Recycle or re-use your polystyrene boxes

Recycle

Thousands of tonnes of polystyrene are recycled every year in the UK. This recycling is undertaken by responsible business organisations, as currently no local authorities in the UK have set up polystyrene recycling outlets. Polystyrene is a single, inert polymer which makes it extremely straightforward and safe to handle during collection, processing and recycling. To find your nearest Polystyrene recycling centre click here: http://www.eps.co.uk/sustainability/eps_recyclers.html. We advise you call before setting off.

Re-purpose or Re-use

Below are some suggestions for re-using your polystyrene boxes. If you have any ideas that aren’t featured below, we’d love to hear from you!

• Bringing on seeds – put seedlings in a pot inside and put a sheet of glass on top, creating a ready-made glass house that never loses its stable temperature.
• Planters for the garden.
• A window box that keeps plants warm through winter, so you can have vegetables all year.
• Bringing on leeks and carrots. If they are planted in deep soil in the box, they will grow straight and tall, looking for the sunlight.
• A good selection of mixed herbs will fit in one box. Grow on a kitchen window, you need never miss out on fresh herbs
• Grow mushrooms in the box (mushroom-growing kits are easily found online).
• Use a box to bring chilled and frozen food back from the shops.
• Take on a picnic to keep food at the right temperature (cold or hot).
• Take cold or hot meals to relatives.
• Store kids’ toys, e.g. building bricks, without all the clattering noise of getting them out of a plastic box.
• Use as packing boxes for small special valuables when you move house.
• Store dry pet food in them – with the lid on, the smell won’t get out.
• Use in a car to store used nappies on a journey, until you can dispose of them properly (the boxes are smell-proof as well as heat-proof).