Polystyrene which is industrially known as Styrofoam, is a plastic that has found its place in every house, every industry, it is everywhere. But the sad fact is that it is rarely recyclable. Even most of the recycling companies hesitate to take polystyrene products. The main reason behind this is the fact that petroleum-derived material it is made of takes long time to break down. It cannot be inserted into landfills as it will not decompose naturally with time, and will be stuck in the earth’s crust for ever. Polystyrene is highly inflammable thus it is not safe to dispose it with other waste products. Moreover, if swallowed by animals it can choke their digestive system leading to their death due to starvation.
But the properties of polystyrene make it inevitable to avoid its use. It is very light in weight, and the production is also very low. Hence it is possible to avoid its use at all. It is widely used for packaging goods, insulating buildings and offices, making objects for promotion and display, etc. It can be moulded into literally any shape. Polystyrene is thermal resistant, water and moisture resistant and is made up of 98% air. The list of products made out of Polystyrene will never end. You can find it everywhere.
The environmental hazards also cannot be disregarded. So we need to take initiative and take some steps to dispose polystyrene until some eco-friendly recycling technique is found. So let’s discuss few things you can do:
Reuse it for packing:
Most likely you will get polystyrene in packages that you may receive from different companies. Electricals and other fragile objects are packed using polystyrene. So you just need to keep them with you, and use it when you ship or pack anything. Sometimes, you may want to ship something to your far located relative then you will polystyrene at your home to pack the object safely and ensure a damage free delivery. I personally use it to send goods to my son who is living in hostel. I had just sent him a small optical mouse he needed for his laptop as he was working hard on his project. I just filled the box with polystyrene blocks and placed the mouse in between. He received it safely.
Lend some polystyrene:
Lending is something that will give you pleasure as well you will help someone. You can give your polystyrene to your friends or relatives for shipping items. Like, I gave it to my cousin who sold his digital camera on eBay. Even some stores or art classes accept polystyrene to make crafts and projects.
Go online:
There is one other good alternative to recycle your polystyrene. Just go online and find recyclers that accept polystyrene. There may be few in your areas or some distant areas. But you will definitely find one. You may have to mail your polystyrene to them, but that’s better than disposing it.
If you are really concerned about environment, starting your polystyrene recycling plant is also a good idea. There are many machines available in market that converts polystyrene in raw form that can be used to produce new things from the same polystyrene. All you will need to do is a little research and investment. You can take help from your neighbours in collecting polystyrene from nearby areas. Moreover, as there are very few recycling stations of this type, you will have a benefit and media coverage will also accompany.
So now you know what you can do with your polystyrene. Don’t waste this precious material. It can be used in many purposes. You just need to think wisely.