Australia's plan to phase out expended polystyrene cannot go ahead because there are no alternatives to the material while it can be repeatedly used through Styrofoam recycling.

The Morrison government announced in March 2021 that Styrofoam used for packaging and protecting multiple consumer goods would be phased out. But the Australian Packaging Compact (Apco), a non-profit organization, claims that there is currently no alternative to Styrofoam. Styrofoam is applicable to package and transport fragile and delicate items, which can reduce packaging size and weight as well as fuel consumption and cargo damage during transportation.

Actually, Styrofoam has a close-loop recycling model and can appear on the market repeatedly in different forms. Through professional processes, including crushing, compressing, washing and granulation, waste foam can be converted into Styrofoam pellets, which are the raw materials of recycled products. In this way, Styrofoam recycling can be truly realized. In the close-loop model of Styrofoam recycling, specialized Styrofoam compactor is the first step and can achieve twice the result with half the effort. Due to the large volume and light weight of the foam, it is not suitable for transportation by trucks or containers, which will cost a lot and is inefficient. Meanwhile, the accumulation of waste Styrofoam not only has an impact on the 5S on the site, but also brings safety hazard. Hence, Styrofoam compactor is a vital role in the recycling process that can compress foam into compact blocks, convenient for subsequent process and store.

INTCO Recycling has been specialized in Styrofoam recycling for over twenty years and formed a complete economic closed-loop system for foam recycling and reuse. To carry out Styrofoam recycling more efficiently and with high quality, INTCO Recycling research GREENMAX Styrofoam compactor, which can compress foam into foam blocks with high purity at a ratio of 50:1. This Styrofoam recycling equipment combines crushing and compression functions and can be used separately. If the machine is equipped with a silo, the crushed foam scraps can be stored in the silo, and the machine only needs to turn on the crushing function. After accumulating for a period of time, the Styrofoam compactor can compress the foam scraps in the silo into foam blocks, which will not affect the instant processing of the foam and can save customers costs such as electricity bills. Additionally, INTCO Recycling supply foam block repurchase service for making environmentally friendly products such as floors, mirror frames, baseboard decoration, and acoustic panels. We have mature technology and production lines to manufacture multiple recycled products and then sold worldwide.

Now, Australia is launching a national Styrofoam recycling program for consumers called Styrocycle. As a Styrofoam recycling company, INTCO Recycling hopes that Styrofoam recycling will become more widely available.