PSRA collaborates to expand polystyrene recycling and processing

The Polystyrene Recycling Alliance (PSRA), a North American coalition advancing scalable solutions to recycle polystyrene (PS) and expanded polystyrene (EPS), has formed a new partnership with Brave Industries, a national consortium of independent recyclers with operations across the United States.

This partnership aims to expand the collection and recycling of all types of polystyrene, including rigid non-foam applications (HIPS/GPPS), and foam formats (EPS/XPS) for processing and delivery to responsible end markets for use in new products.

Expanding plastics recycling in targeted markets 

The initiative will launch in Denver, Colorado, and Baltimore, Maryland — two key regions at the forefront of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) implementation. PSRA will support the project with grants for collection infrastructure that allow Brave to expand their reach and capacity for collecting and recycling all types of polystyrene. With Brave's national infrastructure of plastics processing facilities in eight states, both organizations expect this partnership to eventually scale nationally.

"As we continue evolving toward a robust circular economy, it's essential that all types of polystyrene can be collected and transformed into new products at responsible end markets, said Richard Shaw, Chair of the Polystyrene Recycling Alliance. "This partnership with Brave Industries is a big step in that direction. Our ultimate goal is to make polystyrene widely recyclable, and we embrace every viable collection channel and recycling technology to accomplish that vision."

"We're excited to partner with the Polystyrene Recycling Alliance to advance a forward-thinking, innovative approach to recycling all forms of polystyrene," said Adam Hill, co-founder of Brave Industries. "The model we've developed with PSRA demonstrates that scalable solutions already exist — ones that allow us to recycle more types of polystyrene and deliver recycled resins to responsible end markets across the states where we operate. This partnership marks the beginning of a broader vision for Brave Industries: to become one of the nation's leading recyclers of polystyrene through coordinating underutilized recycling infrastructure that already exists. We really just want to be the link that helps both sides succeed in the most efficient and cost-effective way possible, that's what fixes these systems and it's best achieved building these programs together."

Together, PSRA and Brave Industries are demonstrating how industry collaboration and market-based innovation can accelerate polystyrene's transition from a misunderstood material to a proven, circular resource — helping shape a more sustainable future for plastics recycling in North America.