Recycling options for many materials are abundant in Lake County, but finding a green solution for one common product has been a challenge. Polystyrene is used to make white foam blocks for packaging to protect appliances, electronics and other items. Some food service containers also are made of polystyrene, commonly referred to by the trademarked brand name Styrofoam. Unlike paper or other plastics, general recycling facilities don’t want polystyrene and it isn’t supposed to be put in the curbside containers.
It can go in the trash, but that’s not a good option for the environmentally minded. So it piles up in basements and garages instead. “People don’t know what to do with it,” said Walter Willis, executive director of the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County.
Lake Zurich officials recognized the issue and launched a pilot drop-off program for No. 6 foam, the recycling designation for polystyrene. “There’s a void of places to go with this stuff,” said village Trustee Marc Spacone, who introduced the idea to the full board. Spacone, a middle school principal, began considering other common materials while cutting up cardboard for recycling in his garage. “I’m always trying to think how we can be more ecologically friendly,” he said.
The result, led by Kyle Kordell, assistant to the village manager, was a limited drop-off program, only the second in Lake County. The first debuted in Highland Park in October 2015.