In this episode, host Phil Tower speaks with Matt McPherson, Communications Manager, Kent County Department of Public Works.
Matt joined us to talk about the new foam polystyrene drop-off recently announced by the Kent County Department of Public Works.
New at the North Kent Transfer Station and in West Michigan, the Kent County Department now has a way to recycle a notoriously stubborn form of plastic waste: Foam polystyrene, commonly called Styrofoam. Public Works (DPW) has installed a polystyrene densifier, which compacts the material and bales it so it can be taken to a processor and reused. The material was previously not accepted, ending up in a landfill, because it is difficult to recycle due to being mostly air.
The densifier is available for Kent County residents to drop off foam polystyrene at the North Kent Transfer Station, located at 2908 Ten Mile Road in Rockford. Only clean, white polystyrene is accepted, including items like foam cups, coolers, packaging, and takeout food containers. Packing peanuts, colored foams, meat trays, and items with food residue are not accepted.
Residents can visit the North Kent Transfer Station every day except Sundays from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Foam polystyrene is only accepted at this location.
Online: Reimaginetrash.org
Matt joined us to talk about the new foam polystyrene drop-off recently announced by the Kent County Department of Public Works.
New at the North Kent Transfer Station and in West Michigan, the Kent County Department now has a way to recycle a notoriously stubborn form of plastic waste: Foam polystyrene, commonly called Styrofoam. Public Works (DPW) has installed a polystyrene densifier, which compacts the material and bales it so it can be taken to a processor and reused. The material was previously not accepted, ending up in a landfill, because it is difficult to recycle due to being mostly air.
The densifier is available for Kent County residents to drop off foam polystyrene at the North Kent Transfer Station, located at 2908 Ten Mile Road in Rockford. Only clean, white polystyrene is accepted, including items like foam cups, coolers, packaging, and takeout food containers. Packing peanuts, colored foams, meat trays, and items with food residue are not accepted.
Residents can visit the North Kent Transfer Station every day except Sundays from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Foam polystyrene is only accepted at this location.
Online: Reimaginetrash.org
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
This is iHeartRadio's West Michigan Weekend. West Michigan Weekend is
a weekly programmed designed to inform and enlighten on a
wide range of public policy issues, as well as news
and current events. Now here's your host, Phil Tower.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Welcome back. It's West Michigan Weekend from iHeartRadio. I am
excited to do this segment because this release crossed my
inbox just recently from the Kent County Department of Public Works,
and I was first of a little surprised to see this,
but excited as well. We are a recycling family in
(00:37):
the Tower household, and this has been a challenge for
a lot of people who want to live greener. If
you will really try to get behind recycling, as our
great Kent County Department of Public Works has tried for
years to get people to be thinking about as much
recycling as possible. And now Kent County residents can recycle
(00:59):
a no notoriously stubborn and difficult type of plastic waste.
And no I'm not talking about grocery bags. We're not
there yet, but this one is probably as bad or worse.
Something that takes like a gazillion years to break down
in landfills something that's like ninety eight percent air. And
(01:19):
we're talking about foam, polystyrene, styrofoam. It's in every kind
of box you get just about from Amazon or from
wherever you order something online, and just about anything you
buy at a local store that's packed securely is packed
with syrofoam. A lot of things that are shipped that
are temperature sensitive are packed with styrofoam. It's just about everywhere.
(01:42):
Matt McPherson is with us to talk about this important
new announcement from the Kent County DPW. He is a
communications manager with Kent County's Department of Public Works and
Mac Welcome to the program. I'm glad we had a
couple of minutes to catch up with you.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
Yeah, thank you for having me. Happy to be talking
with you.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
I'll be honest, I was a little surprised to see
this because this is a difficult to I mean, it's
one hundred percent recyclable material. As I have been reading
about it, foam polystyrene, also known as styrofoam. It's in
so many different places. It's in toys, it's in boat materials,
it's in boats. It's a great flotation material. Yet it's
(02:23):
so many places, but it's it's it's been difficult to recycle,
costly to recycle for years. But for the first time,
the Kent County North Kent County transfer Station in West Michigan,
you have in this is called a polystyrene densifier which
compacts and the material and then bails it so it
can be taken to a processor and reuse. So this
(02:46):
is a this is a really big deal. Can you
tell us how this all came about?
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (02:50):
Sure, So it was made possible through a fifty dollars
grant that was funded through the Foam Recycling Coalition. They
work to sort of increase recycling across multiple industries. We're
really excited to get this. It was a it's something
(03:10):
residents have been looking for and people has been asking
about for a long time where they can recycle foam.
