Grant helps ARR recycle more foam

A $45,000 grant from the Foam Recycling Coalition will help Austin Resource Recovery “increase its capacity to manage, process and recycle more foam polystyrene (a material not accepted in the city’s curbside recycling program), including foodservice packaging and protective packaging, at its Recycle and Reuse Drop-off Center,” said the city. The funds will help the agency handle a greater volume of foam from both residents and businesses. Foam has been on the increase – nearly 8,000 pounds a month over the past several years. “We are excited to see more material coming to our facility. With such an increase in the volume of foam, we were struggling to keep up,” said Assistant Division Manager Andy Dawson. Recycling more foam will help keep this material out of the landfill and assist the city in its zero-waste goals. As Natha Dempsey, president of the Foodservice Packaging Institute, which houses the FRC, pointed out, “Everyone benefits when more materials are recycled in the communities they serve, instead of going to landfills.”