Exeter opens Styrofoam densifier at transfer station to reduce landfill volume

Exeter this week began operating a newly purchased Styrofoam densifier at its transfer station, offering residents a local option to recycle hard, rigid foam and reduce the amount of bulky waste that fills the landfill. The town says the unit was purchased to help clear space at the landfill and to divert foam for recycling rather than disposal.

A staff member who described operating the unit said: "We pick it up, bring it up here...we feed the machine with the styrofoam, and it spits out like a long tube...that we make into a solid brick. We're able to do 6 or 7 big bags an hour." Sustainability planner Kristen Murphy said the process "reduces the styrofoam by 90%" and gives the material a chance at a "second life." The town invited residents Keith White house and Bill Simmerow, along with DPW staff, to learn the equipment during a demonstration.

The launch included a visit from Ashley Elsinger, identified in the transcript as the Food Servicing Packaging Institute's director of sustainability and outreach, who called the project "a great example of the partnership, a public-private partnership" and noted the opening was supported by a grant. Town officials said the unit is currently available only to Exeter residents as the town pursues permits to allow regional drop-offs in the future.

Practical details: Exeter residents may bring acceptable hard Styrofoam to the transfer station drop-off bin at 9 Cross Road. Officials emphasized that only clean, rigid number-6 foam (for example, meat trays and food-service containers) will be accepted; packing peanuts and flexible foam are not accepted. The town asked out-of-town residents to retain materials at home until regional permitting is resolved.