Plastic Recycling Inc. (PRI) has opened a recycling facility in Indianapolis, Ind. dedicated specifically to the recycling of post-consumer foam cups, foam take-out containers and other used polystyrene materials collected through curbside pick-up programs across the country.

This facility, slated to be fully operational by the end of the first quarter in 2015, will enhance the ability for local governments to launch recycling efforts to remove rigid polystyrene as well as expanded polystyrene from the waste stream and generate revenue, the company says.

Currently, there are a number of cities in California that are aggressively recycling polystyrene, while other communities are actively investigating expanding recycling efforts to include foam. In addition, New York City is expected to test foam recycling methods this year, as required by local law.

The facility will initially employ 25 people and have a name plate capacity of 25 million pounds per year. It has been designed to allow for growth. The plant will focus on recycling dirty post-consumer EPS foam and rigid PS from material recovery facilities (MRFs) that draw their material from residential recycling programs and it will also have access to rail which will reduce the environmental impacts of shipping.

PRI currently recycles about 60 million pounds of foam and rigid polystyrene materials annually in the US.

The new collection program is the result of a partnership between PRI and Dart Container Corporation. It grew out of a chance meeting at a conference hosted by the Foodservice Packaging Institute.