Polystyrene Shredder
What is Polystyrene & Why Shred It
Polystyrene (PS) is a synthetic polymer used in many forms, including Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) and Extruded Polystyrene (XPS). EPS is the “foam” type used in packaging (e.g. food trays, protective packaging, insulation) and is mostly air by volume. Because of its lightweight, large volume, and very slow breakdown in the environment, managing polystyrene waste is a big challenge.
Shredding polystyrene helps because:
- It dramatically reduces volume → easier storage & transport.
- Prepares the material for further processing (compaction, melting, pelletizing).
- Helps separate contaminants (labels, tape, other plastics).
- Enables more efficient recycling & helps reduce environmental impact.
How Polystyrene Shredders Work
Here are the main components & steps in a polystyrene shredding system:
1. Feeding / Hopper
Polystyrene pieces or foam blocks are loaded into a hopper. Some machines have a pre-crusher or shredder to break down very large or bulky material.
2. Shredding / Size Reduction
Knife or blade-based rotor(s) or tear type shafts reduce the material. Some designs (like knifeless rotors) keep more of the foam cell structure while still reducing size.
3. Screen / Sizing
The shredded material passes through screens or mesh to limit the size of flakes or fragments (e.g. 5-50 mm depending on design).
4. Compaction / Densification (often a follow-on or integrated with shredding)
Air is squeezed out; foam is compressed into blocks or briquettes to increase density. This helps in storage and reduces transport costs. Compression ratios are often large (e.g. 30:1, 40:1, 50:1) depending on machine.
5. Output / Collection
The final shredded or compressed polystyrene is collected (blocks or briquettes) for recycling, sale, or further processing (pelletizing, molding).
6. Optional Extras
- Dust extraction / air filtration to reduce fine particles.
- Adjustable screen sizes.
- Variable feed mechanisms (pre-crusher, screw conveyor, etc.).
Key Features & Things to Look For
When evaluating or buying a polystyrene shredder, consider:
- Throughput / Capacity (kg/h or m³/h) — how much polystyrene waste you expect to process.
- Size of Feed / Hopper — large feed for bulky blocks or packaging sheets helps reduce pre-cutting labour.
- Shred / Flake Size — what downstream process you plan (melting, pelletizing, compacting) determines required flake size.
- Compression / Compaction Capability (if included or integrated) — to densify shredded foam.
- Power / Motor Size — sufficient power for smooth operation without jams.
- Wear Resistance & Maintenance — blade life, ease of replacing screens or cutting parts.
- Noise & Dust Control — for workplace safety and regulation compliance.
- Energy Efficiency — some machines reduce volume strongly (e.g. up to ~95% or more) which helps lower transport costs.
Applications of Polystyrene Shredders
Polystyrene shredders are used in:
- Recycling facilities that accept EPS/XPS foam to turn it into new material.
- Packaging & logistics companies that have large volumes of EPS packaging waste.
- Fish/food industries (EPS fish boxes, coolers) where EPS is used and discarded.
- Construction & insulation leftover waste (EPS/XPS panels).
- Municipal waste management / industrial waste where EPS is collected.
Contact PROSINO team to choose your right size reduction solution today!
Quick links:
PROSINO XPS foam shredders and granulators
Follow us
Leave a message
SINOSHREDDER PRIVACY POLICY
We collect information from you when you fill out an inquiry or contact form. When submitting the form on our site, you may be asked to enter your name and contact details such as: e-mail address, mailing address and/or phone number, etc. Alternatively, you can choose not to complete our forms and visit our site anonymously. Any of the information we collect from you may be used to help us to better respond to your individual needs, and/or enable us to more effectively respond to your customer service requests and support needs. The email address you provided may also be used to send you information and updates pertaining to your inquiry and/or order, in addition to receiving occasional company news, updates, related product or service information, etc.
PROSINO SHREDDER does not sell, trade, or otherwise transfer to outside parties your personally identifiable information. This does not include trusted third parties who assist us in operating our website, conducting our business, or servicing you, so long as those parties agree to keep this information confidential. We may also release your information when we believe release is appropriate to comply with the law, enforce our site policies, or protect ours or others rights, property, or safety.
By using our site, you consent to our online privacy policy. If we decide to change our privacy policy, we will post those changes on this page. If you have any questions or concerns regarding our privacy policy, please e-mail prosino@sinobaler.com or mail your question to us at 1206 Yinzhou Shanghui Nan Lou, 1299 Yinxian Avenue, Yinzhou District, Ningbo 315192, P.R. China.
EXTERNAL LINKS & DISCLAIMER
Our web site has links to many other organizations with their permission. Upon leaving the SINOSHREDDER web site, you are subject to the privacy policy of the new site which are not under our control. PROSINO SHREDDER is not responsible for the content of any linked site or any link contained in a linked site. These links are provided to you as a service for you to better understand the different business relationships that SINOSHREDDER has established, and/or to point the reader to other possible relevant resources.