Николай Батаев | stock.adobe.com
The Polystyrene Recycling Alliance (PSRA), a Washington-based organization working toward polystyrene (PS) and expanded polystyrene (EPS) recycling solutions, has partnered with Circular Colorado, a nonprofit focused on building circular economies across the state and the surrounding region.
The organizations say their initiative will expand access to EPS recycling across the state by integrating it into an existing collection and transportation network.
The partners are working to develop replicable statewide collection models for postuse EPS generated from a variety of applications and transport it to existing end markets.
To do so, they say they will leverage the Circular Transportation Network (CTN), a system developed by Circular Colorado for the Circular Economy Development Center (CEDC). CTN collects and transports recyclable materials from rural and underserved communities to central processing hubs, helping overcome barriers faced by small-scale EPS generators, including low material volume, high transportation costs and a lack of hauling infrastructure.
The organizations say EPS collected through this network will be transported to a facility along Colorado’s Front Range, where it will be aggregated, densified and shipped to end markets for reuse.
“This partnership represents a major milestone for the circularity of expanded polystyrene,” PSRA Chair Richard Shaw says. “By working with Circular Colorado, we’re connecting previously overlooked materials to existing recycling infrastructure. We’re proving that EPS is not just recyclable in theory, it’s recyclable in practice, at scale and with viable end markets.”
As part of the initiative, Circular Colorado will engage its existing municipal and commercial partners while expanding outreach to communities that generate the targeted types of EPS. The organization says this engagement will include identifying and addressing local barriers to participation, such as the need for collection bins, densification equipment or staff training. Where infrastructure gaps are identified, Circular Colorado says it will support communities in pursuing grants.
“Our mission is to build inclusive, efficient circular systems—and this partnership helps make that real,” Circular Colorado founder and CEO Laurie Johnson says. “With PSRA’s support, we can scale EPS recycling where it makes the most sense—focusing on the types of EPS that are clean, consistent and commercially viable. Together, we’re showing that recyclable materials like EPS can have a place in the circular economy when you bring the right partners and infrastructure together.”