Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is now able to recycle polystyrene waste from its production site in Chichester, UK, after the company's waste contractor, Biffa, found a solution for this difficult-to-recycle material.
The problems with polystyrene
Polystyrene is a strong packaging material due to its insulating and protective properties.
Once goods are delivered and opened, however, polystyrene becomes a waste material that companies must pay to dispose of.
As large, bulky pieces of polystyrene can take up significant space in waste containers they need to be emptied more often which becomes costly.
It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of tonnes of polystyrene waste is produced and sent to landfill annually.
This material takes up a large volume of landfill compared to its weight.
Rolls-Royce situation
According to Biffa, every week Rolls-Royce produce enough polystyrene waste to fill three or more waste containers.
"Rolls-Royce produce around half a tonne of polystyrene per month, which is not a huge amount, [making] it unfeasible for recycling companies to collect and recycle it,” Biffa operations manager Carl Payne said.
“The reason it is unfeasible is that polystyrene is roughly 95% air and only 5% recyclable material.
“Therefore filling a lorry with polystyrene is disproportionately expensive because of the large volume of space it takes up compared to the small amount of material that can be recycled."
The solution
Biffa manage all aspects of waste management in partnership with Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.
Using a Styromelt machine, Biffa is now able to recycle the company’s polystyrene waste.
The Styromelt essentially melts polystyrene to form a dense block of material that is reduced in volume by over 95% of the original material.
A two cubic metre load of polystyrene comes out of the machine as a small block (90cm x 25cm x 5cm) which can be stored and sold to recycling companies that turn it into fuels or new products such as garden decking.
According to Biffa, recycling polystyrene is beneficial as it reduces the cost of disposing the material, frees up a lot of space in waste containers, and reduces the volume of waste going to landfill.
"Our main objectives are to divert waste from landfill and reduce costs,” Payne said.
“Currently Rolls-Royce is looking to save £2000 to £3000 per year by recycling polystyrene."
The Styromelt system is designed and built in Rotherham, UK, by Purex International in partnership with Taylor Products of Cardiff.
Add a comment