Styrofoam recycling switch made in Colchester, but not on Halifax radar

Halifax doesn't plan to start recycling Styrofoam any time soon, despite the fact that northern Nova Scotia and the Annapolis Valley are making the switch.

"This has not been done yet for adding expanded polystyrene to the blue bag program in the Halifax region," said Jennifer Stairs, a spokesperson for the Halifax Regional Municipality.

"We are just implementing curbside changes now to enhance diversion of recyclable materials with the shift to clear bags for garbage."

Colchester County recently received a $50,000 grant from the Foam Recycling Coalition, becoming the first recipient outside the U.S. to win a grant from the organization. The money will go toward upgrades needed for recycling Styrofoam.

Jann McFarlane, the materials recovery facility manager at the Colchester site, said a total of $170,000 is budgeted for the project.

"It's going to take some equipment and that's why we're going to spend the rest of this summer and the fall and a little bit over the winter adding in the equipment, as well as a machine to be able to densify the Styrofoam," she said.

"That way, the foam isn't taking up so much space and we can ship it."

Kings County was the first region in Nova Scotia to introduce Styrofoam recycling last fall.

The Colchester facility covers recycling from Guysborough County to Stewiacke. The goal is to start accepting Styrofoam in blue bags in the spring of 2016.

For decades, Styrofoam has been viewed as an environmental enemy — something McFarlane hopes will soon change. She says studies and internal audits have found Styrofoam and other types of foam amount to about one per cent or more of residential garbage, which is considered a pretty high percentage.

"I know a lot of the residents have been wanting to recycle it because they know that other places have a program, so it's something that they've wanted to do," said McFarlane.

Stairs says making changes in the Halifax area to recycle Styrofoam would require a financial and environmental analysis.

"As part of possible future enhancements to the recycling program, we will be reviewing collection operations here," she said, adding staff may also look at other jurisdictions such as the Annapolis Valley and Colchester County.