Category: NEPSA Updates

Chile’s Aysén region is one of the centres of the country’s salmon-farming industry. It is also becoming home to more than one route for recovering expanded polystyrene used by the sector. One region, two recycling routes In July 2026, Puerto Aysén-based Ceresal completed a shipment of 30 tonnes of compacted recovered EPS to buyers in

How do scientific findings become public narratives? And why can those narratives become surprisingly difficult to change, even when new evidence emerges? These are the questions explored in the latest edition of Beyond Fast and Easy Answers, written by NEPSA Director Chresten Heide-Anderson. The article builds on the previous newsletter, which examined a bottle-tracking study

Residents of Tacoma, Washington, can once again recycle clean EPS protective packaging at the city’s recycling centre after a new densifier restored a service that had been unavailable for several years. Tacoma announced the replacement equipment in May 2026. The previous densifier had been out of service since 2022, and the city decided that replacement

Recent discussions on the proposed Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) have highlighted both increased clarity and emerging concerns—particularly around definitions and exemptions. A recent article by NEPSA Director Chresten Heide-Anderson uses this debate as a starting point to explore a broader question: How do definitions and measurement frameworks influence environmental outcomes? The article reflects

The Nordic EPS Alliance (NEPSA) has been accepted as a member of the Circular Plastics Alliance (CPA), the European Commission-led initiative aimed at increasing the uptake of recycled plastics and strengthening circular value chains across Europe. The CPA, facilitated by the European Commission, brings together industry, public authorities and civil society to accelerate the transition

Nashville, Tennessee, launched its first city-run foam recycling drop-off programme in April 2026, giving residents a dedicated route for EPS packaging and selected clean foodservice foam that is not accepted through ordinary curbside recycling. The service operates at the city’s East Convenience Center. Nashville’s guidance accepts protective packaging blocks used around furniture, electronics and appliances,

The range of available recycling pathways is a central factor in determining how effectively materials can be integrated into a circular economy. Recent developments in dissolution-based recycling technologies for polystyrene (PS) suggest that additional options may be emerging—particularly for waste streams that have traditionally been difficult to recycle. One example is the commercial-scale launch of

NEPSA publishes its position on the Global Plastics Treaty The Nordic EPS Alliance (NEPSA) has released its position on the ongoing negotiations for a Global Plastics Treaty. The objective is clear: support measures that genuinely reduce plastic pollution while ensuring that policies do not unintentionally increase climate or resource impacts across the wider material system.