Mecklenburg County Expands Recovery of Foam Polystyrene to All Full-Service Recycling Centers

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Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, is taking the next step in growing the county’s recycling program with the help of a $50,000 grant from the Foodservice Packaging Institute’s (FPI) Foam Recycling Coalition (FRC). The county has informed residents that it is now collecting post-consumer foam polystyrene (PS), including foodservice packaging, at all four of its full-service recycling centers.

The FRC grant assisted with funding the purchase and installation of a foam densifier at one of its four recycling centers as part of the program launch for foam PS recycling. Densifiers are used to compact foam products, like cups, egg cartons, foodservice containers and packaging materials, into foam blocks or ingots. The county plans to sell the foam ingots to local end markets to be manufactured into architectural moldings and picture frames.

“The county’s full-service recycling centers have seen customer counts increase 51% from 2019 to 2022 – driving our efforts to expand our recycling infrastructure and identify new recycling and waste diversion opportunities,” said Jeff Smithberger, Mecklenburg County Solid Waste Director. “The demand for foam polystyrene recycling and availability of end markets has created a viable opportunity to launch a new recycling program with help from the FRC grant.”

The foam recycling program will provide ongoing data on potential expansion to include more collection sites. The county has collected more than 70 30-yard dumpsters (over 10,000 lbs.) since the collection program kicked off on November 28, 2022. Since then, the county has added a second densifier, at the Tire and Metal Recovery Facility to handle the volume.
“Mecklenburg County’s solid waste division, serving over 1 million residents, is continuously testing and providing new opportunities to recover and divert valuable materials from the landfill,” said Natha Dempsey, president of the Foodservice Packaging Institute, which oversees FRC. “FPI and the Foam Recycling Coalition are excited to be a part of the pilot program to increase recycling of polystyrene foam.”

The grant is made possible through contributions to FRC, which focuses exclusively on increased recycling of post-consumer foam polystyrene. Its members include Americas Styrenics; Chick-fil-A; CKF Inc.; Dart Container Corp.; Dolco; Dyne-A-Pak; Genpak; INEOS Styrolution America LLC; Lifoam Industries, LLC; Pactiv Evergreen; and Republic Plastics.

Mecklenburg County is the 28th grant recipient to receive this funding since 2015. Over 8 million additional residents in the U.S. and Canada can recycle foam polystyrene as a result of FRC grants. Visit www.RecycleFoam.org to learn more about foam recycling, read about previous recipients or apply for a grant.

University of North Carolina Wilmington Expands Polystyrene Recycling with Support from Foam Recycling Coalition

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The University of North Carolina Wilmington’s demand for recycling services has markedly increased since the start of its recycling program in 1989. What began with a five-person operation has expanded to include collections, hauling, and processing capabilities with an on-campus hand-sorting material recovery facility and drop-off center (The Depot). Now, with the help of the Foam Recycling Coalition, the university will expand its polystyrene foam recycling capabilities to meet increased volumes.

UNCW received a $9,627 grant from the Foodservice Packaging Institute’s Foam Recycling Coalition (FRC) to purchase four containers to collect the increased volume of polystyrene foam. It will add a second densifier, donated to the university, that will double the capacity to process foam, including packing blocks, coolers, peanuts, foodservice containers, egg crates and meat trays.
“99% of all foam collected at UNCW comes from off-campus via drop-off at either our MRF or The Depot. As well as receiving material from the public, we partner with local businesses to process their foam,” said Feletia Lee, chief sustainability officer with UNCW Business Services. “UNCW is looking to expand our relationships with the city and county to target foam in their operations.”

“The University of North Carolina Wilmington is making strides to meet demand and create a circular economy with over 95% of materials processed on campus being sent to vendors in North Carolina. The Foam Recycling Coalition is proud to support the university’s efforts to divert more foam polystyrene from landfills,” said Natha Dempsey, president of the Foodservice Packaging Institute, which oversees FRC.

The grant is made possible through contributions to FRC, which focuses exclusively on increased recycling of post-consumer foam polystyrene. Its members include Americas Styrenics; Chick-fil-A; CKF Inc.; Dart Container Corp.; Dolco; Dyne-A-Pak; Genpak; INEOS Styrolution America LLC; Lifoam Industries, LLC; Pactiv Evergreen; and Republic Plastics.

UNCW is the 27th grant recipient to receive this funding since 2015. Over 8 million additional residents in the U.S. and Canada can recycle foam polystyrene as a result of FRC grants. Visit www.RecycleFoam.org to learn more about foam recycling, read about previous recipients or apply for a grant.