Polystyrene recycling

In Australia about 45,000* tonnes of expanded polystyrene (EPS) is created and consumed each year.

Much of this EPS is embedded in long-term use (such as waffle pods used in housing construction and engineering/manufacturing components) however, approximately 40% (or 18,000 tonnes p.a) is single-use or short-term packaging that can be recycled after use. We currently only recycle about 27% (or 4,900 tonnes p.a.) of this EPS packaging so there is plenty of opportunity to recycle more.

MWRRG is currently looking at ways to assist industry, businesses and councils in metropolitan Melbourne to recover more EPS packaging and divert it from landfill for reprocessing. You can read about Monash Council's experience incorporating an EPS heat extrusion machine into their transfer centre here.

*Data Source: 2014 National Plastics Recycling Survey, SRU

Polystyrene recycling for residents and small business

Polystyrene packaging can’t be recycled from your kerbside recycling bin, and when thrown in your garbage bin it ends up taking up precious space in landfill, and does not break down.

But residents and small businesses can help the environment by dropping off polystyrene for recycling at locations across Melbourne (please see below). Once collected, your polystyrene will be recycled and re-manufactured into domestic building products.