Recycling

Styrofoam or Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) is 100% recyclable as #6 on the recycling plastics scale. The EPS industry developed a nationwide collection infrastructure of more than 200 collection sites to support recycling efforts. The 2016 EPS Recycling Rate Report shows that over 118 million pounds of EPS were recycled in 2016, including 63 million pounds of post-consumer packaging and 55.7 million pounds of post-industrial packaging. Over the past decade EPS has achieved an average recycling rate of 15%, one of the highest of the plastics family. EPS can easily be recycled into new foam packaging or durable consumer goods like cameras, coat hangers, CD jewel cases and more. You can recycle your EPS packaging by taking it to a specified drop off location (a program may NOT exist in your area). 

For more information on how EPS is recycled, watch this video from Moore Recycling Associates. 

The EPS industry is committed to sustainability through innovation. Our industry demonstrates this dedication through lean manufacturing processes, a comprehensive recycling system and by harnessing new technologies to conserve raw materials and reduce waste. The EPS industry is continuously seeking to further market applications, reduce impacts and raise performance. We go above and beyond in our efforts to be good stewards of the environment and create solution-oriented products.

EPS products have been the subject of extensive research and evaluation over a 50-plus year lifespan. Encompassing a multitude of applications, the EPS industry stands behind its product with real-world test results. Research data from academia as well as third party testing laboratories such as Oak Ridge National Laboraties, National Research Council of Canada,National Association of Homebuilders Research Center and the International Safe Transit Association lends confidence to specifiers, architects and packaging engineers.  

• EPS-IA strictly adheres to and promotes the use of the FTC "Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims", commonly known as "Green Guides". The Green Guides were developed to ensure that their environmental marketing claims don’t mislead consumers.
• The EPS industry fosters ongoing development of new and innovative recycling technologies that will promote further EPS recycling growth. These include recycled content resin and unique volume reduction technologies.

• Through ISO 14000 certification our industry strives to move beyond what we are required to do — to focus on what we are capable of doing.
• Many of our members manufacture insulation that qualifies as an Energy Star Partner®
• By recycling their plant scrap and incorporating it into recycled-content products our members helped recycle more than 56 million pounds of EPS in 2012. 

• EPS transport packaging meets five of the eight criteria of a sustainable packaging as defined by the Sustainable Packaging Coalition. 
•  In 1992, the EPS industry established an internal recycling program that allows us to reintroduce post-consumer EPS into the manufacturing process to make new, recycled content packaging and durable goods such as plastics lumber, planters and picture frames.
• The 2016 EPS Recycling Rate Report shows that over 118 million pounds of EPS were recycled in 2016, including 63 million pounds of post-consumer packaging and 55.7 million pounds of post-industrial packaging. Over the past decade EPS has achieved an average recycling rate of 15%, one of the highest of the plastics family.