25 million tonnes of polystyrene capacity per year. Around 1% of consumer waste is recycled.
This site documents the problem of expanded polystyrene waste and explores what actually works to recycle it — from specialist drop-off networks and chemical depolymerisation to mealworms and construction-grade EPS concrete. Every claim is sourced.
91%
Of U.S. polystyrene goes to landfill APR
98%
Of EPS is air by volume BPF
23%
Of beach plastic debris is EPS 2023
The Material
Polystyrene comes in several forms, each presenting different challenges for recycling infrastructure. Most municipal recycling programmes refuse it entirely.
EPS — Expanded
Packaging foam, takeaway containers, insulation boards. 98% air. Bulky, expensive to transport.
♻ #6 PS
XPS — Extruded
Rigid insulation, craft foam. Denser than EPS but still rarely accepted by kerbside collection.
♻ #6 PS
HIPS — High Impact
Yoghurt pots, disposable cutlery, CD cases. Rigid, opaque. Sometimes accepted, often not.
♻ #6 PS
GPS — General Purpose
Clear, brittle. Lab equipment, petri dishes, display cases. Almost never recycled.
♻ #6 PS
Read
-
The Economics
Why Your Council Won't Recycle Polystyrene
The density problem, food contamination, and sorting failures that make EPS recycling unviable at municipal scale.
-
Practical Guide
How To Actually Recycle Polystyrene
375+ drop-off locations, mail-back programmes, d-limonene dissolution, heat densification, and EPS in construction.
-
Biology
Can Mealworms Eat Styrofoam?
Stanford's landmark research, the superworm findings, and why scaling insect-based recycling is harder than the headlines suggest.
-
Technology
Chemical Recycling: Back to Styrene Monomer
Pyrowave's 99.8% pure recycled styrene, Agilyx's Japan facility, and the companies trying to close the loop.
-
Policy
The Global Wave of Polystyrene Bans
12 U.S. states, the entire EU, and 250+ cities have banned or restricted EPS. Where the law stands now.
About This Site
This is a deliberately lightweight website. No JavaScript, no analytics, no cookies, no tracking pixels. Every claim is linked to its source.
Built with plain HTML and CSS. Hosted on a small European server.