Heights organizations expand hard-to-recycle collection efforts

Jeff McNaught recyles EPS foam at his Rocky River facility.

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While curbside recycling is a cornerstone of waste management, Heights residents are taking their efforts a step further by recycling beyond the blue bin.

Traditional recycling programs focus on paper, plastic, glass and aluminum. Hard-to-recycle items are mostly destined to end up cluttering basements and, eventually, landfills.

“We recognize that recycling beyond the blue bin is a critical evolution in waste management,” said Catalina Wagers, co-founder of the Cleveland Heights Green Team (CHGT). “By organizing drives that provide Heights residents with options to dispose of hard-to-recycle items, we are not only reducing our environmental footprint but also, more importantly, fostering a culture of sustainability.”

Since 2021, CHGT, in partnership with Heights Libraries and the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, has coordinated 14 recycling drives, collecting medical equipment, e-media, household goods and electronics, and yard signs and holiday lights.

Their Nov. 5–24 recycling drive yielded a whopping 1,750 lbs. of yard signs, mostly from the November election. “This is almost one ton of materials that were diverted from the landfill and will be given a second life,” explained Kaela Sweeney, Heights Libraries Strategic Projects Manager.

Sweeney sees recycling drives as “another way to support the library’s goal of ensuring a sustainable and resilient community and library for all residents." Heights Libraries’ commitment recently has been amplified as it works to earn certification in the Sustainable Libraries Initiative, a national program dedicated to supporting libraries in their efforts to become more sustainable and environmentally conscious.

Another opportunity to recycle beyond the blue bin is the current Lights for Lions recycling drive, which runs through Feb. 1. According to Rachel Weller, visitor services and office manager at the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, 3,060 lbs. of string lights and cords have been collected and dropped off at the Cleveland Zoo’s Recycling Center since 2021, when the nature center’s partnership with CHGT began. “Our visitors are now familiar with the program and expect to see the collection bin in our lobby as early as November,” said Weller. “The strong support of this program is proof that we are being able to inspire long-term changes in how our community views and manages waste.”

“We continuously search for opportunities and partnerships to find solutions for hard-to-recycle materials,” noted Wagers. One such material is Styrofoam—more specifically expanded polystyrene (EPS). According to Wagers, “Foam recycling is challenging due to a combination of economic, logistical, and technical barriers. This is why we were so excited when we learned about a foam-recycling startup in Cleveland’s West Side.”

After paying a visit to the facility and verifying the process, CHGT reached out to Heights Libraries with the idea of co-hosting a foam-recycling drive to measure community response and support for a more permanent foam-collection infrastructure.

“EPS foam takes a lot of landfill space, and it can take hundreds of years to decompose,” said Sweeney. “We really would like to see a solution for Styrofoam recycling in the Heights and this drive provides a good opportunity to learn if and how it can be done.”

CHGT and Heights Libraries are asking Heights residents to save the Styrofoam included in boxes and packaging rather than sending it to the landfill.

The foam recycling drive will take place at the Lee Road Branch of Heights Libraries on Sunday, April 27, 1:30–4:30 p.m. Only clean foam can be accepted.

For more information and details, visit www.chgreenteam.org.