The Polystyrene Recycling Alliance (PSRA), a North American coalition advancing scalable solutions to recycle polystyrene (PS) and expanded polystyrene (EPS), announced a new partnership with Circular Colorado, a nonprofit organization dedicated to building circular economies across Colorado and the surrounding region. The initiative will expand access to EPS recycling across the state by integrating it into an existing collection and transportation network.
The partnership is designed to develop replicable, statewide collection models for poset-use EPS generated from a variety of applications and transport it to existing end markets. To enable this recycling breakthrough, the partnership will leverage the Circular Transportation Network (CTN), an innovative system developed by Circular Colorado for the Circular Economy Development Center (CEDC). The CTN collects and transports recyclable materials from rural and underserved communities to central processing hubs, helping overcome barriers commonly faced by small-scale EPS generators, including low material volume, high transportation costs, and lack of hauling infrastructure. EPS collected through this network will be transported to a facility along Colorado鈥檚 Front Range, where it will be aggregated, densified, and shipped to end markets for reuse.
鈥淭his partnership represents a major milestone for the circularity of expanded polystyrene,鈥� said Richard Shaw, Chair of the Polystyrene Recycling Alliance. 鈥淏y working with Circular Colorado, we鈥檙e connecting previously overlooked materials to existing recycling infrastructure. We鈥檙e proving that EPS is not just recyclable in theory鈥攊t鈥檚 recyclable in practice, at scale, and with viable end markets.鈥�
As part of the initiative, Circular Colorado will engage its existing municipal and commercial partners while expanding outreach to additional communities that generate the targeted types of EPS. This engagement will include identifying and addressing local barriers to participation, such as the need for collection bins, densification equipment, or staff training. Where infrastructure gaps are identified, Circular Colorado will support communities in pursuing grant opportunities.
鈥淥ur mission is to build inclusive, efficient circular systems鈥攁nd this partnership helps make that real,鈥� said Laurie Johnson, Founder and CEO of Circular Colorado. 鈥淲ith PSRA鈥檚 support, we can scale EPS recycling where it makes the most sense鈥攆ocusing on the types of EPS that are clean, consistent, and commercially viable. Together, we鈥檙e showing that recyclable materials like EPS can have a place in the circular economy when you bring the right partners and infrastructure together.鈥