Meaford Council is entering into a one-year pilot to construct a polystyrene — more commonly known as styrofoam — recycling project.
A council report from Meaford Director of Infrastructure Tori Prejmybida details the program will be delivered by Transition Meaford volunteers.
To support the project, a limit of $7,200 will be transferred from the Waste Management Reserve Fund.
Staff have also be directed to include the recycling program in the 2022 budget.
The municipality has been working with Transition Meaford to develop a polystyrene, or styrofoam program to divert the materials from the landfill and to utilize the services of Second Wind Recycling (SWR), based out of St. Thomas Ontario, to be reused into new products.
The program will have Transition Meaford volunteer’s stationed at the facility when it is open for public drop-off and when SWR completes its densification and collection on a monthly basis.
The current recommendation is to run the program at 87 Steward St., the previous site of the e-waste drop-off spot, on the first Saturday of every month from 9 a.m. to noon.
The costs associated with the program will be covered by the municipality, which is expected to include the purchase of a storage container for a limit of $6,000 as well as an annual fee of over $4,800.
The costs covered by the municipality will not include the disposal of industrial, commercial or institutional styrofoam and if businesses what to take part, they will need to cover their own costs of recycling, $25 per two cubic yard bag.
Running as a one-year pilot will allow time for the program to run and develop, measuring its success and if any changes need to be made to support its operation.
