The Foam Recycling Coalition launched a brand new grant program to help communities pay for foam recycling equipment. The grant program will help communities that are recycling of foodservice packaging, egg cartons, meat trays and protective packaging. The grants will be available to both public and private sector organizations and will range from an estimated $15,000 to $50,000 each.
The grants will be for applicants that are involved in managing residential curbside recycling programs, drop-off recycling centers and commercial recycling programs. Additionally, material recovery facilities are expected to apply for funding to add or strengthen their polystyrene foam program.
"Dozens of cities in the U.S. and Canada already recycle foam, keeping it out of landfills," states Lynn Dyer, president of the Foodservice Packaging Institute. “With growing end-market demand for foam and improvements in foam equipment and handling, this new grant program serves as a catalyst to increased residential foam recycling."
The grants are determined on a case-by-case basis, decided by the equipment needs for a community. As part of the grant, the communities will commit to recycling polystyrene for a minimum of three years and will report the volume of foam being recycled to the coalition.
Qualified grant applicants must be ready and able to invest in the required equipment to collect and process polystyrene foam for recycling. Funding is contingent on successfully implementing the plan within six months of receiving the grant.
The coalition is a part of the Foodservice Packaging Institute and its members include Americas Styrenics; Cascades Canada ULC; CKF Inc.; Chick-fil-A; Commodore; Convermex; D&W Fine Pack; Dart Container Corp.; Dolco Packaging, A Tekni-Plex Company; Dyne-A-Pak; Genpak; Hawaii Foam Products; Pactiv Foodservice/Food Packaging; Shell Chemical LP and Styrolution America LLC. Additional support is provided by the EPS Industry Alliance.
The Foam Recycling Coalition’s commitment will help communities purchase, densifiers, grinders and other equipment that are important to the process of foam recycling. If your community would like to apply for a grant, please visit www.recyclefoam.org/grants to learn more. Grant applications are due by March 16, 2015 and the final selections will be announced by April 30, 2015.
"Grant Program Sparks Interest and Improvements in Residential Foam Recycling", Foodservice Packaging Institute. 13 January, 2015. Web. 16 January, 2015.