Recent European data from 2018/2019 from the packaging industry association EUMEPS estimate total European EPS/XPS waste generation from the construction and packaging of over 527,000 tonnes. The recycling rate for EPS waste in Europe in 2018 was 27% in total; for EPS packaging waste 34%, and EPS construction waste 8%.

Available data for the HELCOM countries (Denmark, Finland, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, and Sweden) show that around 173,000 tonnes of EPS/XPS waste was generated in 2018. Estimates for Latvia, Estonia, and Russia are missing. The quantities of packaging waste correspond to the

Recent European data from 2018/2019 from the packaging industry association EUMEPS estimate total European EPS/XPS waste generation from the construction and packaging of over 527,000 tonnes. The recycling rate for EPS waste in Europe in 2018 was 27% in total; for EPS packaging waste 34%, and EPS construction waste 8%.

Available data for the HELCOM countries (Denmark, Finland, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, and Sweden) show that around 173,000 tonnes of EPS/XPS waste was generated in 2018. Estimates for Latvia, Estonia, and Russia are missing. The quantities of packaging waste correspond to the quantities used in packaging. Notably, only a minimum percentage of the waste from construction was recycled, partly because the materials are often contaminated and restricted flame were retardant.

In Denmark, a replacement extended classification of beach litter items was developed and implemented in the Danish surveys in 2018 to gain more knowledge on the occurrence of EPS/XPS. The classification grouped EPS/XPS items into six groups. The visual identification of EPS/XPS was supplemented with a determination of the chemical composition of all foamed plastic items using µFT-IR2 analysis. The foremost frequently occurring sort of foamed polymer was polyurethane (PU) which was observed in 53% of all foamed packaging items at six reference beaches, followed by EPS/XPS. The analysis for verification of the plastic types showed that 98% of all EPS/XPS items were categorized correctly through visual identification.

The results of the 2018 surveys show that the proportion of EPS/XPS of the entire sum of plastic beach litter items at six reference beaches was 11%, with ranges of 7 - 20% at the three selected Danish reference beaches in the HELCOM region and 1 - 14% at the OSPAR beaches. Due to the rarity, EPS/XPS would likely account for a smaller percentage if expressed in terms of weight, as has been demonstrated for river transport of plastics where EPS/XPS accounted for about 1% by weight but 14% of the particles. The results also show that the majority of EPS beach litter items are fragments that can't be traced to the first source.

However, amongst the foremost significant sources of EPS-containing beach litter were cups and food packaging (0.7% of the entire plastic litter) followed by packaging fill (0.4% of the entire plastic litter). The number of EPS/XPS >2.5 cm ranged in the Danish beach litter monitoring surveys in 2018 from 8 to 33 items per 100 m beach (collected over three campaigns).

Catalog of measures to scale back releases to the environment

The measures are briefly described with benefits and challenges, but an in-depth cost-benefit assessment of the varied measures has been outside the scope of the present project. An in-depth life cycle assessment to assess the possible environmental impacts of the measures has also been outside of the project scope.

The measures concern replacement of EPS/XPS for applications with a risk of direct releases to the environment, options for reducing the quantity employed by changing product design, options for improved collection and recycling, and requirements to manufacturers as a part of their environmental permits, among other options. The potential for release reduction has not been quantified for each of the measures. Possible measures targeting a number of the main sources would include:

• Releases from the development sector might be reduced significantly by increasing awareness and improved waste collection at construction sites. This would even have a positive impact on releases from the renovation and demolition of huge quantities of flame retarded EPS/XPS with HBCDD. Releases from construction sites are often significantly reduced by the implementation of techniques in line with the rules of the voluntary Operation Clean Sweep® program for producers/converters.
• End of EPS/XPS for take-away and another single-use packaging would reduce releases from recreational activities. The end would for EPS be in line with the approaching EU Directive on Single-Use Plastics. Similar measures might be implemented in non-EU countries within the Baltic catchment area.
• Replacement of EPS floats with alternatives could potentially remove the major releases from fisheries within the future. As alternatives aren't readily available for all applications, some innovation and development of better alternatives could also be needed.
• For packaging, the use of alternatives in settings with a high risk of release to the environment could potentially reduce releases to the sea, but most alternatives for applications, where water resistance is required, also include some plastics/polymer liners. Innovation and development of higher alternatives could also be needed.
• Releases from production and conversion of expansible polystyrene and EPS/XPS could also be reduced by further environmental obligations for manufacturers and other companies e.g. laid out in their environmental permits (not limited to EPS/XPS by applicable for all plastics). The wants may be in line with the rules of the voluntary Operation Clean Sweep® program.
• Improved recycling schemes may reduce the releases of EPS/XPS to the sea in the future, but most drivers would be reduced resource consumption and CO2 emission. Increased recycling wouldn't necessarily end in reduced releases of EPS/XPS if recycling isn't combined with improved collection and treatment schemes that specialize in minimization of releases during handling of the waste. Principles for better management may to some extent be drawn from the voluntary Operation Clean Sweep® program. Developing guidelines for better management of EPS/XPS in cooperation among producers/converters of EPS/XPS, waste management and recycling, could also be helpful to companies and therefore the authorities.

Overall Conclusion

Data allowing the quantification of the potential environmental effects of EPS/XPS in the Baltic at current levels aren't available. Beach litter monitoring indicates that EPS/XPS accounts for about 10% of the entire sum of plastic beach litter items, but the variation among different beaches is high. Thus far only Danish beach monitoring (2018) has attempted to specifically quantify all kinds of EPS/XPS separately from other foamed plastics. The assessment identifies several applications/processes which can be liable for a big fraction of releases to the Baltic Sea; it had been impossible to single out any major source. Measures for reducing the releases would consequently comprise a mixture of varied measures targeting the utilization of EPS/XPS for various applications alongside improved waste management schemes.