Expanded Polystyrene Recycling Hits Record Rate in 2013 – Study

Recycling of expanded polystyrene (EPS) reached a record high of 34 percent for post-consumer and post-commercial recovery, according to a new report.

More than 125 million pounds of EPS was recycled last year, according the study by the Crofton, Md.-based EPS Industry Alliance (EPS-IA). Meanwhile, industrial recovery decreased slightly to 54.5 million pounds in 2013 from 56.9 million pounds in 2012, according to a news release.

The group said that while EPS is often characterized as difficult to recycle, a sharp increase in 2013 from the previous year in post-consumer and post-commercial EPS came with increased consumer and corporate involvement.

The “2013 EPS Recycling Rate Report,” which collected information from 41 U.S. EPS manufacturers and independent recyclers, indicates that growth also has come from ongoing collection and processing technology advancements and new market developments for recycled EPS.