One of his main qualities is the adaptability to any product

The Poliestireno Expanded (EPS) is a cellular plastic material with numerous applications in the field of the packs and packaging thanks to his high capacity of adaptation. By this reason finds in crowd of sectors: from the electronics equipment dealers equipment dealers of consumption (white and brown line), until in pieces of furniture, tools, toys, vaccines and alimentary industry (meat, fruit, vegetables, fish, ice creams). Every time they are more the sectors that trust the EPS like the ideal material for his packaging or embalado. Besides, it is necessary to consider also his diverse applications (helmets, tables of surf, structures of chairs for babies, etc.).

Between the most important characteristics of the containers and packagings of EPS are, in addition to his versatilidad and his sustainability (100% recyclable), his ligereza of weight, what reduces considerably the costs of transport. Have a big resistance to the compressesion, and are rigid and apilables, what allows embalar heavy products. One of his main qualities is the adaptability to any product. The type of packaging can calculate in function of the requirements of protection and resistance. This allows to optimise the consumption of material and at the same time guarantees the hygiene of the product embalado.

Has an excellent behaviour in the amortiguación clear-cut and calculable of impacts since it offers a solid protection and a high resistance in case of impact against singings or corners and capacity of protection. The ease of manipulation allows apilar the commodity without problems, so much in the warehouse as in the point of sale.

It has of a big capacity of thermal sensors isolation. Only a material of packaging that offer a low thermal sensors conductivity allows to satisfy the exigencias regarding the maintenance of the chain of cold and control of the temperature required. The EPS also has a big resistance to the humidity. The product packed in EPS admits rociado with water to the not being absorbent of the humidity.

Between his technical profits stands out the fact that it does not need setting, facilitates the enmallado of the palet, that the EPS can combine with other materials to form a packaging and/or embalado mixed that gather the properties wished of the EPS to which one the ones of the material with which combines ; that results perfect for the packaging of small quantities; and that allows the clear differentiation of the product in the point of sale thanks to his attractor trucks appearance for display units and promotions.

The containers of EPS are an optimum alternative to guarantee the conditions of maintenance of the foods. Thanks to his insulating capacity and of conservation of the temperature during long periods of time, achieve keep all the properties of the products. Besides the EPS has a big capacity of amortiguación of impacts, being a very important characteristic also of face to guarantee a transport and optimum storage of the foods. All the containers manufactured with EPS fulfil with the valid legislation in matter of alimentary contact.

Between the foods that usually use like containers EPS find fish and seafood; dairy products; products cárnicos; beverages; fruit and vegetables; and ice creams and confectionery.

Another very important application of the containers and packagings of EPS is in appliances and electronic of consumption, thanks to his big versatilidad and capacity of adaptation, as well as by his excellent behaviour in the amortiguación of impacts. These characteristics have done that the EPS position like the best packs and packaging for appliances, since besides it allows the possibility of apilar the commodity without problems, so much in the warehouse as in the point of sale.

The fragility of computers, accessories, electronic components, devices of audio and video, demand a solid protection that also offers the EPS. Thanks to his studied design, the containers of EPS are especially apt to be used in chains of packaging, transport and storage.

Also in the horticulture and the gardening, from the trays for the transport of plants, going through the semilleros, until special plates for the installations of heating in greenhouses, the EPS offers a range of solutions that cover all the stages of development and growth of the plants, protecting them during the transport until his final destination, as well as pieces of support for the crop hidropónico.

In the containers and packagings for juguetería is important the effect 'display' of the same of the EPS, able to turn into good display units of the products. The containers and packagings of EPS allow the manipulation and the transport without risk for the toys.

In the sectors of pharmacy, perfumery and cosmetic the containers and packagings of EPS guarantee the hygiene of the products during the transport and to his time transform in attractor trucks 'presenters' of the same when they are placed in the shop window or mostrador of the point of sale. Likewise, the EPS offers the guarantees of total hygiene and thermal sensors isolation for pharmaceutical products.

The big environingingmental value of the EPS is his capacity of recycled of 100%. Thanks to this singular characteristic, this material presents like the most viable alternative is terms of reuse and optimisation in the use of the natural resources, without seeing thus mermada the quality of the products packed or his insulating capacity. The companies of the sector through Anape, conscious of the need to close the cycle of life of the product and with the end optimise the gestión of the residue of EPS generated at the end of his useful life, in the year 2000 boosted a pioneering initiative, the project ECHO-EPS. Has like end collect, reutilizar and recycle the EPS post consumption through a network of centres ECHO-EPS. Thanks to this initiative, guarantees a correct gestión and treatment of the waste of EPS of packs and packaging as well as of the generated by the sector of the construction and rehabilitation of buildings.

These centres are managing of waste, and like such, fulfil with all the legal requirements established so much in the rule of state field like the autonomic. It is necessary to consider also that in addition to managing, treat and recycle the waste, these companies act giving a service of gather and transport of the waste in the points where these originate and concentrate.

Be centre ECHO-EPS involves to adapt the own installations of the activity of transformer of poliestireno expanded to the requirements of agent of waste no dangerous. For this, conditions a zone of gather, triturado, conditioned and recycled of the material. Besides, has to implant a system of quality that allow to guarantee the trazabilidad of the products recycled, ensuring also the quality of the raw materials used (waste of EPS).

The network of centres of gestión of waste of EPS is managed and coordinated by anape, the National Association of Poliestireno Expanded. At present it has six centres established by distinct points of the Spanish geography: Andalucia, Balearic Islands, Catalonia, Galicia and Madrid.

To attain the recycled of the waste of EPS, is fundamental the communication with the sectors that generate them. Like example, will treat the case of the waste of the sector of the appliance and the electronics equipment dealers equipment dealers of consumption, when being one of the main destinations of application of the containers and packagings of poliestireno expanded and because the packagings of these products have a high tax of recovery.

Anape, in quality of entity coordinator of the Project ECHO-EPS, contacts with the main points of sale of this type of products as well as his manufacturers. It established that the places of collected of this waste would realise in the ‘clean points' urban and in areas conditioned of the big available surfaces, when being places of big concentration of waste of containers and packagings of EPS.

When it has generated a sufficient quantity of waste, these move to the Centres ECHO-EPS, where are valorizados, managed and treaties under the supervision of Anape.en the Project ECHO-EPS of Anape also collaborate Cicloplast, that is the entity constituted for the suitable gestión of the plastic waste and, through an agreement of collaboration, Ecoembes, entity devoted to the gestión of waste of packs and packaging.