A new report released by the Alliance of Foam Packaging Recyclers shows exponential growth in the amount of expanded polystyrene recycling since the process was created more than 20 years ago. The “2010 EPS Recycling Rate Report” illustrates that 71 million pounds of EPS were recycled last year, which includes all post-consumer, commercial, and industrial recovery. Post-use EPS is defined as any material that is recycled after its end use. This information was collected from 58 EPS manufacturers and independent recyclers across 20 different states.
According to AFPR, EPS recycling consistently maintains one of the highest recycling rates among all of the plastics families. Including rigid, durable polystyrene, and other grade materials, EPS post-consumer and post-commercial recycling represents 50% of all post-use polystyrene recycled in the U.S. This is a significant achievement when considering that prior to 1988, the alliance says, EPS recycling was virtually nonexistent.
