Foam cup photo illustration

"We hope residents and businesses in the area utilize this free benefit and recycle foam materials that they would otherwise throw away," said Michael Westerfield, corporate director of recycling programs at Dart Container Corp.

Dart says its Waxahachie foam collection site is one of the state's first public sites to accept foam food service containers, including foam cups, plates, take-out containers, egg cartons, as well as shaped or molded foam often used to package electronics.

Once foam is dropped off at Dart, it is then compacted and shipped to a company that will use it as feedstock to make new materials. This site, Dart's 12th drop-off location in the country, will divert foam from area landfills and allow it to be recycled into new products such as picture frames and moldings.

Recycled foam food service products can be reprocessed into building insulation, plastic lumber and many other products. According to Dart, foam products generate less waste in their production than paper alternatives, are stable and safe in landfills, and burn cleanly in modern municipal energy-from-waste facilities.

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