Celebrate Earth Day Weekend with Foam Recycling Events in Chelsea and Dexter

For Earth Day weekend, join the local community at the Chelsea Foam Recycling Event at the Western Washtenaw Recycling Authority (WWRA) site at 1187 Old Manchester Road. The event will be held on Friday, April 21, Saturday, April 22, and Sunday, April 23, with collection hours from noon to 4 PM on all three days.

In addition to the Chelsea event, the regular Sunday foam collection in Dexter will also occur from noon to 2 PM at the Dexter Mill. Foam collected at this location will be transported to the Chelsea event for processing.

The recycling event is dedicated to collecting closed-cell polystyrene foam (EPS), which will be taken to Dart Industries in Mason, Michigan. Accepted items include clean foam beverage cups, food containers, egg cartons, rigid foam packing material, and food and medicine coolers with tape and labels removed.

The foam collection events began three years ago as a grassroots movement by Bill and Glenna Jo Christen collecting foam in their Chelsea garage. The duo soon united with Nick and Michelle Stamboulellis of Dexter Township, who had organized their own foam collection drives.

Over the past three years, the Christens, Stamboulellis’s, and a small group of volunteers have collected nearly five tons of foam.

EPS can be detrimental to the environment for several reasons:

1. Non-biodegradable: EPS is a synthetic material derived from petroleum, and it is not biodegradable. It can take hundreds of years to break down in the environment, contributing to environmental pollution and occupying vast amounts of space.
2. Fragmentation: As EPS products break down into smaller pieces over time, they can be easily ingested by wildlife, especially marine animals. This can lead to physical injury, blockage of digestive systems, and even death for the affected animals.
3. Chemical leaching: Over time, EPS can leach chemicals such as styrene, a possible human carcinogen. These chemicals can contaminate soil and water sources and potentially harm living organisms, including humans.
4. Greenhouse gas emissions: The production of EPS requires the use of fossil fuels, which contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and, in turn, accelerates climate change.

The recycled material collected at WWRA (Old Manchester Rd) and the Dexter Mill eventually became picture frames, crown molding, and other plastic items.

Please note that construction-grade foam, such as Styrofoam™ (blue) and FOAMULAR™ (pink), as well as polypropylene (EPP) and polyurethane (EPE) foam products, are not recyclable at this event. While not recycled by Dart, packing peanuts will be accepted if contained securely and separated from other foam materials.

If you have any questions, want to volunteer, or need large plastic bags for the event, please contact Bill Christen at gwjchris@earthlink.net
or (586) 801-6199.

Photo courtesy WWRA