Polystyrene foam should never be put in your recycling bin at home. There are some recycling drop-off points, but if you’re not able to find one in your area, polystyrene should be put in the garbage bin.
Polystyrene foam is also known as Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) and includes slabs of packaging foam and packaging peanuts/pellets.
Businesses and workplaces with large quanities of polystyrene can find recycling solutions in the area at Business Recycling.
This is a directory listing. Please be aware that recyclers may currently be closed or operating shortened hours due to COVID-19. Please use the below information to contact the recycler directly and adhere to the COVID-19 restrictions in your area.
Polystyrene
material
Expanded polystyrene (EPS) is a lightweight, rigid cellular plastic that is used widely in packaging to protect items. Due to its shock absorbing characteristics, it is useful for storage and in the transport of fragile and expensive items such as electronic equipment, chemicals and wines.
While EPS is a type of plastic, 98% of the material is actually air. It is made from oil, which is a non-renewable resource (meaning there is a finite amount of it on our planet).
Expanded Polystyrene Australia (the national EPS Industry Group) has a number of collection facilities for EPS in the capital city of each mainland state. These facilities accept all types of EPS from both packaging and building applications. Visit the Expanded Polystyrene Australia to find out where the collection facility is in your state.
If your business or workplace has large quantities of polystyrene foam to dispose of, there are commercial recycling services available. Visit Business Recycling to find a suitable recycling option.
Some polystyrene materials such as foam cups, trays or foam packaging are marked with this symbol.EPS is a problematic material that takes hundreds of years to breakdown in landfill. Despite 98% of the plastic packaging being air, EPS takes up large amounts of space in landfills where it can easily be blown away and enter our natural environment.
Despite EPS being problematic in landfill, it is still better to put it in your garbage bin if you do not have a recycling collection point near you. Putting polystyrene in your recycling bin at home will only cause problems for recyclers and contaminate other materials in your recycling bin.
Polystyrene foam that is dropped off for recycling at specialised collection points will be melted down and turned into new products such as outdoor furniture, decking, picture frames and skirting boards.
Learn about the Plastic identification code.
Find out how to use the Australasian Recycling Label.
