MOUNT VERNON – When it comes to all the wrapping paper and cardboard left over from the holidays, the recycling options are obvious.
But everyone may not be as familiar with their options for getting rid of Styrofoam without simply throwing it in the trash.
This season, Opportunity Knox can help Knox County residents get rid of Styrofoam and other non-recyclable waste without it going into the trash.
Bill Arnal, a supervisor at Opportunity Knox, recently told the Mount Vernon News that not all Styrofoam is accepted, as only certain kinds can be pressed into the “logs” that the organization can then sell to manufacturers to use as raw material.
“They make the Styrofoam-style molding that you can see at Lowe’s, stuff like that,” Arnal said.
Food containers, such as egg cartons, and any Styrofoam that springs back when compressed are some types that are not accepted, Arnal said.
“So, what we’re looking at is, generally, the Styrofoam that is in packaging,” he said; noting, for instance, the kind that when broken leaves small, white balls that cling to clothing and skin through static electricity.
Opportunity Knox can also help with recycling computers and similar electronics that may be replaced over the holidays, Arnal said. They do not, however, accept monitors, televisions, microwaves or appliances.
But bringing items to be recycled doesn’t just help the environment, it also helps neighbors in Knox County.
“What we’re doing, it’s an opportunity for the workforce program — it’s the people that are getting assistance from the City and the County — to where they come there and they put their hours in,” Arnal told the News.
In addition to getting hours, they also learn employable skills related to running the machinery and processing the items — such as computers, which have to be broken down into their component parts.
“It gives them that opportunity to be able to go out and get a job,” Arnal said. The organization sometimes has enough work to keep 15 to 20 workforce workers going, though with the COVID-19 pandemic they now often have fewer than 10 people in at a time.
Bins are left out front of Opportunity Knox at 17604 Coshocton Road in Mount Vernon, and individuals can drive up and leave their materials in the appropriate box, Arnal said. Drop-offs can be made from 9-11 a.m. and 2-4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Styrofoam, however, can be dropped off seven days a week in the bin that is left under cover.
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