P-P-P-Polystyrene Packing Peanuts?

[Vermis]

I've got a couple of bags of these expanded polystyrene tumours. I don't want to just stick them in a landfill or pass them on in other people's parcels, but the local council doesn't recycle them and a nearby commercial polystyrene recycler won't even answer my emails. (They'd rather have a couple of skiploads than a couple of carrier bags, I guess, even if I just hand 'em over) After getting another nice big unnecessary boxful of them this morning I figure I should do something with them.

So, still thinking of alternatives, but does anyone here have experience or know of anyone using them in wargaming terrain? I guess they'd be easy to scrunch and glue together for hills and such, but is there anything else? How to compact or safely melt them into panels, for example?

[dampfpanzerwagon]

Please take this with all the usual disclaimers and safety notices.....

You can dissolve these with acetone.

You may even be able to use the sticky mess as a terrain building product.

Tony

[Cubs]

If you have 'Freecycle' where you live, you can get someone to carry them off for you, if they want packing material.

[ZeroTwentythree]

You can dissolve these with acetone.

That sounds about as green as setting them on fire or the landfill option. 


How about chop them up into small pieces for lightweight rubble?

[Mr. Peabody]

The last lot I got only 'looked' like polystyrene... They were some kind of water soluble, compostable organic material.

Mind, they were a light green colour.

It's no help for your bags of plastic crap, but At least there is some hope for the landfill.

Please take this with all the usual disclaimers and safety notices.....
You can dissolve these with acetone.
You may even be able to use the sticky mess as a terrain building product.

When I'm working with plastic card, I put all those styrene trimmings in a half-ful bottle of 'Pro-Weld' styrene glue. The goop that forms at the bottom is primo gap-filler for plastic kits. This is an old kit-builder's trick from way back.

[Connectamabob]

That sounds about as green as setting them on fire or the landfill option. 

Acetone, if allowed to evaporate, actually breaks down pretty quickly and harmlessly. The styrene won't be vaporized or anything, just liquified, then re-solidified as the acetone evaporates off. So it's actually way, way greener than burning it would be.

...But it doesn't really dispose of anything. You still have a pile of polystyrene, just in slag form instead of foam. Takes up way less space... but you haven't gotten rid of it. It'd kinda just be a waste of acetone that doesn't really get you anywhere.

Honestly I say DO send it along. That's probably the safest, greenest way of dealing with it. The more of that stuff gets reused, the less gets bought and added into the total system. I have no idea why reusing it in outbound packages would be undesirable, apart form maybe the idea that you're sticking someone else with the problem, but that's IMO not a concern since they can (and should) do the same.

Heck, I kinda feel like there needs to be a way to publicly share the stuff so as little as possible gets re-bought. Like, say, free bins at the local supermarkets where people can just drop off and pick up bags of it as needed.

[Momotaro]

The ones that look like Cheesy Wotsits are made of expanded corn starch, and they pretty much ARE Cheesy Wotsits, just with no flavouring added.

I personally wouldn't eat them, but they are biodegradable...

[Norm]

You could add it to any loft insulation if needed.

[Vermis]

...But it doesn't really dispose of anything. You still have a pile of polystyrene, just in slag form instead of foam. Takes up way less space... but you haven't gotten rid of it. It'd kinda just be a waste of acetone that doesn't really get you anywhere.

Yeah. Like I say, it'd probably be useful for lumpy hills and rocks, but I was wondering if it'd be possible to put it in some kind of mould or former to get some other reasonably usefully shaped pile of polystyrene slag. Basic rectangles or cuboids, for instance. Or is melting polystyrene not that mouldable?

As for solvents, I've had a sideways glance at that d-limonene stuff too. Seems a bit greener (seems, anyway) but is it as useful for this kind of foolishness?

Honestly I say DO send it along. That's probably the safest, greenest way of dealing with it.

Aye, probably.   Although...

The more of that stuff gets reused, the less gets bought and added into the total system. I have no idea why reusing it in outbound packages would be undesirable, apart form maybe the idea that you're sticking someone else with the problem, but that's IMO not a concern since they can (and should) do the same.

... I'm kinda wondering, will they? I get to feel all green and smug about reusing it once, then it'll likely go into a landfill anyway. Not to mention that I don't send out too many parcels anyway. (Though I might be having a hefty ebay session sometime soon) I'd leap at something like yours and Cubs' idea of public freecycling too, but 'til that happens, I like the idea of doing something a bit more permanent and - even better - modelling- and wargame-related with it.

[Vermis]

Hmmm...



I found a few tutes and videos about melting and reusing EPS with acetone, too. And about melting and reusing HDPE. I won't say it's ideal or easy or perfectly safe, but it looks like something I could try.

Better check for cornstarch peanuts first, tho.