So we're happy to be able to offer that now.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
So when people bring their unneeded styrofoam or poly styrene
foam to the North Kent Transfer Station, was just reading
that it's bundled and then sent to another place that
will break it down and recycle it if you will,
(03:40):
because it can be made into a lot of things
I was reading. It could be made into like you know,
park benches and picnic tables, the really durable plastic type
wood furniture. It seems to last forever, doesn't need to
be painted, so it can be recycled. It can turn
into other things with this this dense fire, if you will,
(04:01):
and it compresses and reduces the volume of the foam.
But this is this is pretty expensive equipment when people
bring stuff there, are you going to have a limit?
How will that work? Man?
Speaker 3 (04:11):
Yeah, no, we don't really have a limit right now. So, yeah,
we're located at the North Kent transfer Station. There is
a residential drop off there where there you can drop
off your plastics, cardboard, and then in that same building
right next to that is the polystyrene drop off, So
just to cut out in the wall and residents can
(04:32):
unload their car and toss it in through that window.
I was actually there the other day and there are
some people dropping off and had a whole car full
of seraphum that they had been saving up.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
So and this is this is just about every type
of polystyrene foam, but it needs to be clean, including
things like the ubiquitous styrofoam coffee cup, which is still
out there. People still make them because it's a good
insulator for keeping coffee warm the old coolers. Probably the
(05:06):
most challenging area I think is the food takeout containers.
These getting messy, they get greasy, but you will accept
them at the North Kent transfer Station if they are clean.
This is typically white polystyrene foam or foam polystyrene, and
(05:26):
you don't accept colored styrofoam, correct.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
We don't accept any color foam or packing peanuts. Actually, yeah,
so those are peanuts are Yeah, those come in multiple
different colors, so all the foam should be white. And
then that material that the peanuts are just doesn't really
work well in the machine.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
Yeah, that's a good point.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
Same with some of the foam that comes that's like
really flexible but might not snap in half like your
familiar styrofoam you can break very easy. There's that other
kind of foam that comes in packaging that is a
little softer and more bindable. We that cannot be processed
in the densifier either. And then no meat trays as well,
(06:12):
just because of the possible contamination that those could cause.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
Yeah, well, and that's that type of foam you were
just speaking to, Matt, which is easily bendable, doesn't snap
and break so easily like typical white sty of foam.
And I'm glad you mentioned that because I want to
clarify that packing peanuts not accepted, color phones not expected. Accepted.
Colored foams are not accepted. Meat trays from the meat counter,
(06:38):
those types of trays, anything with food residue, especially because
of the contamination of bacteria, that's not something you accept.
And I think a bigger point we should make Matt
McPherson with the Kent County Department of Public Works is
these items right now should not go into your recycling
bin if you are doing curbside recycling here in rapids
(07:00):
are in Kent County. I think that's really important because
you probably have to sort out a lot of these
items that still get thrown into a recycling bin.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Right.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
Yeah, that is correct. Yeah, some people do think that
it is recycled and can just go in your curb
side bin. But if we received that our recycle at
our recycling center, that does get processed out and then
we'll end up most likely in the landfill or we
would maybe take transfer it to our recycling drop off.
(07:28):
But yeah, we asked residents keep those out of their recycling,
and yeah, take advantage of this new hoone drop off.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
Interesting to note because I'm a nerd for trivia and
things like this. Matt McPherson, communications manager with Kent County DPW.
Cybrofoam was invented by a now chemical engineer, a guy
from Kansas in nineteen forty eight. It's been around that long,
so that's almost eighty years. Seventy seven years. Cyrofoam was invented,
(07:58):
and it was an accidental invention, and I was saying
earlier it was a mixture of a couple of different chemicals,
but ultimately being today what we know, especially the packing
material about ninety eight percent air. It's just, you know,
very very dense, but very super light. And that's why
(08:19):
it was such a unique thing to have for people
who are stopping by the North Kent Transfer Station here
in West Michigan recycle their white, clean styrofoam. This is
foam polystyrene, if you will. That's a proper way of
saying it. Styrofoam is what we all call it. The
North Kent Transfer Station is at twenty nine oh eight
(08:40):
ten mile Road in Rockford. A lot of people know
where that is and what are the drop off hours
for that? Matt McPherson.
Speaker 3 (08:47):
Yeah, we're open Monday through Saturday from seven thirty to
five pm, so closed on Sundays. That open every other
day seven thirty five.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
And if they have black or colored polystyrene foam home
or containers like that that are a different color, they
can hang on to them. There are some places in
Ken County that recycle. It's terrible to throw that stuff
in a landfill because it takes forever to break down.
Do you have any recommendations on for the type of
syrophone that you can't recycle yet at the transfer station?
