Styrofoam recycling is balancing our needs for Styrofoam and protecting the environment

Styrofoam has become synonymous with our current resource-wasting society. Styrofoam is low cost, strong stability, easy cutting, sanitation, multi-function and other characteristics, less than one hundred years, it has spread all over the world.



Once, environmentalists strongly advocated a total ban on the use of Styrofoam products. However, during COVID-19, a series of plastic products such as goggles, gloves, protective masks and so on were the basis for protecting medical staff from virus infections. We cannot get rid of our dependence on Styrofoam, which we realized in this epidemic.

Styrofoam waste, which spreads across the deepest seabed and the highest mountain, reminds us that Styrofoam pollution needs to be resolved urgently. In the case where it is impossible to completely refuse to use Styrofoam products, how can we strike a balance between protecting the environment and using Styrofoam? Styrofoam recycling became the only option.



The main processes for Styrofoam recycling are divided into collection, compression, granulation, and remanufacturing. Among them, compression is an important link to reduce Styrofoam recycling costs and improve recycling efficiency. Professional recyclers will buy a high compression ratio Styrofoam densifier before carrying out Styrofoam recycling.

Styrofoam densifier uses hot-melt screw technology, through the combination of pulverization and heating, the air content of Styrofoam is extruded to change its expansion characteristics. After compression, Styrofoam will flow out like running water, and after cooling it will be hard and solid like a brick, so it is called Styrofoam ingot, and the volume ratio of Styrofoam waste can reach 90:1.



After Styrofoam waste is converted into Styrofoam ingot, it will be sold by recyclers to terminal manufacturers such as hangers, stationery, imitation wood materials, photo frames, etc. This is the circular economy model we often discuss, based on the reduction of unnecessary Styrofoam products, plus Styrofoam recycling, which is the best balance we can achieve at present.



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