Styrofoam Recycling Machine for EPS, EPE, EPP and XPS
A Guide for Professionals
Styrofoam, also known as Expanded Polystyrene (EPS), is a commonly used packaging and insulating material. It is often used in construction, the fishing industry and warehouses. Although the material is 100% recyclable, it poses a significant environmental challenge, because the material is voluminous, non-biodegradable and lightweight. This makes the material in its original bulky form expensive to transport and recycle.
In this article, we provide a guide for businesses on how to recycle styrofoam, including the challenges, benefits and potential value of recycling.
Video: Reduce Volume and Increase Weight
Is styrofoam recyclable?
Although styrofoam is a recyclable material, about 30% of the world’s landfills are occupied by expanded styrofoam. Why do so many amounts of styrofoam end up in landfills around the world?
The reason is that styrofoam is a bulky and lightweight material; it consists mainly of air, about 90%. This makes it an inefficient material to transport because waste haulers are actually transporting air instead of weight.
Therefore, it does not make economic sense to collect sorted styrofoam for recycling.
Styrofoam is a non-degradable material because it is a type of plastic. In landfills, the material lasts forever and eventually will break up into microplastics. This reason alone makes it important to recycle most of the styrofoam material since it is a very wasteful material when it ends up in nature.
Styrofoam compactors and densifiers to reduce volume and increase weight
To increase the value of styrofoam the air needs to be extracted. Special compaction machines, known as styrofoam densifiers or styrofoam compactors, are capable of squeezing excess air out of the material.
A styrofoam compactor shreds up the material and removes the air and gas out of the foam and basically turns the lightweight material into a stackable heavy block.
The compaction ratio of a styrofoam densifier is around 50:1. This means the machine drastically reduces the volume of the plastic foam and it increases its weight. This turns a costly waste stream into a valuable one.
Compacted styrofoam saves space, increases weight, and it reduces waste hauling costs. By reducing the volume of the material less floor space and waste containers are needed to collect the material for recycling. And less space inside a waste hauling truck is needed, which makes transportation way less expensive.
Compacting systems for foam recycling
RUNI Screw Compactors
The RUNI SK240 screw compactor for compacting EPS (expanded polystyrene) / Airpop. More information.
Heger foam compactors
Heger Foam Compactors provide excellent processing capabilities for many different types of foam plastics. More information.
Types of styrofoam
Styrofoam is widely used as a protective packaging material for shipping products. In addition, Styrofoam is also used as an insulation material.
Styrofoam is originally a trademark for extruded polystyrene foam, known as XPS. But worldwide, Styrofoam is better known as expanded polystyrene foam (EPS). EPS is a well-known white material composed of small round beads.
EPS (Expanded Polystyrene)
| Description | Properties |
| EPS (or airpop) is made of polystyrene and in its expanded form (50 times its original size) it consists of over 90% air. The material consists of small beads that are expanded using steam. During the heating process, the beads will melt together to form a block. The material is mostly used as packaging or insulation.
This material is 100% recyclable |
|
EPP (Expanded Polypropylene)
| Description | Properties |
| EPP is made of polypropylene. It is a closed-cell bead foam and can be made into a wide range of densities. This makes the material generally heavier than the lightweight EPS material. It is widely utilized by automotive manufacturers.
This material is 100% recyclable |
|
EPE (Expanded Polyethylene)
| Description | Properties |
| EPE foam is an expanded polyethylene and is used as packaging to protect fragile products such as glass and electronics. Because of its flexible nature, it can be used to protect oddly shaped objects. But the material is also popular in construction, automotive, footwear, and sports equipment.
This material is 100% recyclable |
|
XPS (Extruded Polystyrene)
| Description | Properties |
| XPS (Extruded Polystyrene) is a closed-cell structured foam material that is widely used in the construction industry. Also known as XPS insulation board. It has a strong and firm structure and is often used as insulation material in construction. It can be used as insulation for flat roofs or as protective packaging for furniture during transport.
This material is 100% recyclable |
|
What is the difference between EPS and XPS styrofoam?
Both materials are made of polystyrene. But the difference is that EPS is a non-closed-cell material, while XPS is a closed-cell material. The closed-cell structure gives the material a smooth surface. EPS is a material where you can feel the cavities or voids between the expanded beads, which also makes EPS a more brittle material.
What styrofoam can’t be recycled?
In order to recycle styrofoam, the material, first of all, must to be clean. Contaminated or dirty styrofoam can’t be recycled, think of styrofoam with grease, food scraps, medical waste, dirt, or plastic tape.
In addition, the material must be sorted into types as described above. There are multiple types of styrofoam and to recycle the material it is important that styrofoam is sorted into individual clusters before it can be recycled.
By Recycling.com/ 21 February 2023