By Aaron Mahoney (@Mahones93 on Twitter)

University of Lethbridge first in Canada to recycle Styrofoam on its campus

Feb 17, 2018 | 9:31 AM

LETHBRIDGE – The Department of Caretaking at the University of Lethbridge, since June 2017, has been taking the lead to make sure Styrofoam from the University isn’t going to be taking up space in the landfill.

As a result, the U of L is the first university in Canada to recycle Styrofoam on its campus and has enlisted the services of StyroGo, a business out of Calgary to help.

StyroGo brings a special Styrofoam recycling truck to the Lethbridge campus to shred and melt waste Styrofoam into highly condensed blocks that are then re-sold to companies who use the recycled products to make into different kinds of products, including toys and architectural molding.

The process of recycling Styrofoam is highly efficient in terms of volume, effectively reducing a large box of Styrofoam like the one pictured above into a tiny box of melted product below.

According to Manager of Facilities – Caretaking, Judy Jaeger, recycling Styrofoam has proven to be a good choice for the University.

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While recycling the material is more expensive than traditional disposal methods, the U of L believes sustainability benefits are outweighing the costs.

The University has recycled 490 lbs of Styrofoam since starting the recycling program in June 2017, which is roughly equivalent to the volume of 4,000 basketballs.

Thanks to the program, the U of L has reduced its greenhouse gas production by 1.69 tonnes.

As disposal fees for Styrofoam at the Lethbridge landfill increase over time, and the technology for Styrofoam recycling continues to improve, the University anticipates the financial incentive to recycle Styrofoam will only increase.

The University of Lethbridge is also working to reduce the amount of Styrofoam coming to campus by ensuring that its Request for Proposals limit the packaging suppliers can send them.

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