polystyrene packaging material - recycling

sunnysoutheast

hi all

like most self-builders we're drowning in packaging material - expanded polystyrene in particular

we're recycling all we can - cardboard, HDPE etc. - but does anyone know of a facility which accepts this material for recycling?

failing this, short of making a scale model of the alps does anyone know of a practical use for it?

thanks
SSE

muffler

This may be more at home in the Green Issues forum.

Moved

mike65

sunnysoutheast, if you are where your name suggets I went through this with Waterford City Council, Kilbarry does'nt take it. I'm not a builder though so have put mine in the attic as extra insulation!

Mike.

sunnysoutheast

hi

just contacted Tramore landfill/recycling - you can take it there if it's in the pre-paid recycling bags

assume it's the same for Dungarvan

they don't take it at Kilbarry - you're right - I'm almost on first-name terms with the fella there as he must think I run a thriving waste cardboard import business!

SSE

BendiBus

Eden Park recycle centre, Glasthule:

http://www.dublinwaste.ie/Polystyrene_Recycling_at_Eden.html


You could contact Rehab Recycle about this:

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/polystyrene-for-recycling-1202521.html

Problem is it gets shipped to Japan

NavanEPS

Hi All,
I work for Rehab Recycle and we just launched an expanded polystyrene (EPS) collection & recycling service on Monday 22nd of Oct. Its aimed mainly at retailers and civic amenity sites in the greater Dublin area and surrounding counties as EPS is a very expensive product to move over long distances. We process the EPS through a range of machinery which in effect takes all of the air present in the material (approx 95% by volume) out leaving us with a very dense "block" of plastic. This process makes in possible to get about 20 tons of EPS into a container for shipping to end markets. One conatiner of processed material represents 40 containers of unprocessed EPS divert from landfill. Markets for the processed material exist in China, Japan, the UK and Denmark, so it depends on prices available as to where it will be sold and shipped to.
Its very early days, but we hope to roll this service out to other locations around the country in the not too distant future

Capt'n Midnight

mike65 wrote: »

I'm not a builder though so have put mine in the attic as extra insulation!

Isn't that dangerous ?

expanded polystyrene is extrememly flammable , try burning some and watch the way little burning drops fizzle off to create secondary fires. It's ok burried in concrete. Paper used in insulation has a lot of borax soaked into it to make it fire resistant.

Is there any point in putting polystyrene into the cavities in blocks in external walls (and sealing at the top with something fireproof ) - would this reduce heat transfer by more than air alone and if so would it be worth the hassle ?

Heating polystyrene IIRC breaks it down to the monomer which can be re-polymerised though I don't know how much treatment is needed for the additives.

Polystyrene will dissolve in petrol. maybe you could dissove it in diesel or maybe it would destroy your engine.

paddyof

Hey lads,

I am currently experimenting in making surfboards out of EPS, would be very interested if it'd be possible to take some of the waste EPS off your hands, "one man's waste is anothers raw material" an all that. Now I'm not sure what kind of sizes/shapes you guys would be getting rid of, obviously I'd need fairly large pieces. Let me know if you have any suggestions....

Thanks