Henderson County expands recycling options for residents with the addition of Foam Polystyrene Collection

Henderson County expands recycling options for residents with the addition of Foam Polystyrene Collection

Henderson County Solid Waste is excited to announce its Foam Polystyrene (PS) Collection Pilot Program. Foam recycling opportunities have been highly requested within the county and thanks to a grant received from the Foodservice Packaging Institute’s Foam Recycling Coalition, Henderson County Solid Waste was able to purchase a foam densifier. The addition of a densifier will allow residents to recycle their foam and divert waste from the landfill while saving valuable landfill space for non-recyclable items. The new equipment densifies the foam PS at a 90:1 ratio, removing most of the air, and creating condensed ingots. The foam collected at the Convenience Center will be processed on-site then the ingots will be collected and transported to an end market option where they will be recycled. Foam is a bulky but lightweight material, making un-densified foam difficult to transport affordably.

The foam collection pilot program will allow the county to collect foam on a regular schedule, initially starting with collections once per month. Previously, residents looking to recycle their foam foodservice and packaging products in Henderson County would need to store and save their foam until one of the bi-annual Hard to Recycle programs was hosted by Asheville Greenworks. Henderson County Solid Waste hopes these additional drop-off options will encourage members of the community to save and recycle their food service and packaging foam.

Foodservice and packaging foam will be collected. Foodservice foam including cups, meat trays, take-out clamshells, plates, and egg cartons must be clean, dry, and free of any food residue, rinse and dry before recycling. Packaging foam including foam coolers, electronics, furniture, or appliance packaging, must be clean and dry. Remove tape and stickers before recycling. Please do not bag your foam items. Some foam items not accepted include material covered in food residue, packing peanuts, craft or floral foam, soft/flexible foam, and pipe insulation. 

The pilot program will start with foam collection at the Convenience Center once a month, typically on the second Tuesday of the month from 7 am-4 pm. The first collection day will be Tuesday, December 13. The foam collection program is for use by Henderson County residents. No household trash or other recycling is acceptable in the foam collection bin. The Convenience Center is located at 265 Convenience Center Drive, Hendersonville NC 28791.

For additional information on this and other recycling programs, visit hcrecycles.org or call Environmental Programs at (828) 694-6524.

For detailed information about the Henderson County Foam Recycling Program, including event dates, visit https://www.hendersoncountync.gov/solid-waste/page/foam-collection-events

***At this time Styrofoam is not collected with regular city recycling. Please DO NOT add any foam products to your weekly recycling pick-up. Thank you! ***