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Expanded Polystyrene

Expanded Polystyrene

Nearly 4,000 tons of expanded polystyrene (EPS) is disposed in King County (excluding Seattle) each year.¹ Because of its lightweight, it makes up less than one percent of the waste stream by weight; however, its volume is about 248,000 cubic yards.²

In January 2008 LinkUp completed a research study (PDF, 89 K) on EPS in King County. The ultra light, bulky nature of EPS makes transporting the material expensive and recycling a challenge. Currently, there is no local capacity to collect and process EPS to make it available to recycling markets. LinkUp is working in partnership with local businesses to support the establishment of EPS processing capacity..

Expanded Polystyrene Recycling Project

In February 2008, LinkUp advertised a competitive request for proposals (PDF, 70 K) to establish EPS processing capacity in King County. Based on their proposal, local recycling company Total Reclaim (external) was selected to receive technical and/or marketing assistance from LinkUp in 2008, to support its development of an EPS recycling program. To support a pilot EPS recycling program, Kent non-profit SKCAC Industries (external) was contingently selected to received technical and/or marketing assistance from LinkUp in 2009. Learn more about the Expanded Polystyrene Recycling Project.

Check back regularly for updated news and resources on EPS recycling in King County.