Category: News

On 24 April 2024, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) formally recognised Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) transport packaging — such as fish boxes and protective packaging — as a format that is “recyclable at scale.” This distinction appears in UNEP’s updated plastic pollution science report, prepared ahead of the INC‑4 global plastics treaty negotiations. (climate.co.ke) UNEP

In March 2024, the Electronic Waste Association of South Africa (eWASA) confirmed that a 31% post-consumer recycling rate for polystyrene had been achieved for the 2022/2023 reporting year. This milestone formally qualifies polystyrene — including expanded polystyrene (EPS) — for recyclable status under South Africa’s extended producer responsibility (EPR) regulation. The result was verified and

Expanded polystyrene (EPS) remains a subject of debate in packaging and environmental policy. But beneath the headlines, a more nuanced picture emerges—one built on long-term infrastructure, verified recyclability, and measured environmental data. In an extended interview with PackMarkedføring, Chresten Heide-Andersen of EPS-branchen outlined where public perception diverges from documented practice, and why overlooking EPS may

In late December 2019, Middletown (Monmouth County, NJ) became the first municipality in the state to acquire a Foam Cycle EPS densifier, enabling residents from Middletown and surrounding towns to drop off clean expanded polystyrene (EPS) at two permanent collection points: the Middletown Recycling Center and the Train Station drop-off (Patch). Rather than paying per-ton

In 2023, Montréal-based cleantech firm Polystyvert announced the construction of Canada’s first commercial-scale polystyrene (EPS) recycling plant, marking a major milestone in North American plastics recovery systems (polystyvert.com). Located near Montréal, the CA $40 million facility will process an estimated 9,000 tonnes per year of post-consumer and post-industrial polystyrene waste—equivalent to roughly 15% of Québec’s annual polystyrene

In September 2023, municipal waste authority Vafabmiljö Kommunalförbund launched a pilot program across central Sweden to expand plastics sorting at staffed Återbruk (recycling centres). For the first time, residents are asked to sort Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) — known locally as frigolit — into a separate, dedicated container. This step is part of a wider effort

In Vesthimmerland, Denmark, expanded polystyrene (EPS) is no longer considered a disposal challenge. It’s a raw material — and it’s being collected, compacted, and recycled into insulation products through a growing municipal-industry partnership. This local initiative, led by Vesthimmerlands Forsyning and operating from the Aars recycling station, integrates EPS packaging into a functional collection and

In Ringkøbing-Skjern Municipality, smarter material handling is reducing emissions and truck trips — thanks in part to the inclusion of expanded polystyrene (EPS) in the area’s recycling strategy. In a public update issued in July 2024, the municipality confirmed that its compaction and sorting systems are lowering the number of trucks required to move waste