NORTH AURORA – Fox Valley residents seeking someplace other than a landfill in which to toss their Styrofoam trash now have another option.
Dart Container Corporation has opened a recycling drop-off site for polystyrene foam at its facility in North Aurora.
The company says the drop-off site at 310 Evergreen Drive, just south of the junction of Interstate 88 and Routes 31 and 56, in North Aurora is the first such polystyrene foam collection site in Illinois and the 10th the company has opened nationwide.
"It's open to the public and to businesses, for anyone who wants a better option than a landfill to dispose of their foam," said Michael Westerfield, Dart's corporate director of recycling.
The types of foam accepted at the facility are those commonly used as packaging material in appliances and consumer electronics, such as televisions and DVD players. The foam is also commonly used in food packaging, as boxes for restaurant takeout food, for food trays commonly used in school cafeterias and as foam cups and some egg cartons.
To be sure that the foam is recyclable, those seeking to drop off their foam at the Dart North Aurora site should look for a brand on the foam showing the numeral 6 surrounded by chasing arrows.
Once collected, the foam is compacted at the site and then shipped by truck to companies that will convert the polystyrene foam into a number of other consumer products, including plastic lumber, picture frames, plastic flats for seedling plants and building insulation, among others.
The polystyrene foam cannot be recycled for use as food packaging, however, as that is prohibited by law, Westerfield said.
Local recycling proponents welcomed the Dart drop-off site.
Kris Kaar, a Geneva resident and president of the Illinois Recycling Association, said foam has long troubled recycling advocates. While recycling programs for other products, like plastic, paper, aluminum and glass, have become economically viable, foam has proven historically less viable, she said.
"We're holding our breath," Kaar said. "We're very happy Dart is trying this, and we hope they can make a success out of it."
For now, Westerfield said the North Aurora site will be the only such public drop-off site in the Chicago area. He said the company is focused on opening new sites in Texas, North Carolina and Mississippi.
Know more
Want to recycle your polystyrene foam products? Dart Container Corporation has opened Illinois' first public foam drop-off site.
The site is at 310 Evergreen Drive, North Aurora, just south of the junction of Interstate 88 and Routes 31 and 56.
Make sure the foam bears the No. 6 stamp, is clean and is in a clear plastic bag. Packing peanuts are not accepted.