Polystyrene Recycling FAQs

Is Expanded Polystyrene Recyclable? 

Although Expanded polystyrene foam (EPS) is recyclable, it is challenging to find a place for it to be recycled. This is because recycling must be done at specialised facilities and should never be put in your recycling bin at home. Let’s explore why this is the case! 

The Recycle Mate Website states that:

“Polystyrene foam has a low density, and its physical structure is composed of numerous tiny air pockets, making it easily crumble when subjected to even minor mechanical forces or weathering. These small foam particles can become airborne and scatter, contributing to litter in the environment. They can also easily find their way into water bodies, posing risks to aquatic ecosystems. Because of these challenges, it’s crucial to properly manage and dispose of EPS foam. Expanded polystyrene is recyclable but NOT in your home recycling bin. It is too lightweight and breaks apart in the trucks and processing equipment, contaminating other recyclables” (Recycle Mate, n.d.).  

What recycling code is Polystyrene and EPS? 

Polystyrene, Styrofoam and EPS are all under code 6 (Foam Equipment & Consulting, n.d.) 

I think my Local Council has a curbside Polystyrene and EPS recycling program, how do I check? 

Your best friend for this is the Recycle Mate website. Click this link, it will ask you to put in your Postcode/area and what kind of curbside bins you have and it will tell you if you can recycle an item using those bins. 

The Recycle Mate website says I need to put EPS in my general waste bin, can I still recycle it? 

Yes, the Expanded Polystyrene Australia website has a where to recycle part which you can have a look at HERE 

You can also look at the Recycling Near you website  or Business Recycling 

However, as you may see there is quite limited recycling options.  

What is the Government doing to help? 

NSW EPA found EPS to be one of the most poorly recycled plastics in NSW. To help increase recycling rates for EPS:

“during 2012–13 the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) and the Australian Packaging Covenant (APC) issued grants to 19 organisations to a total value of $933,000 to build new EPS recycling infrastructure across NSW. The successful grant recipients included local councils, not-for-profit organisations and businesses that were either experienced providers of recycling services or generators (or aggregators) of large quantities of EPS in their own right” (New South Wales Environment Protection Authority, n.d.). 

Reference List 

Expanded Polystyrene Australia. (n.d.). Where can I recycle EPS? Retrieved June 18, 2025, from https://epsa.org.au/where-can-i-recycle-eps/ 

Foam Equipment & Consulting. (n.d.). What do recycling symbols on plastics mean? (Part 1). Foam Equipment & Consulting. Retrieved June 18, 2025, from https://www.foamequipment.com/blog/bid/34572/what-do-recycling-symbols-on-plastics-mean-part-1 

New South Wales Environment Protection Authority. (n.d.). Expanded polystyrene. In What can my business recycle? Retrieved June 18, 2025, from https://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/Your-environment/Recycling-and-reuse/business-government-recycling/what-can-business-recycle/expanded-polystyrene 

Recycle Mate. (n.d.). Packing foam. https://recyclemate.com.au/?council=392&binSystem=84&item=6425 

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