Posts published during August, 2010

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August 29, 2010

EPS Recycling is Big Business

Most people never give waste EPS a thought beyond the time it takes them carry large quantitiesof waste EPS to landfill. But for many businesses and plastic machinery factories, EPS recycling is serious business.

In a nutshell, EPS recycling is the industry which revolves around the collection, compaction, crushing and pelletizing, ranging from food container to insulation sheet. Developing effective EPS recycling strategies is critical for many recycling centers and factories of all sizes because waste EPS can develop into a major problem when not handled properly.

EPS recycling is a necessary part of green environment. EPS recycling is also a part of property maintenance. Sorting of waste EPS at the source is becoming more common due to financial reasons as well as government regulations. It is more expensive to process landfill waste, and authorities are demanding more precise sorting.

EPS compactor for EPS recycling

EPS compactor

Proper EPS recycling often requires the use of specialized equipment. The main EPS recycling equipment is EPS compactor, also called Styrofoam compactor or EPS densifier. It can handle EPS, EPP and XPS foam safely, no matter dry or wet. It can reduce EPS volume by 30 to 50 times, thus help sea food processing plant, retail/wholesale centers, and electronic factories to save available space and save nearly USD25000/year for garbage hauling and landfill. Furthermore, the user could even earn extra cash by selling the compacted EPS blocks to profile, picture frame, coat hanger, etc. manufacturers.

So you see, there really is a basis for the old adage, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”

EPS compactor for EPS recycling

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August 25, 2010

Methods to recycle EPS

Two methods to recycle EPS

compression_VS_densification

There are two main options to recycle EPS scrap. One way is to use heat (thermal densification) and the other way is without heating (compression). Compression involves crushing and compacting EPS by machine. The compacted materials are extruded into a solid ‘log’. The log is cut to length to fit onto a pellet. It is usual for the densified EPS to be stored on-site until 5 to 20 metric tones are available, as this makes transport and distribution more cost-effective. The more densely compacted the EPS is, the better, since a higher weight of EPS can be loaded for transport and a higher price per tone may be paid by the recycler. Compression can reduce EPS volume by up to forty times.

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August 19, 2010

Expanded Polystyrene is recyclable

Expanded Polystyrene is completely recyclable.From scrap to useful products
While limited end-use markets and economies of scale make recycling a difficult operation, there are a variety of uses recycled EPS can be put to:
EPS can be granulated and mixed in with virgin material to make new products – some grades of EPS insulation board and block moulded EPS can incorporate recycled content.
EPS granulate can also be used on its own and mixed in with plaster or concrete to make a lightweight building material. Used EPS can be ground and mixed with soil and compost to promote aeration. Studies confirm that plant growth is enhanced with this aeration. EPS can also be melted and converted to General Purpose Polystyrene (GPPS) pellets and used to manufacture simple polystyrene products such as coat hangers, video cassette and cd casings, stationery items and plant pots.