At Gothenburg Port, Sweden, fish-processing companies have collaborated to create a functioning EPS recycling system specifically for fish boxes. Sweden Seafood, the primary processor of Norwegian salmon destined for the Swedish market, installed a compactor on-site to manage daily EPS waste—and extended access to other harbour-based seafood firms.
System Overview
Each week, participating businesses deliver between 1 and 2 tonnes of empty EPS fish boxes—equating to approximately 1,500 to 3,000 large containers—for recycling . These boxes are manually fed into the compactor, which compresses the foam by up to 40 times. The resulting dense blocks are palletised and shipped to recyclers in bulk, improving logistics and resource value retention .
Shared Access & Profitability
Importantly, the compactor isn’t exclusive to Sweden Seafood. Other seafood companies at the port can also deliver their used EPS containers, turning the compactor into a shared circular infrastructure that benefits the entire fishing cluster. The compacted EPS is in such demand that Sweden Seafood operates the system profitably, even after accounting for manual labour .
Strategic Significance
This initiative illustrates how a simple technical solution—volume reduction via compaction—can create effective recycling pathways in industrial settings. By establishing a shared facility and offering access across companies, the system generates both logistical efficiency and economies of scale.
The profitability despite manual operation signals strong market demand for compacted EPS. This case is especially relevant for sectors with homogeneous EPS waste streams, such as fish packaging, where centralised infrastructure can deliver circular resource flows at low complexity.
Moreover, this project demonstrates a transferable model. Other industrial sites—like ports, wholesale hubs, or logistical centers—could implement similar systems to capture sector-specific EPS waste efficiently.
Conclusion
The Gothenburg Port EPS recycling system proves that focused, shared infrastructure with modest investment can convert high-volume industrial EPS waste into valuable recycled material. With volume reductions of up to 40×, weekly throughput in the tonnes, and cross-company participation, it offers a replicable blueprint for industrial circularity.
Source: “Göteborg Havn har velfungerende system til genanvendelse af fiskekasser af EPS,” EPS‑Airpop, 28 December 2021
