TOWN OF GILFORD BECOMES FIRST POLYSTYRENE FOAM RECYCliNG HUB IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

Town awarded $50,000 Foam Recycling Coalition grant to add foam densifier, becomes first hub location in the state to accept loose foam for recycling

RELEASED 8/23/2022

New Hampshire’s Town of Gilford received a $50,000 grant from the Foodservice Packaging Institute’s Foam Recycling Coalition to add a Foam Cycle system to its solid waste center.

The Gilford Solid Waste Center (GSWC), a source separated facility, created its Recycle Right campaign to encourage residents to recycle cardboard, mixed paper, plastics (1, 2, 5 and 7), metals, glass and yard waste, as well as specialty materials, including concrete, asphalt, batteries, tires, light bulbs, used motor oil, clothing and electronics.

The Gilford Department of Public Works became aware of an initiative by the New Hampshire Plastics Work Group and several district governors of Rotary clubs to create a hub-and-spoke system throughout northern New England to collect and recycle polystyrene (PS) foam. The new Gilford Foam Recycling Center will have an expanded service region to northern New England; within 50 miles of the location there are 125 communities and over 530,000 residents.

“The GSWC is frequently asked by residents if foam can be recycled,” said Meghan Theriault, Public Works Director with the Town of Gilford. “We are proud to become the first hub in the state to collect and densify foam for recycling, helping to divert the material from landfills, save money on trash disposal costs and potentially generate revenue for the community.”

The Foam Recycling Coalition funding will assist with the purchase and installation of a PS foam recycling system, including a foam densifier, at the GSWC location. The GSWC will accept loose PS foam, both rigid and food packaging, on site during normal business hours. Rotary clubs are also planning to work together to create numerous spoke locations where foam can be dropped off or collected at organized events. The clubs will handle the logistics of delivering the collected foam to a hub location, such as Gilford, where it will then be densified into ingots to be sold to end markets for manufacturing into new products.

“The Town of Gilford is a great example of a leading community listening to residents and working with surrounding communities to create a solution for recycling foam,” said Natha Dempsey, president of the Foodservice Packaging Institute, which oversees the Foam Recycling Coalition. “By Gilford taking the first step, we hope to see other communities throughout New England get inspired and join their efforts as either a hub or spoke to divert polystyrene foam from landfills and into new products.”

The grant is made possible through contributions to the Foam Recycling Coalition, which focuses exclusively on increased recycling of post-consumer foam polystyrene. Its members include Americas Styrenics; CKF Inc.; Chick-fil-A; Dart Container Corp.; Dyne-A-Pak; Genpak; INEOS Styrolution America LLC; Pactiv Evergreen; Republic Plastics.

The Town of Gilford is the 24th grant recipient to receive this funding since 2015. Over 6 million additional residents in the U.S. and Canada can recycle foam as a result of Foam Recycling Coalition grants. Visit www.RecycleFoam.org to learn about foam recycling, read about previous recipients, or apply for a grant.