Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: Exchange Network for Expanded Polystyrene Bio-Shipping Containers
EPA Grant Number: SU835512Title: Exchange Network for Expanded Polystyrene Bio-Shipping Containers
Investigators: Benson, Craig H. , Markley, Andrew , McCall, Benjamin , Baumann, Emily , Kooistra, Frank , Ottmann, Jared , Walsh, Jenna , Budke, Katelyn , Valko, Phil , Bradshaw, Sabrina
Institution: University of Wisconsin - Madison , Washington University , University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Current Institution: University of Wisconsin - Madison , University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign , Washington University
EPA Project Officer: Packard, Benjamin H
Phase: I
Project Period: August 15, 2013 through August 14, 2014
Project Amount: $14,999
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2013) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development , P3 Challenge Area - Chemical Safety , P3 Awards , Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Objective:
Biological research depends on the timely delivery of a large variety of temperature sensitive reagents in expanded polystyrene (EPS, aka Styrofoam™) containers. Thousands of these bioshipping containers are delivered in the biotech industry every day, and nearly all have a single use; the life cycle ends when the container is opened and the EPS container shifts from a critical asset (protective package) to a liability (waste). Typical bio-shipping containers are comprised of three components: an exterior cardboard box, an interior EPS container, and freezer gel packs. The cardboard box is readily recycled or reused. Handling the EPS container in a mixedstream recycling program is cost prohibitive. Consequently, virtually no insulated shipping containers are recycled, resulting in significant waste and lost value in the biotech industry.
During Phase I of our project we set up an EPS container collection program on the UWMadison campus for analysis, reuse, and recycling of this material. Since then, the following has been achieved:
- Our program began in August 2013 with deployment of EPS collection points at 6 campus research buildings. Our team analyzed the boxes entering our program for size, origin, cleanliness, and biological contamination. This collection program was eventually expanded to 15 campus buildings.
- To become familiar with the EPS supply chain, our team toured an EPS production facility, a polystyrene picture frame manufacturer that recycles all EPS collected in our program, and several local biotechnology shipping companies both large and small.
- A survey was developed for researchers to determine their needs, how they handled the boxes, and to identify improvements to our collection system that would increase participation. We also surveyed local biotech firms to learn their requirements and used their responses to improve our reuse program.
- We have reused a subset of the boxes we have collected through several avenues. First we took advantage of Surplus With A Purpose (SWAP) UW-Madison’s surplus sales operation. We delivered EPS boxes to them along with the packing peanuts and freezer gel packs that we collected at our EPS recycling sites. To date, SWAP has re-sold approximately 150 EPS boxes at prices ranging from $0.25 - $1.00. They have also re-sold a large amount of packing peanuts and gel packs.
- EPS boxes have also been provided for free to 3 local biotechnology companies, Aldevron, Protein Mods, and Stemina Biomarker Discovery (see letters) as a pilot reuse programs to determine how best to handle and distribute the boxes for commercial reuse.
- As of March 2014, our program has recycled 4.5 semi truck loads of EPS, resold over 100 EPS boxes to the general public for reuse and delivered EPS boxes to 3 local biotech companies for use in their shipping operations. Our objective in Phase II is expand the scope of our local EPS diversion program, replicate the Madison system at two other US research universities, and create an informational website to deliver location specific information on how to reuse or recycle EPS and EPS shipping containers.
- Our team combined all we learned from the Phase I project with literature data to produce a life cycle assessment (LCA) of our reuse and recycling program to quantify the environmental impact of implementing such a program. To date we have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 12000 lb CO2 equivalents through this program.
Proposed Phase II Objectives and Strategies:
The objective of Phase II is to maximize EPS recycling and reuse on the UW-Madison campus and implement the system we developed and optimized in Phase I at two other research universities. We intend to show that the success of the UW-Madison operation was extraordinary and that this program could be replicated at any large research institution. To help empower the public divert more EPS shipping containers (and EPS in general) from the landfill we will set up a website that will serve as a clearinghouse for EPS reuse and recycling opportunities nationwide.
UW-Madison Expansion. Reuse and recycling rates will increase on the UW-Madison campus by expanding EPS collection locations to serve all campus buildings where EPS waste is generated. We will inform the university public and custodial staff about the program through campus press releases emails and informational posters. We will continue to sell a portion of the boxes we collect through SWAP and we will transition our biotech shipper programs to a nonprofit sales model. Revenue collected from these programs will be used to defray collection costs.
New Collection Programs. For this program to be replicated at other universities, we must demonstrate that our success was not specific to UW-Madison. In Phase II, we propose to implement EPS reuse and recycling programs at Washington University of St. Louis (WUSTL) and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). These institutions were chosen for two reasons. First, like UW-Madison they have significant biological research programs that have resulted in many local small and medium sized biotechnology companies. Second, they have different biotech shipping operations nearby. Sigma-Aldrich is in St. Louis (large supplier) and Sony Biotechnology is in Urbana-Champaign (small suppliers). Thus, we can test the effectiveness of the UW-Madison program under different conditions.
Implementation of an EPS Recycling Website. We will create a clearinghouse website for the reuse and recycling of EPS containers that provides the closest recycling drop-off location and as well as instructions for setting up a reuse and recycling program. Website users will be able to add to the database of drop-off locations and add their own instructions and lessons learned in a manner similar to Wikipedia. As more recycling and reuse programs come on line, users would be able to add them to the database.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 2 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
Reuse, recycling, expanded polystyrene, insulated shipping containers, biotech, exchangeRelevant Websites:
Styrofoam Reuse and Recycling ExitP3 Phase II:
Exchange Network for Expanded Polystyrene Bio-Shipping Containers | 2015 Progress Report | 2016 Progress Report | Final ReportThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.