Several billions of polystyrene are produced every year, which makes it one of the most popular plastics in use today, in part because of the increasingly low price of production and in part because of its isolation properties and its resistance to heat and to water. Styrofoam or EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) has been in production since 1941 and is now widely used in a number of different industries. You might not think much about these materials when you see their scientific names, but nevertheless most British people have regular or even daily contact with Polystyrene and Styrofoam products. Read on to find out more about why you need to do your part in recycling Polystyrene and recycling Styrofoam, and to see how you can do that with the help of a specialised company like PolyMelt.
The truth is that many people come into daily contact with Styrofoam and polystyrene products, which they often discard in the first rubbish bin they walk past on the street. The Waste Management Act of 1996 created obligations which lead to the fact that most waste disposal services only collect rubbish that’s been pre-sorted by the consumers into separate piles for composting, landfill and recycling, which means that if you don’t sort your rubbish it doesn’t get collected. However, there’s no one there to enforce the same rules on the street, so people most often throw out their trash in any rubbish bin they see, or even on the street. Think about how many coffee cups, soda cups, disposable food packaging trays or boxes you’ve thrown away carelessly over the years, and think of how most people around you are doing the same thing with little regard for the consequences of their actions.
Indeed, it’s harder to feel guilty when you’re one in a sea of people all behaving in the same manner. But, just because your failure to act on recycling Polystyrene and recycling Styrofoam instead of sending it to the landfill doesn’t get noticed, commented on or penalized doesn’t mean that it doesn’t count. The United Kingdom’s landfills are filling up fast, in part because of Polystyrene and EPS waste, and they’re expected to reach full capacity in less than ten years’ time. Adding to the seriousness of the situation, Polystyrene and EPS have not been shown to decompose naturally for hundreds of year, if ever, so the problem will not just go away if we ignore it.
You can participate in recycling Polystyrene and recycling Styrofoam whether you’re a private individual or a business owner. Some of the best companies specializing in recycling Polystyrene and recycling Styrofoam—like the reputable PolyMelt—offer their recycling services free of charge, so you don’t have to worry about it costing you money. You might be happy to learn that PolyMelt also offers a free pick-up service for businesses that have large amounts of EPS waste they want to recycle. If you don’t have enough material to schedule a pick-up, band together with other families in the neighborhood and put all your Styrofoam/ EPS waste together so that you can all call for the free pick-up service provided by PolyMelt. Aside from avoiding a potentially long trip to the center for recycling Polystyrene and recycling Styrofoam, you also get to spend more time with your neighbors in the knowledge that together, you can make a difference.
Find out more about why you should do your part in recycling Polystyrene and recycling Styrofoam by working with a reliable business like PolyMelt to protect the environment as well as your pocketbook.