Polystyrene compressor recycles bulky packaging

Polystyrene packaging material that is delivered to the Greater Toowoomba Waste Management Facility soon will be recycled for use in cladding and flooring products.

Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) Water and Waste Committee chair Cr Rebecca Vonhoff said Council was pleased to add polystyrene to the list of items that residents and commercial operators could recycle for free at the Greater Toowoomba Waste Management Facility.

“Council recently bought a machine that uses heat and pressure to compress expanded polystyrene into ‘bricks’ that are sold for use in flooring, cladding and other applications,” Cr Vonhoff said.

“This is a great re-use of polystyrene.

“Recycling the material will save significant space in our landfill, help to reduce windblown waste and also provide an ongoing revenue stream.”

TRC Water and Waste portfolio leader Cr Nancy Sommerfield said Council was completing work on the cage to store the uncompressed polystyrene that would be offloaded at the facility.

“Officers are finalising safe working procedures for the machine,” Cr Sommerfield said.

“The first processed polystyrene bricks are expected to be produced by the end of May.

“This is a new product stream for Council and we are among a select group of regional councils that is using this technology.

“We will monitor the recycling volume and consider whether to offer the service at other waste management centres in the future.”

For a full list of recyclable items and links to firms and organisations that offer recycling drop-off facilities, please visit www.tr.qld.gov.au/recycling

Caption: Cr Rebecca Vonhoff inspects the new polystyrene recycling machine at the Greater Toowoomba Waste Management Facility.