First Consumer EPS Recycling Point opens in the UK The first expanded polystyrene (EPS) recycling collection point in the UK for members of the public opened in Northampton this week. The collection point is on the property of, and is managed by EPS Packaging Group member, SCA Tuscarora, who will remove the EPS daily and recycle it back into new protective packaging.
Typically, an expanded polystyrene pack only appears in a consumer’s home, when a high value product such as a TV or computer has been bought, which may only happen once or twice a year and at Christmas. This has made it extremely difficult to collect from householders. Aaron Stanshie,7 years old, inauguating the
“Consumers regularly enquire about how to recycle used expanded polystyrene through our website www.eps.co.uk and the Group was keen to respond to their requests for help,” explains Andrew Barnetson, Environmental Affairs Manager, EPS Packaging Group. “We hope to see at least half a dozen consumer EPS recycling points set up across the UK during the next few months,” continues Barnetson. “This is another exciting development that is being put into place by the UK EPS Packaging industry. We have already achieved huge successes —our recycling figures for 2002 were 40 per cent of EPS packaging manufactured in the UK. This placed us ahead of glass and aluminium and top of the league in plastics. “Now we want to make it possible for consumers to recycle their EPS packaging. Placing collection points on manufacturers’ sites is the first step. We hope that this scheme will demonstrate to Local Authorities the viability of collecting EPS in their own recycling banks,” concludes Barnetson.
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First Consumer EPS Recycling Point Opens in the UK
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“I am pleased to announce that, for the first time ever, the residents of the Northampton area do not have to throw a polystyrene pack away —Tuscarora can recycle it,” says Jonathan Haddock, Managing Director, SCA Tuscarora. 
SCA Tuscarora is leading the way in a national initiative that will see all major manufacturers of expanded polystyrene packaging setting up similar collection points for consumers to take their EPS packaging to be recycled.
