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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.

 

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