The US Plastics Pact (USPP) has taken expanded polystyrene (EPS) transport packaging off its problematic & unnecessary materials list after a review of data and supporting material.
The group within USPP responsible for examining the list concluded that this packaging type has a recycling rate of around 30% or above.
That level meets the requirement set out in Criterion One of the organisation's Decision Tree used to assess materials on the list.
The change covers only EPS transport packaging. It does not extend to EPS or polystyrene in general.
USPP said this form of packaging passes through the waste and recovery system in a different way from many other EPS items.
A large share remains in commercial distribution networks, which can allow collection and consolidation outside standard municipal kerbside recycling schemes.
In a statement, the USPP said: "The progress demonstrated by the EPS Transport Packaging industry is encouraging and highlights several approaches that can help advance circularity in other material categories. Building strong end markets through greater use of post-consumer recycled content can create incentives for collection and recycling.
"Investing in infrastructure that addresses material-specific barriers, such as densification to make EPS transportation more efficient, can help improve collection economics. And consistent data collection and measurement are essential to tracking progress, understanding what is working, and identifying where additional interventions are needed."
The move forms part of a broader review that is still in progress.
The workstream is continuing to assess other materials on the list and plans to issue further recommendations after those reviews are finished.
USPP said the update shows how its process for problematic and unnecessary materials is meant to operate, with the list serving as a structure for identifying packaging materials that pose major difficulties while also allowing them to be reviewed again as systems, markets and results develop.
The organisation said that further work is still needed to lift recycling rates for EPS transport packaging.
"US Plastics Pact drops EPS transport packaging from problematic materials" was originally created and published by Packaging Gateway, a GlobalData owned brand.