DID YOU KNOW?
Polystyrene foam just can’t be recycled and made to take another form or mould again (as the general plastic) because it’s
already expanded.
In order to make polystyrene cups etc. one needs to
use virgin polystyrene beads.
There are TWO
MAIN TYPES OF POLYSTYRENE in use today – rigid polystyrene, and expanded
polystyrene (also known as Styrofoam or polystyrene foam).
Ø RIGID POLYSTYRENE (PS) – example: yoghurt tubs – is just polystyrene plastic, with no air
bubbles added. This is much easier to recycle, and can simply be melted and
moulded into new containers and other products.
THE PROCESS TO MAKE:
Small
beads of the polymer polystyrene are steamed with chemicals until they expanded
to 50 times their original volume. After cooling and settling, the pre-expanded
beads are then blown into a mould until the mould is completely filled and all
of the beads have fused together - such as that of a drink cup.
BENEFITS
The finished product is a lightweight, inexpensive material that
is about 95% to 98% air. The insulating properties and cheap
manufacturing costs of EPS have made it a popular choice for businesses.
DISADVANTAGES
·
Polystyrene foam gets lodged in the intestines of
marine animals and that causes blockages that can be lethal. (Think about how
we worry about a mild blockage from eating the wrong thing; imagine eating a
ball of Styrofoam.)
·
Polystyrene foams essentially act like little
pollutant sponges, picking up and concentrating some of the nastiest
contaminants in the ocean, then something like a sea turtle comes along and
eats this thinking it is a jellyfish.
·
Some of these plastic-feeding fish may be ending up
back on our tables.
THERMAL RECYCLING (an option)
In this process, the recycled EPS is burned in
municipal incinerators, leaving behind carbon dioxide and water vapours. This
makes it a good fuel for waste-to-energy programs that use heat. While thermal
recycling could be an effective re-use of polystyrene waste, its cost of
transporting loads of light, bulky polystyrene to recycling centres could be
very costly.
SO HOW TO DISPOSE OF USED POLYSTYRENE?
Ø Polystyrene containers
such as yoghurt tubs etc. can and should be recycled.
However polystyrene foam is very rarely accepted for recycling. There are a few companies that specialise in recycling expanded polystyrene, you could contact your local municipality or look it up on the internet.
Otherwise, these items have been placed in the general waste bin, which then gets dumped into the already full landfills and if this is not possible then it ends up in the ocean.
However polystyrene foam is very rarely accepted for recycling. There are a few companies that specialise in recycling expanded polystyrene, you could contact your local municipality or look it up on the internet.
Otherwise, these items have been placed in the general waste bin, which then gets dumped into the already full landfills and if this is not possible then it ends up in the ocean.
WHAT ARE THE ALTERNATIVES TO USING POLYSTYRENE FOAM?
Paper-based alternatives…or
A more recyclable compound such as polypropylene
is an alternative.
Polypropylene is a
resin-based substance that is often used for plastic takeaway containers. While
polypropylene is more easily recycled than polystyrene, it is also more
expensive.
SOLUTION:
Polystyrene foam has to replace with a more
viable alternative OR a more economical and viable solution should be found to
have them recycled and be enforced as a rule worldwide.
"INDUSTRIAL HEMP is the perfect SOLUTION"
Source:
Why New York banned polystyrene foam
Waste is misplaced resource. Polystyrene is worth recycling. In our daily life, we can make good use of styrofoam and reproduce them as renewable PS frames. I recommend INTCO Recycling who have the machines to deal with the waste polystyrene and will purchase waste EPS. And here is our website: http://www.greenmax-machine.com/eps-hot-melt.html
ReplyDelete