Metro South transfer station, in partnership with Agilyx, will now collect expanded polystyrene foam, also known as Styrofoam, products at the facility in Oregon City. Instead of going into the landfill, these items will be recycled into new products. Agilyx is an advanced recycling company that specializes in converting plastics. Before this pilot program, their facility in Tigard was one of the few places in greater Portland that could reuse polystyrene waste.

“This partnership with Agilyx is an opportunity to be more sustainable and to increase the number of products we can recycle,” said Penny Erickson, superintendent at Metro South. Expanded polystyrene foam is often used in packaging materials, providing the form-fitted buffer for electronics, appliances and furniture. It can also be found in foam take-out containers and egg cartons.

Erickson said having this option is even more important during the COVID-19 pandemic which has caused a large shift in spending habits. “During this COVID-19 pandemic, there are so many people ordering food to go or getting essential needs delivered, which increases the amount of Styrofoam in peoples’ homes,” Erickson said. “This pilot program gives people a way recycle these products and get more out of our extracted resources.”

To read the full story, visit https://www.oregonmetro.gov/news/metro-starts-pilot-program-collect-styrofoam-recycling.
Author: Metro News
Photo: Metro News

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