Polystyrene is a circular opportunity to be realized with the right infrastructure, the right policy signals, and the right industry partners already in place
The Polystyrene Recycling Alliance (PSRA), a leading North American coalition advancing innovative polystyrene recycling solutions, issued a comprehensive report documenting the current state of recycling infrastructure, technologies, and end markets for both expanded polystyrene (EPS) transport packaging and rigid polystyrene (HIPS/GPPS) packaging across North America.
The report, informed by rigorous third-party research from Resource Recycling Systems (RRS) and grounded in active regional demonstration projects, presents a detailed account of polystyrene recycling as of 2026—from collection infrastructure and recycling technologies to verified end markets and investment activity spanning the full value chain.
“This report is about evidence, not aspiration,” said Justin Riney, chair of the Polystyrene Recycling Alliance. “Polystyrene recycling is not a future goal, it is a functioning system with proven technologies, documented end markets, and active projects operating right now in cities across the United States, Canada, and Latin America. The question before stakeholders is whether they will use that evidence to support polystyrene playing an important role in the emerging circular economy for plastics.”
The report highlights key findings by the PSRA, including a substantial and independently verified 31% recycling rate for EPS transport packaging in North America, roughly 100 million Americans have access to recycle at least one polystyrene item, and the fact that three commercially active recycling technology – mechanical, dissolution, and chemical recycling technologies – can recycle polystyrene today.
Underlining the report is the most comprehensive inventory of U.S. and Canadian polystyrene end markets conducted to date. Commissioned by PSRA and carried out by RRS, the research identified 81 companies at 119 facilities receiving recovered EPS transport packaging and 45 companies handling recovered rigid polystyrene — spanning more than two dozen U.S. states and four Canadian provinces. End-use applications range from new EPS packaging and food-grade containers to construction materials and consumer goods, demonstrating the demand signal needed to justify continued investment in polystyrene recovery infrastructure.
The report highlights active PSRA-supported recycling projects as replicable models for scaling polystyrene recovery: a Foam Cycle densification installation at Nashville’s East Convenience Center, launched Earth Day 2026 in partnership with the Nashville Department of Waste Services; a statewide Colorado initiative through Circular Colorado’s Circular Transportation Network alongside a new Denver-and-Baltimore partnership with Brave Industries targeting all polystyrene formats; and a Mexico City collaboration with R3vira doubling micro-route collection citywide, complemented by a HIPS dairy-packaging recovery initiative with the Mexican Plastics Pact involving Danone, Lala, and Yakult.
With Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation advancing in Oregon, Colorado, and other states, PSRA calls on policymakers to let the evidence guide fee structures and to use EPR as a catalyst for polystyrene recycling infrastructure that is already proving itself at scale across North America.
Riney continued, “The facts are clear: polystyrene is not a material to be eliminated. It is a circular opportunity already being realized, one investment and one partnership at a time.”
