Montgomery County Styrofoam Recycling Program

About the Program

Category: County Resiliency (Best in Category)

Year: 2022

In January 2021, Montgomery County Environmental Services (MCES) began a new Styrofoam recycling program for its residents and businesses. Previously, residents had no options to recycle this bulky and difficult-to-handle material, as Styrofoam is not accepted in traditional curbside and drop-off recycling programs. Recycling this material aligns with Montgomery County’s mission to help residents divert as much material as possible from the landfill and turn waste into resources. In 2021, MCES partnered with local communities and organizations to hold a series of one-day community collections of Styrofoam for recycling. Hundreds of residents brought more than 10,000 pounds of Styrofoam across four recycling events in 2021-22. A local company processed more than five tons of Styrofoam from these events to repurpose the material. MCES collaborated with local municipal governments, park districts, and community environmental organizations to provide this new service efficiently and cost effectively. The collection events have been drawing residents from throughout the Miami Valley region and have been very well received by the public. Due to the great success of these efforts, MCES will continue to hold these one-day events as we develop a permanent year-round Styrofoam recycling program for our residents.