Free recycling event set for Jan. 9

Marysville locals can get rid of Styrofoam and cardboard from their holiday celebrations at a recycling event on Jan. 9.

The event is being held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the parking lot of the Marysville United Methodist Church at 5600 64th St. NE, Marysville.

There is no charge for the recycling, but donations to the Marysville Food Bank will be accepted at the event.

"We had an idea of doing this cardboard and Styrofoam recycling event right after the holidays," said Glenn Smith, a member of the Marysville Sunrise Rotary Club.

The service club is joined by other local groups, including the Everett Community College's Students for Environmental Action, the Creation Caretakers of Marysville United Methodist Church and the Marysville Community Food Bank.

Smith said lots of people have cardboard and Styrofoam around their house in January because of holiday gifts and most people don't know how to properly recycle Styrofoam.

"Every time we do it during the Marysville Shred-a-Thon we get a truckload of Styrofoam," said Smith. "We fill trailers of truckloads with the stuff."

Smith has been involved in the construction business for many years and said that experience has taught him how to recycle the material.

"They're big and bulky and hard to get rid of, but there is a way to recycle it correctly," said Smith.

Styrofoam has to be clean and free of tape and other materials for it to be recycled.

"We hate to turn anything back," said Smith, but the company they use to recycle the material won't accept Styrofoam that is dirty or has other material.

There are also many different types of Styrofoam and Smith said they will take the majority of them and sort through them themselves.

"The only kind we can't take is the blue and pink Styrofoam that is used as construction material," he said.

Other packing items such as bubble wrap, air pillows and cardboard will also be collected at the event.

This is the first time that the local Rotary Club along with other groups is helping to put on this event.

"We just wanted to do a good job with recycling rather than fill a landfill with these," said Smith, who added that Styrofoam doesn't break down easily and stays in the environment.

Most estimates for how long it takes Styrofoam to break down ranges in the hundreds of years.

Many of the groups involved "want to do environmental conscious types of work" and were happy to help, said Smith.

The event is taking safety precautions because of the pandemic, said Smith, and volunteers will be wearing masks and the event is organized so that it is drive-thru and no-contact.

"We want to make it really safe for those people who have concerns," said Smith, who added he hopes people feel comfortable at the event.