The Franklin County Solid Waste Management District is collaborating with the towns of Leverett, Montague, Northfield and Wendell to offer free recycling collections of blocky Styrofoam packing material specifically for residents of the four communities.

The collection will be held each Saturday in April (April 6, 13, 20 and 27) from 9 a.m. to noon. The collection locations are: Leverett Transfer Station, 5 Cemetery Road, Leverett; Montague Transfer Station, 11 Sandy Lane, Turners Falls; Northfield Transfer Station, 31 Caldwell Road, Northfield; and Wendell Transfer Station, 341 New Salem Road, Wendell.

These recycling collections will only accept white blocky packing material and coolers made of expanded polystyrene foam (EPS or PS No. 6), commonly known as Styrofoam. To meet these specifications, volunteers at the collection sites will review the materials that each resident brings and may reject unacceptable items. Foam items must be clean and dry, the Franklin County Solid Waste Management District advises. Before bringing materials to the collection, residents should remove any tape, labels, cardboard or wood.

These collections will not accept food-related Styrofoam items such as cups, plates, bowls, trays, egg cartons or takeout containers.

Other items that will not be accepted are wet/dirty materials, No. 4 (LDPE) foam packaging material, foam insulation board (XPS) or packing peanuts. According to the waste management district, the UPS Store in Greenfield accepts clean, dry packing peanuts for reuse.

A transfer station permit is not required for these special collections and advance registration is not required. However, the Franklin County Solid Waste Management District advises that space is limited and may run out. The collections are offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

This effort builds on the success of the 2023 collection, where events in Montague and Northfield together diverted 90 cubic yards of foam from the landfill. Materials collected at these events are recycled at Gold Circuit E-Cycling in Agawam. The foam is ultimately recycled into picture frames, molding or building insulation. MI-BOX Moving & Storage supports this project with discounted rates.