Supermercati Tosano - EPS fish boxes

EPS Compactors: the efficient and sustainable choice of Supermercati Tosano

Supermercati Tosano, an Italian family-run supermarket chain founded in 1970, has found an intelligent solution to manage the growing quantities of expanded polystyrene (EPS) waste generated by its stores. With 19 stores mainly present in the Veneto region but expanding throughout Northern Italy, Supermercati Tosano is among the best-stocked hyper-food outlets in the area, boasting a Fish Department in each store that receives fresh fish every day from the Chioggia market.

In 2018 Supermercati Tosano contacted our Italian distributor Falcor to dispose of polystyrene fish boxes in their shops. The waste boxes accumulated very quickly, creating large volumes. Given the quantities of polystyrene to be disposed of, about 7 to 8 tonnes per year (20 kg per day), the first tests were carried out with the SK120 model. The test results were satisfactory, and Supermercati Tosano decided to install a compactor in each shop. The EPS compactors installed have a special hopper that can hold a larger quantity of fish boxes than the standard hopper.

As the volume of EPS crates increased, it was necessary to replace most of the compactors with the larger model: the SK200 compactors. The polystyrene boxes are manually loaded into the hopper, compacted into briquettes that can be placed on a pallet and easily stored. The installed machines feature manual channel adjustment. The polystyrene undergoes a volume reduction of 50 times, with a density of up to 350kg per cubic metre.

Such an important volumetric reduction allows the company to reduce the costs of the collection and disposal of waste EPS. The compacted polystyrene, thanks to the reduction of transport costs, becomes an excellent "secondary raw material" for various processes and can therefore be completely recycled.

 

Mr. Francesco Tosano is satisfied with the purchase:
"Thanks to the compactors, we have optimised the management of polystyrene in terms of space and frequency of waste collection."

Benefits gained by Supermercati Tosano with EPS compaction:

• Significantly reduced volume and space occupied by polystyrene boxes
• Easy storage of compacted EPS
• Reduction of collection costs
• Reduced environmental impact