentane is not considered to be a substance that is hazardous to health.

Pentane is the expansion agent used to expand the granules into the final cellular structure. Unlike chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), pentane does not contain chlorine and so does not harm the ozone layer when it is released when EPS is made and is only found in 0-0.2% of the man-made emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

There is little pollution during the manufacturing process. The main source of energy comes from steam and the water consumption is very low as the water is recycled many times. No waste is generated as any cut-offs or rejects are re-used. Once the process has been completed, expanded polystyrene has just 2% polystyrene cellular matrix; the remaining 98% of the final product is air.

Disposing of EPS

Expanded polystyrene is generally non-biodegradable, often seen as a negative factor environmentally, but there are also benefits as it cannot contaminate the air or water with gases.

Polystyrene is however easily recycled. At Molygran we now offer a polystyrene recycling service – you can read more about this here.

Molygran ensures 100% of our polystyrene scrap and cut-offs are recycled. We compact the material and these recycled polystyrene briquettes are then used to form new products.

EPS and the Environment Conclusion

  • As a plastic, expanded polystyrene is made up of 98% air, making it an efficient use of natural resources.
  • Pentane does not contain CFC’s or HCFC’s, therefore, does not damage the ozone layer during manufacturing.
  • With steam as the main source of energy during manufacturing, the waste during this is minimal.
  • Only 0.1% of municipal solid waste is expanded polystyrene.
  • Expanded polystyrene is 100% recyclable.

Recycled Eps Products And Applications

Posted on by Sristi Ventures

Recycling expandable polystyrene foam (EPS) has become a growing concern because of the environmental issues associated with it and the negligent resource management of it. EPS products have a very marketable stance in today’s economy. Because the products are so widespread, their presence helps exemplify the sustainability of expanded polystyrene. Utilizing expanded polystyrene as a recyclable commodity and promoting its value can help improve recycling rates tremendously. These things can also make consumers more aware of recycled EPS uses and sustainability.

Building Products Made With EPS Materials

Composite plastic or wood decking are products that demonstrate how it’s totally worth recycling polystyrene material. These EPS products offer longer-lasting more beautiful decking with less maintenance than a traditional timber deck. Initially, products like these may have slightly higher costs, but in the long term, they’ll spare consumers the expenses that are involved in the upkeep and maintenance of traditional timber decking.

Composite plastic or wood decking doesn’t rot like wood products, and they’re impervious to water and fungal growth. And you don’t have to worry about insects destroying them either. Using EPS products like these discourages the use of virgin timber. Many companies around the world have started manufacturing recycled polystyrene decking and furniture for a more durable and sustainable products.

Many companies are using concrete with foam polystyrene bead as the aggregate and replacing stone and sand. By doing this, companies are able to produce a much lighter concrete (up to 80% lighter) when compared to traditional concrete. Since the aggregate is not affected by freezing or thawing, occurrences of cracking are greatly reduced. Since the material is lighter in weight than traditional concrete, transportation fuel costs and equipment wear are reduced. This is an excellent way to provide not only sustainability in building methods, but it’s also a great way to show how polystyrene has the potential to reduce building costs and provide better insulation than traditional materials. EPS products are the best choice for most applications when executing energy efficient, sustainable and green building practices is top priority.

Recycled Polystyrene is used in making interior and exterior decorative moldings for homes. Many construction companies are using polystyrene architectural moldings in place of timber for many reasons. Some advantages are the lightweight structure for ease in construction, it won’t attract insects and it doesn’t rot like traditional timber building materials. Using EPS materials for architectural moldings offers not only complete customization, but also a longer life than traditional timber-based materials.

Recycled EPS Uses For Cost Reduction

Some companies thrive on recycled EPS products to reduce costs across the board while providing a product that promotes the initiative to recycle and reuse. Some companies are using recycled expanded polystyrene foam for archery targets. Once the targets are used, they can be recycled again and made into new targets or anything else that uses polystyrene foam.

Many other options are available for end product manufacturing of recycled expanded polystyrene foam. Clothes hangers and picture frames are popular items that are made from recycled polystyrene. This helps reduce the costs of manufacturing these products. It also allows companies to take advantage of bulk amounts of scrap by turning it into quality products for resale.

Expanded polystyrene foam is a completely sustainable material that really has no limit to its uses. As a completely recyclable material, it will not degrade as time moves forward. So if you’ve been wondering, “Can this foam be recycled?”, it can. Recycling EPS products is easy to do through programs like the Expandable Polystyrene Industry Alliance (EPSIA) mail-back one. EPSIA also has a list of drop-off locations. For large volume recycling of expandable polystyrene, compacting equipment is available to help reduce the volume of EPS products, to help reduce transportation costs, and to make storage and palleting of this material easier.

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