MECKLENBURG CO., N.C. —  As people unpack their holiday gifts, polystyrene may be a common foam found in the packaging of items like electronics and appliances. 

Polystyrene is a non-biodegradable product that can last 500 years in landfills and oceans. According to Box-N-Out, polystyrene takes up 25-30% of space in landfills globally. 

What You Need To Know

  • Mecklenburg County residents can recycle white packing foam, polystyrene, at any of four drop-off locations

  • Polystyrene takes up 25-30% of space in landfills globally

  • The county invested in two densifier machines that transform the polystyrene, and enable it to be resold and reused

People in Mecklenburg County can recycle polystyrene at any of the county's four drop-off locations rather than putting the white foam in the garbage. 

Mecklenburg County's director of solid waste, Jeff Smithberger, says the county is committed to reducing waste, so they are targeting expanded polystyrene. 

"It is frequent throughout our community," Smithberger said. "And, we realize that there was a gap in being able to recycle this material."

Smithberger said the department took old recycling bins, painted them black, and repurposed them as "foam-a-saurus rex" containers. The black containers are where residents can recycle their white rigid foam.

After filling a bin, the foam will run through one of the county's two densifier machines. The county was awarded $50,000 to help cover the cost of the two $45,000 machines.

Martin Sanford, construction project manager with Mecklenburg County Solid Waste, says the machines take the polystyrene and reduce the volume by about 90%. This transforms the foam into a state that can be resold on the market.

"To use it for picture frames, use it for crown molding in homes, insulation in homes," Sanford said. "So, there are multiple uses for it afterwards that allow us to recycle it and get value for it. It [is] reducing the amount of material we're sending to the landfill, and we also get a little bit of returned value on the material that we send out of here."

Smithberger said the price it sells for usually depends on the market conditions. Roughly, Grade 1 foam trades for $200 per ton, and Grade 2 foam trades for $100 per ton.

Foam drop-off locations are at the Foxhole Recycling Drop-Off Center, Hickory Grove Recycling Drop-Off Center, North Mecklenburg Recycling Drop-Off Center, and Compost Central Drop-Off Center.