January 3, 2025 14:10

The first yogurt cups made from mechanically recycled polystyrene, used in direct contact with food rather than with a functional barrier, will appear on Lidl supermarket shelves in Germany early this year. This achievement is the result of extensive research, development, and authorization efforts led by Ineos Styrolution in collaboration with several industry partners.

The mechanical recycling process for polystyrene involves multiple stages, starting with the sorting of packaging waste using near-infrared optical technology and object recognition. This is followed by hot washing, flake selection, melt filtration, and pelletizing.