what’s working: sustainability
From Foam to Frames
Dart Container sets a high standard in environmental and product stewardship by helping
communities recycle foam, which can take on new life as picture frames and crown molding.
employer: Dart Container Corporation
location: Tumwater, Tacoma
number of employees: 68
product: Dart Container Corporation develops, manufactures and distributes a broad range of single-use food and
beverage packaging products.
innovative environmental stewardship: Dart manufactures recyclable foam foodservice products —
often mistakenly referred to as “Styrofoam” — in Tumwater, but its drop-off facilities accept all types of polystyrene foam
#6 for recycling, including bulky packaging foam. The company works with Thurston County Solid Waste to operate two
public foam recycling programs: One in Tumwater that is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and one in Lacey at the
Thurston County Waste and Recovery Center.
In order to increase the efficiency of foam recycling and reduce the company’s carbon footprint, Dart also made large
investments in new processing technologies, such as foam compactors, or densifiers, that grind up foam and compact it
into smaller logs that are more efficient to transport. For example, while a 48-foot semi-truck can transport approximately
1,000 pounds of loose foam, the same truck can transport 40,000 pounds of densified foam.
As a result of these programs, Dart diverted 155,000 pounds of foam from Washington landfills last year alone. This
recycled foam can take on new life as picture frames, crown molding and many other products.
in their own words:
“Robust
recycling programs are essential
t o re d u c i n g w a s t e a n d ke e p i n g
Washington clean and beautiful for
generations to come. Dart has been an
industry leader in foam recycling, and
we’re thrilled to have them as a partner
in our ongoing efforts to make foam
recycling easier and more accessible
to communities across the state.”
— Rep. Sam Hunt (D - Olympia), who
represents the legislative district in
which the Tumwater facility is located.
www.dartcontainer.com
summer 2016
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