ONE of the most convenient packaging materials that has been used over the last few decades is expanded polystyrene.
It is extremely durable, has insulating properties, cheap to produce and incredibly light.
This makes it an ideal material for packaging for many items including perishable foods and high- value electrical items.
Yet many of the properties th
at make it so good for its normal use also cause a problem when it comes to disposal.
Polystyrene's durability ensures that when disposed of in a landfill site, it does not readily break down and may last almost indefinitely.
Its density means that recycling in its original form is not normally cost-effective, since enormous quantities are required to achieve a raw material stream for any reprocessor.
In recent years, the value of this commodity has been realised and various methods have been trialled to reduce the volume of the material.
This will be the key to reducing the cost of transporting polystyrene.
One method is to compact the polystyrene and effectively squash all the air out of it.
However, polystyrene treated in this way may well 'bounce back' once the compaction process has finished.
This method is also not suitable for dealing with polystyrene contaminated with blood or other food residues.
The other method is to effectively "cook" it at a fairly modest temperature in a specially designed oven.
The polystyrene then reduces in volume almost back to its unexpanded size.
These dense blocks of polystyrene are then more suitable for transport.
A small number of local businesses have been using the "cooking" method to reduce their waste, including Eurotherm and Barkers, the electrical retailer.
Both businesses have offered the use of their facility to other producers of polystyrene waste.
Further details can be obtained from
rbarkerltd@mail.com I am indebted to Richard Amey for bringing the idea forward for this week's article.
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