Polystyrene at its best!

A versatile material with many applications, polystyrene is one of the most commonly used industrial plastics in everyday life and is found in packaging and insulation. Although it is 100% recyclable, it is recovered in only 35% of Canadian cities.

In an effort to reduce its ecological footprint by limiting the amount of waste sent to landfills, the City of Pointe-Claire has set up a permanent collection point for polystyrene since January 2016 in the Public Works parking lot (50 Terra-Cotta Avenue).

External companies then recycle, reuse, and transform polystyrene waste in several ways to create:

• urban furniture, such as picnic tables, benches, and flower pots;


• granular fill insulation;


• insulating construction panels.

The furniture that is created is made of a new type of concrete containing up to 50% polystyrene.

Polystyrene

Picnic table made of recycled polystyrene

There are two categories of items that are accepted:

Expanded polystyrene

• Styrofoam cups


• Coolers


• Protective packaging for electronic and household appliances

Extruded polystyrene

• Disposable plates and bowls


• Egg packaging


• Fast-food containers


• Trays for meat, fish, and poultry

Permanent collection point at 50 Terra-Cotta Avenue

Some important things to keep in mind:

• To avoid contaminating the waste, make sure that you clean your containers.


• Labels, adhesive tape, and absorbent pads must be removed.


• Rigid polystyrene is not accepted at the collection point. This material is used in food packaging, utensils, yogurt containers, drinking cups, and clear bakery and produce containers.

 

References

• https://www.chemicalsafetyfacts.org/polystyrene/


• https://www.plastics.ca/PlasticTopics/RecyclingPlastics/RecyclingPlasticFacts/Polystyrene