Polystyrene Recycling System | Styromelt™

Polystyrene (styrofoam) - The Problem

Polystyrene (styrofoam) is an excellent packaging material due to its insulating and protective properties. Unfortunately, once goods are delivered and opened polystyrene then becomes a waste material that companies must pay to dispose of. Large, bulky pieces of polystyrene can take up significant space in a waste skip which means the skip becomes full more quickly and therefore needs to be emptied more often – therefore more cost.

It is conservatively estimated that hundreds of thousands of tons of waste polystyrene is produced and sent to landfill on an annual basis in the UK alone. This material is very lightweight compared to its volume so it is not hard to imagine how much precious landfill space is filled with tons and tons of polystyrene.

Disposing of Polystyrene has the following drawbacks:

• Boxes and packaging can take up large volumes of storage space prior to removal.
• Fish/Meat packaging is contaminated with blood, fluids etc and so can be a health hazard and attract vermin when in storage prior to removal.
• Skip hire or running costs of disposal lorries are very high.
• Because boxes and packaging take up a lot of space transport lorries or skips are filled very quickly.
• High landfill charges make disposal expensive and bad for the environment

The Styromelt™ drastically reduces the volume of waste polystyrene by thermal densification.

Styromelt™ - The Solution

The Styromelt machine from Purex essentially melts polystyrene (styrofoam) to form a dense block of material that is reduced in volume by over 95% of the original material. So a 2 cubic metre load of polystyrene comes out of the machine as a small block approximately 90cm x 25cm x 5cm. The block can be stored then sold to recycling companies who then turn it into fuels such as diesel or new products such as garden furniture.

The densified blocks are sterile, easy to handle and can be stored indefinately. This means that several loads can be put through the machine over time until sufficient quantities have been produced for either sale or disposal.

There is an emerging market for blocks for incineration, recycling and for the production of fuels. Recyclate value of blocks is based on oil price and is currently £80- £170 per tonne based on volume.

Further benefits are:

• Processed blocks are recyclable as product or fuel and can actually be sold to recyclers.
• Greater compaction rate - up to 10 times greater than hydraulic compaction.
• In-situ sterilisation of plastic material means the product can be stored indefinately.
• Ability to deal with contaminants such as blood, organic matter, metal, stone and glass without damage or failure.
• Thermal compaction is a batch process and incurs no energy costs until the machine is full. The machine could be described as an ‘electric skip’.
• Process is virtually silent running.
• Machinery can be operated with very few skills.
• Machinery occupies a small footprint, ideally suited for retrofitting in supermarket or municipal areas.
• The machine is weather proofed for outside use and is IP56 rated.