Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Recycling NSW EPA & Australian Packaging Covenant Grants Program 2012-2013

Issues with EPS CAUSES LITTER PROBLEMS TAKES UP LANDFILL SPACE PACKAGING USE INCREASING ONLY 10% RECYCLED IN NSW Expanded polystyrene (abbreviated as EPS) is a familiar and commonly used material in packaging, but there are several issues about it that this program is aiming to address. 1. EPS is very light and long lived. If EPS packaging is dumped in the environment it will persist for some time, looking ugly and potentially blocking drains and waterways. 2. EPS packaging is being used in increasing amounts for packaging for large electronic equipment such as large screen televisions and also takeaway containers Only 10% of EPS used in NSW is recycled, compared to XX% for PET plastics. In 2011, the NSW EPA estimated that 12,000 tonnes of EPS was buried in landfill. As EPS is such a bulky material it takes up space that could be used for other dense materials

EPS is not collected in kerbside recycling Why? It’s bulky and lightweight – would take up a lot of space in bins Is expensive to transport if uncompacted It can’t easily be sorted from other materials It is bulky and light It is expensive to transport It can’t easily be sorted from other recyclable materials at MRFS (Material Recovery Facilities)

NSW EPA Expanded Plastics grant program 19 recipients To address these issues, NSW EPA, in partnership with the Australian Packaging Covenant, has provided grants worth a total of $933,000 to 19 organisations as part of a project to increase the recycling rates of EPS in NSW. These grants will be used to purchase equipment (shredders, compactors and cages) to collect and reduce the volume of EPS so that it can be transported more cost effectively to recyclers. The program aims to collect and process an additional 1,183 tonnes (59,000 cubic metres) of EPS each year. 1,183 Tonnes target $933,000 Funding

How EPS is made STEAM FORMING 2 1 EPS balls Pellets of Polystyrene impregnated with pentane EPS is made by applying steam to tiny beads of polystyrene which have been impregnated with small amounts of pentane. As the beads heat up, the pentane expands causing the beads to swell to about 50 times their original volume. These beads are then further treated and formed into solid blocks in desired shapes. In the white block you can see the squashed balls of EPS. 3 3 4 Products Shapes of EPS

How EPS is used Short life packaging There is no limit to the shape of EPS packaging products. The cost of the amount of material is low. because the amount used to make it is small. The average fruit box in the left hand corner here occupies 20 litres, but weights only 250 grams. Many of these items have a life cycle measured in days or hours. Short life packaging

Building products and insulation How EPS is used EPS is used in the building industry in foundations and in walls for insulation Building products and insulation

Recycling EPS EPS Collection or drop off Cold compaction Hot compaction & extrusion After collection, the EPS is feed into a one of two types of machine A cold compactor that pulverizes and compacts the EPS into dense blocks. (reducing volume by about 45:!) A hot compactor that pulverises, heats and then extrudes the semi-liquid polystyrene into very dense sausage like coils. (reducing volume by about 90:1) The blocks and coils of polystyrene are then taken to a recycling factory where they are melted further, made into small pellets and then sold to recyclers who use the pellets to make new EPS packaging or polystrene products. (Check this with Michael) Recycled EPS Pellets

Products made from recycled PS pellets This slide shows some of the many polystyrene products made from recycled polystyrene (called General Purpose Polystyrene – GPPS). Plant pots Picture frames Desk accessories Products made from recycled PS pellets

What types of EPS for recycling? ‘Grade A’ EPS is: Clean Dry White Unmarked Has no physical contamination Some drop off centres only accept Grade A EPS for recycling. Grade A EPS sells for a higher price than Grade B EPS.

What types of EPS for recycling ‘Grade B’ EPS is Dirty Wet Marked Coloured Physically contaminated (stickers, staples etc.) Grade B EPS Some drop off centres will not accept Grade B EPS for recycling. Others will. If your centre accepts these types of EPS, change the heading of this slide to “What types of EPS are also accepted for recycling?”

Benefits of EPS Recycling Saves bin space Reduces frequency of waste collection Some Benefits of EPS recycling for Individuals and business: Saves valuable bin space that is more useful for disposing of dense rubbish (The small block in the front of the picture at the top left is from a hot compactor. It weighs 15 kg. This is the same weight as the EPS in the three one cubic metre bags of EPS) Saves landfill space Reduces the frequency and cost of garbage / skip collections At the new drop-off points, recycling EPS costs significantly less than disposal to landfill EPS is easy to identify and separate At some collection centres, EPS can be dropped off at the same time as cardboard packaging. Easy to separate Saves money

Benefits of EPS recycling to society Conserves resources Reduces litter Some Benefits of EPS recycling to society: Conserves resources, because recycled EPS can be remanufactured into a wide range of products (Demand exists in Australia and overseas for the recovered EPS) Reduces the demand for new landfill space Reduces the quantity of EPS litter in the environment Saves the energy to produce polystyrene from raw materials Saves landfill space (Photo Transpacific) Saves energy

. Sydney Cricket Ground (height approx 80 metres) The amount of EPS sent to landfill each year in NSW would fill the SCG to a height of 125 metres 125m 85m Calculations Dimensions of SCG 149 m X 136 m Area = 15,907 sq metres Height of MCG is 85 metres, could not find height of SCG. 1 cubic metre of uncompacted EPS weighs about 5 kgs. 12,000 tonnes of uncompacted? EPS goes to land fill/year = 12x106 kg Approx volume of 12,000 tonnes of EPS would take up 12x106 / 5 = 2.4x106 cubic metres Height of a cylinder of uncompacted EPS = 2.4x106 /1.5907x106 metres = 125 metres Source of Image: http://www.planetcricket.net/forums/cricket-leagues/legends-battle-iva-round-9-a-79412-2.html Sydney Cricket Ground (height approx 80 metres)

12,000 tonnes of EPS Uncompacted EPS 125 metres high Hot compacted EPS 1.4 metres high Cold compacted EPS 3 metres high Hot compacting can reduce the volume of expanded polystyrene by about 90:1 Cold compacting can reduce the volume of expanded polystyrene by about 40:1. The stack of uncompacted EPS would shrink from125 metres to 3 metres with cold compacting and to only 1.4 metres with hot compacting – a huge saving in space.

. 110 m 50 m Calculations Dimensions of Stadium Australia 170 m X 128 m Area = 21,760 sq metres Size of a rugby league field is 122mx68m Area= 8296 sq m Highest Point: 58 metres above ground level (approx. 14 storeys) 1 cubic metre of uncompacted EPS weighs about 5 kgs. 12,000 tonnes of uncompacted? EPS goes to land fill/year = 12x106 kg Approx volume of 12,000 tonnes of EPS would take up 12x106 / 5 = 2.4x106 cubic metres (240,000) Height of uncompacted EPS across playing field= 2.4x106 /2.1760x104 metres = 1.1 x 102metres = 110 metres Height of rugby stadium is 50 metres Source of Image: http://www.foxsports.com.au Rugby playing field (ANZ Stadium) EPS sent to Landfill in NSW would fill the rugby playing field at ANZ Stadium to a height of 110 metres

For further information For more information about EPS Recycling in the XXX area, contact: Name: ZZZ Phone PPP Email: YYY If you have a photo of your collection centre, drop it into this slide in place of the picture/