PSRA study claims ‘robust’ North American PS recycling infrastructure

The Polystyrene Recycling Alliance (PSRA), a Washington-based initiative of the Plastics Industry Association, has released a comprehensive study examining end market and recovery landscapes for four major polystyrene (PS) resin types across the United States and Canada.

Conducted in partnership with Resource Recycling Systems (RRS), the study includes primary interviews and a vetted facility catalog to develop a national inventory of companies receiving, processing and reclaiming different forms of PS in North America.

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PSRA says its study identified 126 companies operating a total of 169 facilities across 30 U.S. states and four Canadian provinces that are either actively receiving, processing or reclaiming some form of PS, including general purpose polystyrene (GPPS), high-impact polystyrene (HIPS), expanded polystyrene (EPS) and extruded polystyrene (XPS). The organization claims its research shows an established recycling infrastructure for recovering all forms of PS and is positioned for growth with “appropriate interventions.”

Specifically, PSRA claims the study reveals “significant maturity” in recovery systems for EPS and XPS withing commercial business-to-business supply chains. Researchers identified 81 companies handling recovered EPS and/or XPS, representing a total of 119 facilities across 30 states and four Canadiana provinces, with more than half operating as manufacturing end markets using recycled feedstock.

Today, PSRA claims there are more than 700 drop-off locations that support EPS collection across North America, with recovery pathways that include manufacturer takeback programs, self-backhaul through distribution centers and deployment of densification equipment at construction and retail sites.

For GPPS and HIPS, PSRA’s research claims to have identified 45 companies across 22 states and four provinces handling these recovered materials, with approximately 13 percent representing manufacturing end markets using recycled feedstock. Medical plastics currently dominate postuse streams being reclaimed as postconsumer recycled content, alongside electronics captured through specialized electronic scrap programs, according to the study. PSRA says it underscores the need to build reliable demand for postconsumer GPPS and HIPS and expand consistent postuse supply streams through partnerships with plastic recovery facilities (PRFs), material recovery facility (MRF) operators and chemical recyclers.

“The polystyrene industry is committed to accelerating recycling and recognizes that robust end markets are essential to enabling a circular economy,” PSRA Chair Justin Riney says. “This study provides the critical insights and data we need to have a fact-based discussion with stakeholders and inform strategic investments in the collection and recovery infrastructure.”

PSRA says its study emphasizes building “reliable demand signals” that encourage investment in reclamation infrastructure and establish dependable supply chains through partnerships with PRF operators and chemical recyclers.

“The research conducted by RRS provides a comprehensive picture of the current state of polystyrene recycling in the United States and Canada, demonstrating that different degrees of infrastructure exist to support a circular economy for polystyrene,” says Anne Johnson, vice president and principal at Ann Arbor, Michigan-based RRS. “Our findings show that with strategic investments in collection and continued growth in market demand, the Polystyrene Recycling Alliance and its members can significantly expand polystyrene recovery rates.”