Speaker 3 (09:20):
Yeah, I would say just look into other processors that
are around Kent County or possibly nearby. I don't know
any off the top of my head right now that
would take the color phone. But we do have resources
on our website, reimagine trash dot org that has a
long list of different processors that residents can utilize. We
(09:43):
have a residential recycling guide and then a recycling directory
as well, which will point you in the right direction.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
Yeah, You've got a lot of great resources at reimagine
trash dot org. Reimagine trash dot org. That's the website
for everything recycl here in Kent County and it's a
terrific website. Again for the first time ever, and this
is very exciting. You can now recycle white styrofoam or
(10:11):
foam polystyrene at the North Kent Transfer Station. And as
you heard Matt McPherson just say, the hours are Monday
through Saturday from seven thirty am to five pm. They
are closed on Sunday. But make sure that is white
only and it is clean. If it's a white takeout
food container, clean it out and make sure it's nice
(10:32):
and clean. But this is a great service for everyone
here in the greater Kent County area. Matt McPherson, communications
manager for Kent County DPW, thank you for joining us.
Speaker 3 (10:42):
Yeah, thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
He's been our guest on this segment of West Michigan
Weekend from iHeartRadio, and that's our program you've.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
Been listening to iHeartRadio's West Michigan Weekend. West Michigan Weekend
is a production of Wood Radio and iHeartRadio
This is iHeartRadio's West Michigan Weekend. West Michigan Weekend is
a weekly programmed designed to inform and enlighten on a
wide range of public policy issues, as well as news
and current events. Now here's your host, Phil Tower.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Welcome back. It's West Michigan Weekend from iHeartRadio. I am
excited to do this segment because this release crossed my
inbox just recently from the Kent County Department of Public Works,
and I was first of a little surprised to see this,
but excited as well. We are a recycling family in
(00:37):
the Tower household, and this has been a challenge for
a lot of people who want to live greener. If
you will really try to get behind recycling, as our
great Kent County Department of Public Works has tried for
years to get people to be thinking about as much
recycling as possible. And now Kent County residents can recycle
(00:59):
a no notoriously stubborn and difficult type of plastic waste.
And no I'm not talking about grocery bags. We're not
there yet, but this one is probably as bad or worse.
Something that takes like a gazillion years to break down
in landfills something that's like ninety eight percent air. And
(01:19):
we're talking about foam, polystyrene, styrofoam. It's in every kind
of box you get just about from Amazon or from
wherever you order something online, and just about anything you
buy at a local store that's packed securely is packed
with syrofoam. A lot of things that are shipped that
are temperature sensitive are packed with styrofoam. It's just about everywhere.
(01:42):
Matt McPherson is with us to talk about this important
new announcement from the Kent County DPW. He is a
communications manager with Kent County's Department of Public Works and
Mac Welcome to the program. I'm glad we had a
couple of minutes to catch up with you.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
Yeah, thank you for having me. Happy to be talking
with you.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
I'll be honest, I was a little surprised to see
this because this is a difficult to I mean, it's
one hundred percent recyclable material. As I have been reading
about it, foam polystyrene, also known as styrofoam. It's in
so many different places. It's in toys, it's in boat materials,
it's in boats. It's a great flotation material. Yet it's
(02:23):
so many places, but it's it's it's been difficult to recycle,
costly to recycle for years. But for the first time,
the Kent County North Kent County transfer Station in West Michigan,
you have in this is called a polystyrene densifier which
compacts and the material and then bails it so it
can be taken to a processor and reuse. So this
(02:46):
is a this is a really big deal. Can you
tell us how this all came about?
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (02:50):
Sure, So it was made possible through a fifty dollars
grant that was funded through the Foam Recycling Coalition. They
work to sort of increase recycling across multiple industries. We're
really excited to get this. It was a it's something
(03:10):
residents have been looking for and people has been asking
about for a long time where they can recycle foam.
So we're happy to be able to offer that now.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
So when people bring their unneeded styrofoam or poly styrene
foam to the North Kent Transfer Station, was just reading
that it's bundled and then sent to another place that
will break it down and recycle it if you will,
(03:40):
because it can be made into a lot of things
I was reading. It could be made into like you know,
park benches and picnic tables, the really durable plastic type
wood furniture. It seems to last forever, doesn't need to
be painted, so it can be recycled. It can turn
into other things with this this dense fire, if you will,
(04:01):
and it compresses and reduces the volume of the foam.
But this is this is pretty expensive equipment when people
bring stuff there, are you going to have a limit?
How will that work? Man?
Speaker 3 (04:11):
Yeah, no, we don't really have a limit right now. So, yeah,
we're located at the North Kent transfer Station. There is
a residential drop off there where there you can drop
off your plastics, cardboard, and then in that same building
right next to that is the polystyrene drop off, So
just to cut out in the wall and residents can
(04:32):
unload their car and toss it in through that window.
I was actually there the other day and there are
some people dropping off and had a whole car full
of seraphum that they had been saving up.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
So and this is this is just about every type
of polystyrene foam, but it needs to be clean, including
things like the ubiquitous styrofoam coffee cup, which is still
out there. People still make them because it's a good
insulator for keeping coffee warm the old coolers. Probably the
(05:06):
most challenging area I think is the food takeout containers.
