It seems to be a common misconception that polystyrene cannot be recycled. As a thermoplastic, it can actually be melted and molded into many different plastic products. The advanced technology eps recycling machine at https://nicsonsbp.com.au/eps-recycling can help you to recycle the polystyrene scrap. Polystyrene (or EPS foam) is currently recycled as follows:
Segregation – EPS foam products are separated from other wastes and then sorted.
Sealing – A separate EPS foam product is fed to the sealant to reduce its volume. Some sealing systems have compression ratios up to 50:1, which can reduce volume by up to 98%.
Crushing – Larger pieces are crushed into shards. Peanut wrap – small pieces of EPS foam used to soften brittle items – usually skip this step and go straight to the granulator.
Melting/Extruding – Flakes are forced through a granular extruder where they are heated and melted and then allowed to cool until hardened. The resulting material can then, by heating and melting, be used to make hangers, photo frames, DVD cases, and many other plastic products.
When the EPS foam breaks, small pieces of polystyrene can be eaten by animals, which can cause suffocation or intestinal obstruction. Styrofoam can also be consumed by fish after being crushed in the sea.
Marine animals in the food chain can eat fish that have consumed EPS, causing pollutants to build up. This can pose a potential health hazard to us, the people at the top of the food chain, as styrene, a plastic monomer used in the manufacture of EPS.
Styrene comes from petroleum or natural gas, both of which are non-renewable and are consumed quickly, creating problems for the environmental sustainability of EPS.