As the 21st Century begins, the desire of many of us to protect and preserve our environment is stronger than ever. Recycling is one generally easy and convenient way each of us can help. Recycling continues to be an important issue for the polystyrene industry, as well. However, the economic realities of recycling must not be overlooked and recycling should not be viewed as the sole answer for all environmental problems. When recycling is seen as the only way to protect and preserve our environment, we are ignoring many other factors that impact our surroundings.
Recycling is just one aspect of a very complex and inter-related issue.
While recycling is viewed by much of the public as primarily a social issue, few people outside the recycling and solid waste management field have examined recycling from an economic perspective. Much of the attention afforded recycling has focused on its perceived value. However, for recycling, or any environmental management alternative to be successful, it must be cost effective. Recyc ling must be economically viable when compared to other methods of waste management and resource conservation. At that time, eight polystyrene resin supplier companies invested millions of dollars to build a nationwide infrastructure to provide for polystyrene recycling.