Did you know that the world generates 2.01 billion tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) per year?
However, less than 20 percent of waste is recycled each year. That means that most of this volume ends up in landfills and irregular dumps.
Data released by the World Bank reveals that countries lose around US$ 6 billion a year when they fail to recycle their plastic waste, not taking into account any other recyclable MSW.
You can do your part by properly disposing of the waste you produce in your household!
What you call “garbage” can be transformed into new products when you do the simple task of sorting your household waste correctly.
By doing this, you can help to reduce the extraction of raw materials necessary for the production of new consumer goods. Thus, you help to save money, energy and clean water.
And not only that – waste discarded incorrectly is responsible for soil and groundwater contamination, which harms the ecosystem and human life.
Therefore, the more we recycle, the more can be reused and the more we protect our natural resources!
Recycling offers job opportunities and guarantees the livelihood of many families.
EPS (better known as Styrofoam*) packages, boxes and trays, milk cartons, steel and aluminum cans, glass, plastic bottles and containers are some examples of recyclable items.
You may be surprised, but the answer is yes.
EPS (better known as Styrofoam*) is a type of plastic, so it is a recyclable material!
Watch the video below and see how the EPS recycling process works:
This is a topic that raises a lot of questions. Please keep in mind that the “trash” travels a long way until it reaches the recycling site.
Besides that, the presence of residues such as leftover food could make the recycling process difficult or even impossible. Because of this, it is very important that you clean the containers and packages before discarding them.
No! It is not necessary to do such a thorough cleaning. Most of the time you don’t even need to use water, you can just take advantage of already-used napkins and clean the items.
But if you are going to use water, just leave your items in the sink so they can be washed with the water you’re using for the dishes. Never use clean water.
Remember: To recycle EPS, it must be clean at the time of disposal!
Pioneer in recycling of this material, Termotécnica has been developing
the EPS Recycling Program since 2007.
The initiative brings together a wide chain that has more than a thousand drop-off locations and more than 300 recycling cooperative partners, which have already ensured the correct destination of more than 48 thousand tons of EPS. We recycle 1/3 of all post-consumption EPS in Brazil.
Termotécnica is a member of the Global Packaging Alliance and, together with the main EPS manufacturers of the world, we form a network for technology benchmarking and solutions for recycling.
Recycling is one of the pillars of circular economy.
EPS is 100% recyclable without consuming many natural resources
Check out how the process of the Recycle EPS Program works:
At the end of the recycling process, EPS turns into REPOR: a new raw material that can be used to make new products.
This application has been growing and conquering the market, especially in the civil construction segment, used as decorative and finishing elements.
Among the products that can be made with REPOR, there are buckets, hangers, rulers, baseboards and many more!
Tons of recycled EPS
recycling cooperative associates
Benefited families
Employees involved
In circular economy, everyone involved in the production cycle becomes responsible for the correct disposal of solid waste and the adoption of more sustainable practices.
Practicing a circular economy model creates more efficient management of existing natural resources, which keeps products, components and materials at their highest level of utility and value throughout their entire lifetime, ensuring more sustainable development.
In this sense, it is important to involve all chain links – industry, customers, retailers, suppliers, importers, cooperatives and consumers – to enable the whole reverse logistics process of post-consumption packaging.
The recycling of post-consumption EPS generates a new raw material used in the manufacturing of technical parts, baseboards, vases, decks, shoe soles, hangers, among other products.
EPS is one of the 20th century’s greatest innovations, which provides advantages in several businessess and segments. But did you know the material is 98% air and only 2% matter?
That’s right! EPS is the result of the polymerization of styrene in water, which turns it into a cellular plastic composed of 98% air and 2% plastic. In addition, it is 100% continuously recyclable, which means it can be recycled many times.
It is very simple to recycle EPS. Just send the material to your city’s selective waste collection, or to one of our Voluntary Delivery Points spread throughout the world. Or better: just dispose of it by putting it in the red recycling bins, alongside with other plastic materials.
Termotécnica has Voluntary Delivery Points at its factories and at its partner establishments.
Check your city’s selective collection day and organize your routine to correctly dispose of your recyclables.
EPS is a type of plastic; therefore, it can be easily disposed of in the red recycling bins.
Check the closest to you!
With innovation and sustainability in our DNA, Termotécnica is one of the largest EPS manufacturing industries in Latin America, and we are among the most sustainable companies in Brazil, according to “Exame’s Sustainability Guide”.
Our company works towards bringing attention to the possibility of recycling and reusing EPS. For this reason, we created the “Recycle EPS” Stamp to reach more and more people with our ideas, raising awareness about the role and importance of each one in this mission.
We also want to increase the number of EPS Voluntary Delivery Points to expand our collection network around the world, and to make the reverse logistics process easier. Thus, we want to provide greater integration among all components of our circular economy model.
We, through the commitment to our circular economy model, want to expand reverse logistics, recycling and reintroduction of products into new production chains. For this purpose, we seek to develop new partnerships to increase post-consumption EPS collection.
Companies, city halls and institutions can be part of this network. To do so, simply fill in the fields below and register as our partner.
Be part of this movement for a greener planet!
