By Ham Gillett

Styrofoam waiting to be bagged and loaded into trucks at the White River Junction collection event.

To begin with, “Styrofoam” is a brand name for the generic material called expanded polystyrene (EPS). For the purposes of this article, we’re going to refer to it as “EPS.”

On Saturday, August 24, eighteen volunteers in White River Junction collected EPS from 271 vehicles (some of which had foam from multiple households) in just two hours. The volunteers filled 76 super sacks, which completely filled three, 26-foot U-Haul trucks. This was the first EPS collection on the Vermont side of the Upper Valley. The event was cosponsored by Mascoma Bank, White River Junction Rotary, and Hartford’s Climate Action Steering Team, with assistance from The Greater Upper Valley Solid Waste District, volunteers from the Thetford Transfer Station, Norwich Solid Waste Committee, and other dedicated individuals. This event was preceded by several other events in Cornish, Lebanon and Hanover, NH, during the past three years.

The Gilford Transfer Station purchased the first EPS densifier in New Hampshire, spearheaded by Meghan Theriault, Director of Public Works. (To view a densifier, go to https://www.foamcycle.com/)  Meghan has written grants, given presentations, attended recycling conferences and multiple Zoom meetings, and worked with her peers and staff to make this happen. Thanks to her and her staff’s generosity and collaboration, we in the Upper Valley have been able to follow through with the idea of EPS recycling. Data compiled by Meghan shows that her transfer station costs have decreased due to the reduction in trips made by their solid waste hauler to the landfill. EPS removed from the waste stream leaves more space for non-recyclable solid waste in the large roll-off containers. In addition, the Town of Gilford receives significant payments for their densified EPS. (See below.)

Here’s how the process works:

An organization holds a collection event, providing prior instructions on what material is accepted and what its condition must be. (Clean, no tape, no labels, #6 only, etc.)

• EPS is collected, some broken into smaller pieces, and placed in big super sacks made of material like livestock feed bags. Dimensions are 42” x 42” x 55.”
• The super sacks are loaded onto enclosed box trucks and transported to the Gilford, NH, densifier. Round trip travel is three hours from the Upper Valley.
• Transfer station staff unload the sacks with the help of the volunteer truck drivers, and the sacks are stored in metal shipping containers.
• One day a week, Gilford staff processes all the collected EPS through the densifier. One person loads the material into a feeder/chute at the top of the machine. The other person sits at the side of the densifier where the heated, condensed foam comes out in the form of an approximate 2” diameter rope. The “side” person folds the foam rope back and forth into a special box about the size of a milk crate. When that box is full, the contents are called an “ingot.” After the ingot cools and solidifies, it weighs approximately 40lbs.
• The ingots are piled on a wooden pallet and stored in a metal storage container on site.
• Gilford coordinates load pickups with a company called Soprema, which has a factory based in Canada. Soprema pays the Town of Gilford for the ingots and manufactures 70% recycled content building insulation with the material. Other companies convert the material into architectural molding or picture frames.
• The best part of the story: Soprema is supplying insulation to a project in North Carolina that builds tiny homes for veterans.

EPS recycling has many detractors, and for arguably valid reasons.

Reason #1: Hauling a load of EPS (98% air) beyond 50 miles creates a carbon footprint that far exceeds the benefit of keeping the material out of a landfill. 

Reason #2: As anyone will tell you who has helped to organize, promote, recruit volunteers, collect the material in giant super sacks, load the filled sacks on trucks, haul the material to its next destination, and then unload it, it can be taxing, physical, and time-consuming work.

Reason #3: The cost of a self-contained densifier unit is approximately $80,000.

On the other hand, EPS creates toxicity when it comes in contact with our food, when it breaks apart in the environment, and when it produces methane in a landfill. It also requires an enormous amount of space in a landfill, and it NEVER decomposes.

For these reasons, and despite the arguments from detractors, those who have embarked on this endeavor believe that repurposing EPS is worth the effort. The overwhelming amount of material received, the many thanks, and the significant amount of generous donations received from hundreds of collection participants during the last three years further support our belief. Until EPS is replaced by a more environmentally sustainable product, we’ll keep at it.

Ham Gillett is the Program/Outreach Coordinator for the Greater Upper Valley Solid Waste Management District and Outreach Coordinator for the Southern Windsor/Windham Counties Solid Waste District.