The trial is funded by a NSW Environment Protection Authority Local Government Waste Solutions Fund grant.
What is Expanded Polystyrene?
It is a lightweight, rigid plastic made from solid beads of polystyrene with air blown through it, so it consists of roughly 98% air and 2% plastic. It is commonly found in packaging with electrical appliances, laundry equipment and furniture.
Why are we trialling polystyrene recycling?
| Building a Circular EconomyThis trial supports our Zero Waste Strategy. Polystyrene CAN be recycled - just not in yellow lid bins. Collected separately, it will be processed by a specialist recycler and made into new products ensuring plastic resources remain in circulation longer. |
| Less waste, more bin spaceAvoids bins filling up with polystyrene following whitegood/electronics purchase and makes it easier to manage fortnightly garbage collections. |
| Saving Landfill SpaceEvery piece of polystyrene recycled means less waste going to landfill. |
| Keeping our streets cleanRecycling polystyrene helps reduce windblown litter in our streets. |
This polystyrene recycling trial is only for:
- Inner West residents
- residential quantities.
Prepare your polystyrene for recycling by making sure it is:
- clean and dry
- white only
- free of sticky tape
- free of any lodged materials (e.g. metal wires and wooden pieces).
Note: Expanded polystyrene should never be placed in your yellow kerbside recycling bin.
What we will not accept:
|
There are three ways to recycle your polystyrene:
Drop it off at Leichardt Community Recycling Centre
Address: 50-54 Moore Street, Leichhardt NSW 2040
Saturday and Sunday
7.45am - 11.30am and 1pm - 3.45pm
For more information visit:
Community recycling centres | Inner West Council
Book a doorstep collection through HomeCycle
Household Chemical Cleanout
E-waste and chemicals events | Inner West Council (More information coming soon!)
Council’s recycling partner has a truck fitted with a machine that processes EPS onsite. The machine melts polystyrene and turns it into a dense plastic sausage, which is then cut into small, cricket ball-sized pieces and packed onto the truck once cooled. Processing polystyrene in this way significantly reduces its volume, helping to lower transport costs and emissions.
Processed polystyrene is sent to plastic manufacturers and remade into useful new products such as insulation, replacement products and homewares.
To improve resident understanding of local recycling options, we have partnered with local businesses. When customers buy products with polystyrene packaging, businesses will let them know how to recycle it locally. Point of sale information coupled with a range of recycling options makes it easy to responsibly and sustainably recycle polystyrene packaging.