In late 2024, the University of Oxford’s Sustainability and FM Contracts teams launched a trial collecting expanded polystyrene (EPS) from the Science Area—expanding on an existing scheme at Old Road Campus (Sustainability at Oxford). Previously, lab-grade EPS waste was incinerated for energy due to a lack of suitable recycling facilities. Now, over 2 tonnes per year are being diverted into insulation, alongside 6 tonnes already handled at the Old Road site (Sustainability at Oxford).
Five departments have signed up, financing the trial’s first year. Clean EPS packaging from lab equipment is compressed into briquettes, shredded, pelletized, and then formed into extruded polystyrene insulation for floors, roofs, and panels (Sustainability at Oxford).
System logic: Campus-scale circular return
- Targeted collection at Science Area by departmental teams
- Compression and processing onsite into briquettes, shredded and pelletized
- Reuse path: transformed into high-spec insulation, reducing embodied carbon in buildings
By making EPS a visible, separate stream within campus waste operations, the university shifts from energy recovery to reuse—aligning with its net-zero by 2035 and biodiversity objectives (Sustainability at Oxford).
Why this matters
This model moves EPS recycling from peripheral pilot to embedded sustainability infrastructure. It demonstrates how institutions can mobilize internal systems—funding, departments, facilities—to reclaim bulky polymer packaging and reintegrate it as high-value construction material. Rather than relying on external partners, Oxford has taken a hands-on, systems-first approach to material stewardship.
