Styrofoam now accepted at Eco Station

As part of a one-year pilot project, the Eco Station in Leduc will now accept white block Styrofoam for recycling.

This service enhancement will allow residents to drop off limited quantities of Styrofoam at the Eco Station for free during regular hours of operation. A mobile processing unit that uses new technology will collect the Styrofoam from the Eco Station one or two times per month.

The Eco Station in Leduc is a shared facility between the City of Leduc, Leduc County and the City of Beaumont. In total, the pilot project is estimated to cost roughly $12,000 per year.

What is accepted and how it works:

• White block Styrofoam, often used to package electronics, appliances and furniture.
• Styrofoam must be clean and all contaminants (i.e., tape and staples) must be removed.
• The accepted Styrofoam will be compressed into large bricks and shipped to recyclers to form plastic pellets used to make new items (i.e., moldings for cabinetry, tiles and frames).

What is not accepted:

• Coloured or dirty Styrofoam.
• Plates, cups, take out containers and packaging materials (i.e., peanuts/popcorn).
• These items should still be disposed of in the black waste cart.
• Additionally, Styrofoam will not be collected in the blue recycling bag through curbside pickup. These blue recycling bags go a facility that cannot recycle Styrofoam.