Catalytic degradation of polystyrene (PS) into liquid fuels has been carried out in a simple experimental set-up using 1 Sn/Al2O3 and 1 Cd/Al2O3 as catalyst. These catalysts were prepared by incipient wetness impregnation method and were subsequently calcined in a domestic microwave oven as well as using conventional method for comparison. A catalyst to PS ratio of 0.2 (w/w) was always used in the degradation reaction where the liquid product was collected and analysed quantitatively using Gas Chromatography (GC) with commercial fuel used as the standard. About 36-47 of PS was converted in the presence of 1 Sn/Al2O3 and 1 Cd/Al2O3 catalysts as compared to only 25 of PS converted in the absence of any catalyst. The selectivity to liquid product is between 86-97 while selectivity to gaseous product is between 3-14. From the liquid produced, aromatic compounds are the major component in all cases, followed by isoalkanes and alkenes. Alcohol is only detected from thermal cracking of PS while n-alkane was never detected. The aromatic compounds consist of ethylbenzene as the main component and n-propyl benzene as the minor component. Styrene was never detected in all cases. It is suggested that styrene undergo hydrogenation to ethylbenzene under the experimental condition. Microwave calcinations promote the yield to diesel in the presence of 1 Sn/Al2O3, while the formation of diesel-like components were suppressed in the presence of microwave calcined 1 Cd/Al2O3 catalysts. © 2011 Asian Network for Scientific Information.