It’s almost time to get rid of that styrofoam hanging around your house or shed.
The Regional District of North Okanagan will host a free Styrofoam Round-Up for residents Oct. 24 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Real Canadian Wholesale Club at 2501 34th St. in Vernon or at the Super A Foods in Lumby.
“Staff from RDNO, the Venture Training Centre, and Interior Freight and Bottle Depot will be on hand to answer questions about styrofoam recycling and other waste reduction programs,” said Karmen Morgan, waste reduction co-ordinator.
Items made of styrofoam, such as clean egg cartons, meat trays, cups, containers, packing blocks and peanuts will be accepted for recycling.
The collected styrofoam will be processed using an expanded polystyrene densification machine that heats and compresses the styrofoam to produce a dense plastic material.
“Styrofoam recycling creates a raw material that can be used to make items such as helmets, bike parts, picture and mirror frames and other hard plastic products,” said Morgan.
If residents are unable to attend the round-up event, year-round styrofoam drop-off is available in Vernon at Interior Freight and Bottle Depot at 4205 24th Ave. and at the Venture Training Centre located at 4240 Alexis Park Dr. A $3 per bag handling fee is charged at the drop-off locations which covers the cost of receiving, inspecting, processing, and transporting the collected material.
Styrofoam drop-off is also available at the Greater Vernon and Armstrong landfills where regular refuse disposal fees apply.
