A company in Mexico, Rennueva, claims to have designed a machine that can separate the plastic polymers out of styrofoam into pellets that can be used to make transparent rigid plastic.
The process, called termodensification, heats styrofoam cups, packaging materials and those famous food-storage clam shells to the point that the five percent of it that is plastic can be compressed into pellets. Who knew that styrofoam was 95% air?
The company says that they will create another 12 to 18 recycling units before the end of 2014. If they can, this will be good news to landfill operators since that has been the final destination for a LOT of coffee cups, etc.