Expanded polystyrene (EPS) is a common plastic that is not recycled via the kerbside recycling service. This doesn’t mean that pure, clean polystyrene cannot be recycled, though. With a grant from the State Government, NAWMA recently purchased a machine that can turn expanded polystyrene foam into a form that can be reused to make other items such as photo frames and coat hangers.
Residents can recycle household quantities of clean, white, rigid polystyrene packaging foam for free when they take it to the Edinburgh North Resource Recovery Centre, any day of the week.
Importantly, residents are reminded that polystyrene foam CANNOT be recycled through the yellow-lid kerbside recycling bin. Any polystyrene in this bin will be sent to landfill and may also contaminate other recycling streams such as paper and glass when it breaks into small pieces in the collection truck. If you can’t recycle your polystyrene foam at the Edinburgh North Resource Recovery Centre, please dispose of it in the red-lid general waste bin or take it to another specialised recycling facility.
