Styrofoam: from packaging to picture frames and beyond
GENE JONES
Finding Styrofoam in disposable that equipment, he says, noting that as California’s Earth Resource Founcups, fast-food containers, and packCalifornia and Pennsylvania also dation (ERF), argue that EPS should aging material may be harder than it have innovative programs to increase be avoided entirely, pointing to the was a decade ago, but the synthetic their municipal EPS recycling. U.S. EPA’s classification of styrene, polymer, which is also known as exTo date, many municipalities’ efthe basic building block of polystypanded polystyrene (EPS), is still forts to recycle EPS have not proven rene, as a “possible human carcinowidely used. Many of these lighteconomical because the plastic’s gen.” But ACC says a review by the weight foam products bear the #6 low density does not allow sufficient Harvard Center for Risk Assessment recycling stamp, but the “vast shows that EPS is safe. majority of EPS that ends up EPS is also very difficult in U.S. municipal solid waste to effectively remove from isn’t recycled,” says Gene the environment because of Jones, executive director of its tendency to disintegrate, the Southern Waste Inforpoints out Stephanie Barger, mation Exchange (SWIX), ERF’s executive director. To a nonprofit organization date, more than 20 cities and aimed at facilitating the excounties—including Berkechange of recyclable wastes ley, Calif.; Portland, Ore.; and between businesses and Suffolk County, N.Y.—have municipalities. banned the substance’s use “The properties of polystyin food packaging. Barger rene that make it an excellent predicts more cities will do so packaging material—its light in the coming year. Many naOfficials in Polk County, Fla., say that they were able to reweight, energy efficiency, and cycle more than 1.2 million pounds of waste EPS during the tional fast-food chains, such first year they used equipment from RecycleTech. product performance—work as McDonalds and Burger against the economics of reKing, no longer use EPS in cycling this material,” according to quantities to be transported, Jones their food packaging. the website of the American Chemsays. One option open to municiEven so, the use of “traditional istry Council’s (ACC’s) Plastics Foodpalities is to purchase equipment [EPS] disposables (cups, plates, service Packaging Group, which for compressing the EPS. Most techbowls, hinged-lid containers, trays) represents the industry. nologies for “densifying” EPS have a continue[s] to grow, as more peoA new technology from a com40:1 compression ratio, says Virginia ple turn to take-out . . . and grocery pany called RecycleTech, Inc., of Lyle, deputy director of the Alliance stores’ preparation of home replaceRidgefield, N.J., may help municiof Foam Packaging Recyclers. Recyment meals (and packaging for palities overcome these disadvancleTech equipment achieves a 90:1 that),” said Michael Levy, director of tageous economics, says Matthew ratio. “We basically take the expanACC’s Plastics Foodservice PackagRealff, a chemical engineer and sion out of the polystyrene,” says ing Group, in a written statement. polymer recycling expert at the Dan Chung, RecycleTech’s president. The building industry is also using Georgia Institute of Technology. In RecycleTech maximizes the comincreasing amounts of EPS in con2004, SWIX helped Polk County, pression by combining three existstruction, he added. Fla., obtain a state grant to use Reing approaches that Chung says have Realff says that the biggest benefit cycleTech’s equipment to process never before been used together: of recycling EPS is to avoid “digging waste EPS. crushing, heating, and compact[for] more oil to produce more polyCounty officials estimate that in ing. The company’s patent-pending styrene.” He says RecycleTech’s new the first year alone, they recycled equipment is also relatively inexpentechnology may open the door for a more than 1.2 million pounds of polysive; the cost ranges from $29,500 to continuous loop of recycling because styrene, saving local businesses more $69,500. RecycleTech buys the end the dense “sausages” that it produces than $280,000 in disposal, transporproduct, which Chung likens to “sau- can be transported cost-effectively tation, and labor costs. This year, sage links”, back from its customers to centralized facilities that use oththe state authorized funding for the and resells it to manufacturers that er, more capital-intensive processes purchase of up to 12 additional Recyuse it to produce picture frames or to recover higher value materials cleTech machines, Jones says. Florida CD cases. from the waste. municipalities will receive 80% of Some environmental groups, such —KELLYN BETTS © 2008 American Chemical Society
July 15, 2008 / Environmental Science & Technology ■ 5041
