Plastic Recycling, Inc. (PRI) opened a new recycling facility in Indianapolis, Indiana dedicated specifically to the recycling of post-consumer foam cups, foam take-out containers and other used polystyrene materials collected through curbside pick-up programs across the country.
This new facility, slated to be fully operational by the end of the first quarter in 2015, will greatly enhance the ability for local governments to launch recycling efforts to remove rigid polystyrene as well as expanded polystyrene from the waste stream and generate revenue. Currently, there are a number of cities in California that are aggressively recycling polystyrene, while other communities are actively investigating expanding recycling efforts to include foam. In addition, NYC is expected to test foam recycling methods this year, as required by local law.
The facility will initially employ 25 people and have a name plate capacity of 25 million pounds per year. It has been designed to allow for growth. The plant will focus on recycling dirty post-consumer EPS foam and rigid PS from material recovery facilities (MRFs) that draw their material from residential recycling programs and it will also have access to rail which will reduce the environmental impacts of shipping.
“We currently recycle about 60 million pounds of foam and rigid polystyrene materials annually but we have the capacity to do so much more,” said PRI’s owner, Alan Shaw.
“The residential recycling stream has been largely untapped by our competitors and we view it as a tremendous source for more of this valuable material.”
The new collection program is the result of a partnership between PRI and Dart Container Corporation. Through PRI’s exceptional recycling facility management and Dart’s experience with washing technology, the new program will greatly increase the volume of polystyrene materials being recycled each year.
Published in the September 2014 Edition of American Recycler News