What expanded polystyrene is
Expanded polystyrene, or EPS, is a rigid cellular plastic. Polystyrene beads are expanded with steam and fused together into a block or a moulded shape. The finished material is about 98% air and 2% polystyrene, and it carries resin identification code 6.
Polystyrene is a thermoplastic. It softens with heat and re-forms on cooling, and it can be reprocessed into new material without being broken down chemically. The polymer in a protective end cap can be recovered and used in a new product.
What Foamex accepts
Accepted:
- White protective packaging from appliances and electronics, such as televisions, dishwashers and ovens
- White polystyrene fruit and vegetable boxes, cleaned, with all organic matter and labels removed
- Uncontaminated EPS offcuts from building and construction sites, free of mud and concrete
- White EPS beanbag fill, clean and free of contaminants
Not accepted:
- Coloured polystyrene
- Food packaging and meat trays
- Peanut-shaped loose fill
- Soft foam, foam rubber and foam wrapping
- Anything still carrying tape, strapping, or paper and plastic labels
- Material covered in food, paint, dirt, concrete or cement
Contamination is the main reason a load is turned away at the gate. Tape and labels have to come off, and anything with food residue on it is out. Foamex sites take rigid EPS packaging only.
Where to drop off polystyrene
All sites are open Monday to Friday and closed on weekends and public holidays.
| State |
Location |
Address |
Hours |
| VIC |
Bayswater North – FREE Public Drop Off |
31-33 Gatwick Road |
8:30am to 5:00pm |
| VIC |
Coolaroo – NO FREE Public Drop Off |
430 Barry Road |
8:30am to 4:00pm, commercial recycling only |
| NSW |
Revesby- FREE Public Drop Off |
31 Mavis Street |
9:00am to 1:00pm |
| NSW |
Orange- FREE Public Drop Off |
6 Colliers Avenue |
9:00am to 1:00pm |
| SA |
Edinburgh North – FREE Public Drop Off |
15 Peachey Road |
8:00am to 3:00pm |
Free public drop-off at Coolaroo is closed. The site still takes commercial recycling by arrangement, at the rates listed in the business recycling section of the Foamex recycling page.
Other sites in the network, including those run by independent EPS recyclers, are mapped on the StyroCycle website.
How much you can drop off for free
Drop-off is free for occasional users, up to a car boot, ute load, small or medium van, or a small trailer load to a maximum of 8 ft by 5 ft. Fees apply to regular drop-offs and to volumes above those limits. Call 1300 AU FOAM (1300 283 626) to check before making the trip with a large load.
Recycling for businesses
Distributors, retailers, councils and waste management companies generate EPS packaging in volumes a public drop-off point is not built for. What Foamex can offer depends on the state.
- Victoria and South Australia: collection and bulk drop-off, subject to volume and location
- New South Wales: bulk drop-off with paid processing. Collection is not available.
Rates are listed in the business recycling section of the Foamex recycling page.
Recycling on building sites
Slab construction produces EPS offcuts, and on a large site the loose foam accumulates quickly. Foamex is a member of Expanded Polystyrene Australia and runs a construction recycling service for builders working with EPS waffle pods, supplying scrap bags and tie-downs and collecting the full bags from site.
Bagging offcuts as they are cut stops them blowing across the site and keeps them clean enough to be reprocessed. Offcuts that have picked up mud or concrete cannot be recovered.
What happens to the polystyrene afterwards
Dropped-off material is checked for contamination, compacted to remove the air, and reprocessed into feedstock. Foamex runs its own recycling infrastructure and feeds the recovered material back into its manufacturing.
Recovered EPS goes back into:
Frequently asked questions
Can polystyrene be recycled in Australia? Yes. Expanded polystyrene is recyclable and can be recycled more than once, but it has to go to a facility that can handle it. It cannot go in a kerbside recycling bin.
Can all polystyrene be recycled? No. Foamex accepts clean, rigid, white EPS. Coloured polystyrene, food packaging, meat trays, loose fill and foam rubber are not accepted, and neither is material covered in food, paint, dirt, concrete, tape or labels.
Why isn’t polystyrene accepted in kerbside bins? Sorting equipment at a materials recovery facility separates material by weight and size, and EPS is too light for it to place correctly. The foam is thrown in with the paper and breaks into beads that spread through the plant. Collecting it by truck without compacting it first also costs more than the recovered material is worth.
Why is coloured polystyrene rejected when the polymer is the same? Pigment carries through reprocessing. Mixed colour in the feedstock limits what the recycled material can be used for, so drop-off points keep the white stream separate.
Is polystyrene recycling free? Drop-off is free for occasional users up to a car boot, ute load, small or medium van, or a small trailer load to a maximum of 8 ft by 5 ft. Fees apply to larger or regular volumes and to commercial material.
Do I need to remove tape and labels? Yes. Tape, strapping and paper or plastic labels have to come off, and the material has to be free of food residue, paint, dirt and concrete. Contaminated loads are rejected at the gate.
What is StyroCycle? StyroCycle is a not-for-profit EPS recycling initiative run under the Expanded Polystyrene Australia program, in partnership with councils, businesses and EPS manufacturers. Foamex is a StyroCycle partner and operates drop-off points under the program.
What is recycled polystyrene made into? At Foamex, recovered EPS goes into building insulation, void formers and lightweight civil fill for road and bridge work.
Get in touch
For drop-off enquiries, commercial collection or construction site pick-up, call 1300 AU FOAM (1300 283 626) or use the contact form. Service details and current hours are on the Foamex recycling page.
