Expanded polystyrene is one of the most commonly used forms of packaging in the commercial sector, and therefore one of the most common types of waste. Discarding it can be quite a challenge.
There are many different forms of Expanded Polystyrene including moulded sheets for building insulation and packaging peanuts, but the most commonly used form is EPS6.
Not only for environmental purposes, but also because expanded polystyrene is almost 97% air, and thereby takes up a lot of space in the bin.
If you work in an industry that relies on heavy use of polystyrene such as packaging, distribution, or electronics, you’ve probably noticed that this material alone can significantly raise waste collection costs. To save space and cut costs, you can place polystyrene in a special compactor.
Yes, you can compact polystyrene.
Compacting polystyrene is actually the best way to discard it. Normal bins can fill up almost instantly with blocks of expanded polystyrene even though the material itself is almost weightless, whereas a compactor will compress polystyrene packaging into dense chunks that are much easier to collect.
Here are some of the polystyrene items that you can place in a polystyrene compactor:
However, it's important to keep in mind that you can’t compact polystyrene that contains food scraps or polystyrene that was contaminated by other substances, or polystyrene from food packaging that has not been properly washed out.
Most EPS6 is embossed with a mark to show what kind of EPS it is. To avoid accidents and damage to your compactor, instruct your staff to check that the polystyrene is clean and dry and clearly marked before placing it in a compactor.
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