Pacific Seafood on Tuesday announced it has made recycling a top priority by investing in a Styrofoam recycling program.
Instead of sending Styrofoam collected at its Oregon and Washington distribution facilities to landfills, the company invested in a machine that breaks down the polystyrene for reuse. One pallet of Styrofoam, approximately 4 by 6 feet, is condensed into a 2-foot block which is later ground into beads that are used in molding, picture frames, cameras and other consumer goods.
The system is expected to keep more than 300,000 pounds of Styrofoam out of landfills annually.
“There is no need for this type of packing material to go to waste,” said Kurt Mitchell, Pacific’s Northwest operations manager. “We are thinking outside the box and have come up with innovative ways to put packaging waste to good use.”