Recently, WineCollective customers have asked us where on earth they can recycle their polystyrene inserts. While the expanded polystyrene (EPS) material, used for keeping your wine safe, is 100% recyclable, however many Canadian cities do not accept the inserts in their recycling program. This is because of the amount of space Styrofoam takes up and the costly procedure required when breaking down the plastic.
First off, we are happy to know our customers, like us, are environmentally conscious. When deciding on our WineCollective packaging, we chose the EPS alternative in consideration of the plastic bearing the #6 recycle number. However, while some cities like Toronto, do accept the inserts in ordinary recycling bins, most do not regardless of the Styrofoam’s labeled number. We recommend you check your city’s recycling site for further details on their program.
Thankfully there are private facilities that do recycle polystyrene! We found a few to get you started, but please contact us if you need helping finding a location closer to you.
British Columbia
Masonville Plastics (Thanks to WineCollective member Kelly for the suggestion!)
19402 56 Ave, Surrey, (604)534-1212
– Accepts up to 10 large household garbage bags of the EPS inserts for free
15360 Knox Way. Richmond. (604)273.0089
– Pick up service available
– Hoping to start the program in yyc in 2014
#3 2480 Shell Road. Richmond. (604)247.1664
– Accepts polystyrene in garbage bags at $5 per bag
Alberta
– 3 locations in Edmonton
Ambleside: 14710 Ellerslie Road S.W
Coronation: 11440 143 Street
Strathcona: 5150 99 Street
Saskatchewan
225 – 6th Avenue East, Regina. (306)545.5454
– $3 per garbage bag
Manitoba
Portage District Recycling Inc.
700 Phillips Street. Portage la Prarie
(204)856.5520
Ontario
40 Dart Road. Campbellford
(705)653.2877
Unfortunately the gathered list of private facilities is small, but we do have some great news that will make recycling polystyrene easy for most! London Drugs’ What’s the Green Deal recycling program is now open to accepting all Styrofoam, including packaging not purchased from the store.
This means that you can drop off your polystyrene inserts at any London Drugs location, free of charge – provided that the specific store has room! So far, London Drugs has helped to recycle 204,563 lbs of Styrofoam, and for that WineCollective is truly grateful.
While the material does have its recycling challenges, we are confident that our packaging is the best option for moving wine cross-country. If you have any question about recycling polystyrene, contact us for help! In hopes of helping our WineCollective subscribers and the environment, we aim to add to our list of recycling facilities. Stay tuned!