The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS), Washington, has formed the Polystyrene Recycling Alliance (PSRA), a collaborative effort designed to unite the polystyrene (PS) and expandable polystyrene (EPS) industries together with a diverse group of stakeholders from brands, converters and recyclers to achieve the goal of gaining “widely recyclable status” for PS.
“This collaboration is a huge step forward for polystyrene sustainability, enabling more Americans to recycle a wide variety of polystyrene items,” PLASTICS President and CEO Matt Seaholm says. “Polystyrene is inherently recyclable, is being recycled today and will be recycled at much greater scale in the future. Recycling is real, and we are proud to pursue this initiative at the Plastics Industry Association to join the full value chain in working together to promote plastics sustainability.”
In partnership with Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Resource Recycling Systems (RRS), the PSRA has established a comprehensive roadmap to guide its initiative. The organization's initial data indicates that 32 percent of the U.S. population currently has access to recycle one or more PS items, and it notes that several formats are close to qualifying for a “check locally” recycling status. Additionally, with ongoing and planned industry investments in recycling capacity, the PSRA expects recycling access for several PS formats and applications to approach “widely recyclable status” by 2030.
The PSRA says that from preserving food quality and safety to enhancing pharmaceutical transportation and medical applications, enabling economical appliance manufacturing and transportation and contributing to efficient building construction, PS is integral to various industries and used across diverse sectors and applications.
“Polystyrene is an essential material that provides numerous life-enhancing benefits, and a favorable carbon footprint compared to other materials,” PRSA Chair Richard Shaw says. “Our focus is to expand end-of-life recycling options for all types of polystyrene through strategic investments and partnerships with other stakeholders committed to a circular plastics economy.”
To support these initiatives, the PSRA plans to establish a recycling investment and education fund aimed at expanding PS recycling throughout North America. These investments will seek to develop and deploy innovative ways to enhance and modernize recycling systems.
“We’re committed to addressing the challenges of recycling polystyrene,” PLASTICS Senior Vice President of Sustainability Patrick Krieger says. “By collaborating with communities, material recovery facilities and drop-off programs, we aim to significantly improve recycling access and education for polystyrene. This is just the beginning, and we are optimistic about our strategy and approach to ensure all polystyrene is recycled at scale.”
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