Want to recycle Styrofoam? Lansing has a new recycling drop-off site
Want to recycle Styrofoam? Lansing has a new recycling drop-off site
Yonkers Schools eliminate styrofoam food trays
Yonkers Public Schools have replaced all of its polystyrene (known as Styrofoam) food trays with 100% recyclable food trays.
Mark Vergari, mvergari@lohud.com
LANSING — Lansing has a new drop-off recycling center, open sun up to sun down, and it accepts polystyrene, also known as Styrofoam, at no charge.
Kerrin O’Brien, executive director of the Michigan Recycling Coalition, carried a brown paper bag stuffed with polystyrene egg cartons and tossed the lightweight material into the new containers at the city’s recycling drop-off center, 601 E. South Street, east of South Cedar Street, on July 18.
Polystyrene is typically a tough-to-recycle item, she said during a city-sponsored ceremony, adding that it tends to pile up in people’s houses or just get tossed because it is mostly made of air, presenting a challenge for collection and storing enough to resell.
The new center also takes cardboard, boxboard, glass, plastic, paper and food waste, also at no charge.
The city accepting the polystyrene will make a big difference and the expansion of recycling opportunities in Lansing has been in the works for a long time, said Lori Thomas, the city’s sustainability manager.
She said the site should help significantly increase the amount of recycling material the city collects, which is then sold to a broker, and the city would likely get better prices if it can deliver more materials.
Chris Swope, the city clerk, came to the opening ceremony with two large garbage bags full of city-related polystyrene.
The city has curbside recycling service at about 37,000 homes but the center will open up access for apartment residents as well as multi-family homes. The city collects about 6,700 tons of recycling a year, which is the weight of a James Madison class nuclear-powered ballistic submarine.
Mayor Andy Schor said he uses the city curbside service, but that doesn’t accept polystyrene, and the new center will allow anyone in the city to recycle.
“We’ve got a pretty aggressive sustainability plan,” Schor said. “This is just the next step of our sustainability plan, to make sure we leave an Earth for our children that we would want them to see.”
Contact Mike Ellis at mellis@lsj.com or 517-267-0415.