Expanded Polystyrene

[Mick F]

Just had one of my fortnightly injections.
The pens arrive by courier every three months in a polystyrene box with ice blocks.
The ice blocks are cheap plastic bottles of frozen water and can be recycled easily with other plastic bottles.

What about the polystyrene box?
It's a very nicely made lidded box 14" x 14" x 12" and from what I've found out, our recycling centres don't want polystyrene and it goes into landfill.
The courier won't take the empties back.

We can re-use one or two for something or other, and we have a friend who want's one, but I'm taking delivery of these boxes every three months .......... four a year for the rest of my life!

What can I do with these things?

[[XAP]Bob]

Polystyrene is really easy to recycle, but it's so bulky that moving it around to do so is impractical.

Create some artwork? Make some comfy seats for mercian and moulton?

[fausto copy]

They come in handy for transporting tropical fish, keeping the water at a nice temperature between pet shop and home.
Have you got a shop nearby that might be grateful?

fausto.

[Mick F]

They come in handy for transporting tropical fish, keeping the water at a nice temperature between pet shop and home.
Have you got a shop nearby that might be grateful?

Great idea!
It must be a good idea, coz Mrs Mick F likes it.

We're off into Tavistock later this morning, so we can call in at Ron's Pet Supplies with one to see if they can use them.
http://www.ronspets.co.uk

[NUKe]

we really need a like button on the forum .
Mick please keep us posted of the outcome

[mercalia]

alternatively useful for transporting food that needs to be kept cool after visiting the shops? meat, ice cream?

[Mick F]

Yes, thought about that, but how many of the boxes do we need?
As it happens, the new system for my injections delivery has only just started, so we have one of these boxes, with another arriving in a couple of weeks. Three months later, we'll get another, then three months later, another one ............

I remember reading an article about a company who is making a cardboard version of "polystyrene" which is obviously fully and easily recyclable, and how this company is having problems getting firms to use it despite it's advantages.

[mercalia]

you could always store cycle things in them?

[Mick F]

They come in handy for transporting tropical fish, keeping the water at a nice temperature between pet shop and home.
Have you got a shop nearby that might be grateful?

Great idea!
It must be a good idea, coz Mrs Mick F likes it.

We're off into Tavistock later this morning, so we can call in at Ron's Pet Supplies with one to see if they can use them.
http://www.ronspets.co.uk

We asked ........................

They have the same problem!
Their fish arrive from wholesale in polystyrene and when people buy the fish, they bring the boxes back!
They told us they have about 40 of them.

[mjr]

Many years ago, I used to list boxes of polystyrene chips (saved up to fill one box from three or four deliveries) on freecycle and they always went - it was also an excuse to cycle to parts of the district that I rarely would otherwise. Eventually, the supplier who was using them switched to puffed corn starch chips which could be put dissolved in water and poured into the compose bin. So I'd list them on freecycle and also ask the supplier to switch to something easier to dispose of.

[fausto copy]

They come in handy for transporting tropical fish, keeping the water at a nice temperature between pet shop and home.
Have you got a shop nearby that might be grateful?

Great idea!
It must be a good idea, coz Mrs Mick F likes it.

We're off into Tavistock later this morning, so we can call in at Ron's Pet Supplies with one to see if they can use them.
http://www.ronspets.co.uk

We asked ........................

They have the same problem!
Their fish arrive from wholesale in polystyrene and when people buy the fish, they bring the boxes back!
They told us they have about 40 of them.

[fausto copy]

Another idea.......
store your leftover poppies in them.

[Ray]

You could paint one hi-viz orange and wear it on your head when cycling. Sure to save your life sooner or later.

igmc

[Psamathe]

Some people use polystyrene boxes to take frozen food home in (e.g. leave in boot of car and on moving purchases from supermarket trolley into car after shop, put the frozen stuff in a polystyrene box to keep it frozen for the drive home).

Ian

[landsurfer]

The boxes sound ideal for keeping fish at the right temperature before loading them onto your trebuchet and firing them into a lake ......