By Christopher Thompson It’s the first state to prohibit restaurants, caterers, coffee shops and grocery stores from using the to-go foam containers because they cannot be recycled locally. Democratic governor, Janet Mills signed the bill on Tuesday and the law will come into full effect in 2021. Styrofoam (or polystyrene) is a form of plastic […]

I am big on recycling. It’s part of my family’s weekly routine. But come to find out, a lot of what we’ve been doing is wrong — and we have been contaminating entire bins of recyclables. Metro Public Works has started auditing recycling routes to help reduce contamination from people like me. Ricky Lloyd, a Public Works […]

‘Tis the season for holiday parties, mountains of wrapping paper and lots and lots of trash. Luckily, there are many items used around the holidays that can be recycled. There are also, however, just as many items that can’t be recycled at your local processing plant because they damage machines. Items like Christmas lights, ribbons […]

By Adrian McDermott Styrofoam, or Expanded Polystyrene Foam (EPS), is the second-most commonly found item of debris along many coastlines. Polystyrene is 98% air. It is very light, and it floats. The worst thing about this material is that it does not photodegrade; however, when exposed to heat, it releases harmful toxins. It is easily […]