Surfboard Shaper Ellis Ericson Says He Loves EPS Foam Because it's Recyclable (Listen)

Jade Eckardt
·2 min read

Ah, the age-old debate of EPS versus poly foam.

Not long ago, Oahu shaper Glen Pang weighed in on the topic and explained the differences between the two.

Now Australian shaper Ellis Ericson is talking another difference between them on the most recent episode of the podcast "Surf Splendor."

"Surf Splendor" captioned the video above:

"Ellis Ericson discusses why he started shaping EPS surfboards, the benefits of working with EPS, and why he isn't going back to poly surfboards."

At the top of the video, the host David Lee Scales asks Ericson:

"Are you working exclusively with EPS at this point?"

"Pretty much, yeah," Ericson says, who later adds that he's been riding EPS boards exclusively for "six or seven years."

Ericson says he prefers shaping EPS because of its workability:

"I can get a huge block of it and cut my own rockers, and I can repeat those rockers. Because it comes from a square, there are no sort of preconceived curves within it."

But his favorite part about it?

"Being able to recycle it is like the cherry on top."

Scales chimes in:

"EPS is a hundred percent recyclable.

"An important detail for listeners though is that you have to have that EPS recycled.

"You have to take it or have it picked up to be recycled, otherwise it ends up in a landfill and it doesn't break down."

Ellis added that because EPS is actually one of the "worst kinds of micro plastics," shapers must be "really cautious with a vacuum on a planer, into vacuum bags, sealing, and taking it to the correct place."

Press play above for more shaping insight from Ericson.

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