Months ago, a large number of polystyrene balls were discovered along Manx Island’s coast. What’s worse, many of the little balls entered the sea. The beads are from the demolition of buildings. Recently, this event calls for our attention to polystyrene recycling again.

Those white and lightweight polystyrene balls are easily clustered on the beach and filled in hollows among the seaweed. A study published in the journal Environmental Pollution in 2020 estimated that polystyrene contributes to approximately 17.5% of the total microplastic pollution in marine environments. The spokesperson for litter picking group Beach Buddies said those polystyrene balls can cause massive damage to wildlife. Animals cannot tell the difference between materials like this and items such as fish eggs, since they have similar appearances. It is easy for animals to mistakenly eat these polystyrene balls, which may even cause them death.  



Developers should take responsibility for this issue, a spokesman from DEFA said. The developers planned to redevelop this site. It is vital for them to start recycling construction waste, or pollution issues like this will be more and more in the future. Polystyrene is one of the most common building materials. Accordingly, the recycling of polystyrene is now well-developed. Through mechanical recycling, polystyrene can be compressed and turned into different types of pellets. Also, developers can use recycled polystyrene to make new products or apply it in construction again, which means people can get benefits from polystyrene recycling.



As a UNESCO biosphere reserve, the island has a responsibility to care for the environment. Polystyrene waste can not only cause environmental damage but also make humans and animals in danger. The event calls for us to take full consideration of the elements that cause pollution and find solutions as fast as possible. People should take this event as a warning and learn the importance of polystyrene recycling from it. In the past decade, INTCO has fought tooth and nail for Polystyrene recycling and offered a variety of solutions to this problem.