These getting messy, they get greasy, but you will accept
them at the North Kent transfer Station if they are clean.
This is typically white polystyrene foam or foam polystyrene, and
(05:26):
you don't accept colored styrofoam, correct.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
We don't accept any color foam or packing peanuts. Actually, yeah,
so those are peanuts are Yeah, those come in multiple
different colors, so all the foam should be white. And
then that material that the peanuts are just doesn't really
work well in the machine.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
Yeah, that's a good point.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
Same with some of the foam that comes that's like
really flexible but might not snap in half like your
familiar styrofoam you can break very easy. There's that other
kind of foam that comes in packaging that is a
little softer and more bindable. We that cannot be processed
in the densifier either. And then no meat trays as well,
(06:12):
just because of the possible contamination that those could cause.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
Yeah, well, and that's that type of foam you were
just speaking to, Matt, which is easily bendable, doesn't snap
and break so easily like typical white sty of foam.
And I'm glad you mentioned that because I want to
clarify that packing peanuts not accepted, color phones not expected. Accepted.
Colored foams are not accepted. Meat trays from the meat counter,
(06:38):
those types of trays, anything with food residue, especially because
of the contamination of bacteria, that's not something you accept.
And I think a bigger point we should make Matt
McPherson with the Kent County Department of Public Works is
these items right now should not go into your recycling
bin if you are doing curbside recycling here in rapids
(07:00):
are in Kent County. I think that's really important because
you probably have to sort out a lot of these
items that still get thrown into a recycling bin.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Right.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
Yeah, that is correct. Yeah, some people do think that
it is recycled and can just go in your curb
side bin. But if we received that our recycle at
our recycling center, that does get processed out and then
we'll end up most likely in the landfill or we
would maybe take transfer it to our recycling drop off.
(07:28):
But yeah, we asked residents keep those out of their recycling,
and yeah, take advantage of this new hoone drop off.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
Interesting to note because I'm a nerd for trivia and
things like this. Matt McPherson, communications manager with Kent County DPW.
Cybrofoam was invented by a now chemical engineer, a guy
from Kansas in nineteen forty eight. It's been around that long,
so that's almost eighty years. Seventy seven years. Cyrofoam was invented,
(07:58):
and it was an accidental invention, and I was saying
earlier it was a mixture of a couple of different chemicals,
but ultimately being today what we know, especially the packing
material about ninety eight percent air. It's just, you know,
very very dense, but very super light. And that's why
(08:19):
it was such a unique thing to have for people
who are stopping by the North Kent Transfer Station here
in West Michigan recycle their white, clean styrofoam. This is
foam polystyrene, if you will. That's a proper way of
saying it. Styrofoam is what we all call it. The
North Kent Transfer Station is at twenty nine oh eight
(08:40):
ten mile Road in Rockford. A lot of people know
where that is and what are the drop off hours
for that? Matt McPherson.
Speaker 3 (08:47):
Yeah, we're open Monday through Saturday from seven thirty to
five pm, so closed on Sundays. That open every other
day seven thirty five.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
And if they have black or colored polystyrene foam home
or containers like that that are a different color, they
can hang on to them. There are some places in
Ken County that recycle. It's terrible to throw that stuff
in a landfill because it takes forever to break down.
Do you have any recommendations on for the type of
syrophone that you can't recycle yet at the transfer station?
Speaker 3 (09:20):
Yeah, I would say just look into other processors that
are around Kent County or possibly nearby. I don't know
any off the top of my head right now that
would take the color phone. But we do have resources
on our website, reimagine trash dot org that has a
long list of different processors that residents can utilize. We
(09:43):
have a residential recycling guide and then a recycling directory
as well, which will point you in the right direction.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
Yeah, You've got a lot of great resources at reimagine
trash dot org. Reimagine trash dot org. That's the website
for everything recycl here in Kent County and it's a
terrific website. Again for the first time ever, and this
is very exciting. You can now recycle white styrofoam or
(10:11):
foam polystyrene at the North Kent Transfer Station. And as
you heard Matt McPherson just say, the hours are Monday
through Saturday from seven thirty am to five pm. They
are closed on Sunday. But make sure that is white
only and it is clean. If it's a white takeout
food container, clean it out and make sure it's nice
(10:32):
and clean. But this is a great service for everyone
here in the greater Kent County area. Matt McPherson, communications
manager for Kent County DPW, thank you for joining us.
Speaker 3 (10:42):
Yeah, thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
He's been our guest on this segment of West Michigan
Weekend from iHeartRadio, and that's our program you've.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
Been listening to iHeartRadio's West Michigan Weekend. West Michigan Weekend
is a production of Wood Radio and iHeartRadio
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