- Dart Drop-off Locations
- Recycling Center Information
- Recycling Specifications
- Mason, MI Location
Dart operates polystyrene foam drop-off locations for recycling, open to the public, at the following locations:
CALIFORNIA FLORIDA ILLINOIS |
MISSISSIPPI NORTH CAROLINA PENNSYLVANIA 110 Pitney Road TEXAS WASHINGTON ONTARIO, CANADA |
Dart Reprocesses Collected Foam at Four Recycling Centers
- These four centers receive foam from local schools, community recyclers, supermarkets, hospitals, manufacturing plants, cafeterias, and individuals.
- To facilitate the recycling process, Dart engineers invented a state-of-the-art process for washing and drying used foam food service products.
- Dart sells its recycled polystyrene to manufacturers who reprocess it into useful products. Recycled polystyrene is used in the making of protective foam packaging and "peanuts," egg cartons, building insulation, video cassettes, toys, and office desk products.
- Dart has established a network of collection locations around the state of Michigan. We pick up bagged, clean foam from these locations and haul it back to our processing center in Mason, Michigan. Find a Michigan county drop-off location near you.
- If you are interested in Dart's process and the machinery used, view our Processing Recycled Foam Schematic.
Recycling Specifications for Post-Consumer/End User
We can process the following polystyrene foam items provided that they are separated from other materials (e.g. paper, cans, bottles, other plastics), clean, and delivered to one of our drop-off locations.- Foam cups and containers. Cups do not need to be rinsed, but must be empty.
- Foam egg cartons.
- Rinsed, single-layer, non-perforated foam meat trays.
- Foam food trays/lunch trays. Must be either rinsed-off or minimally contaminated -- no food remnants.
- Most packaging foam: molded forms and shapes. We cannot process flame-retardant material or packaging peanuts.
The polystyrene foam material should be placed in transparent plastic bags and tagged with your name and/or organization and telephone number.
NOTE: Dart Container Corporation does not pay for material delivered to us, nor will we reimburse for shipping. We reserve the right to refuse any foam that does not meet the above criteria.
Special Conditions for our Mason, Michigan Drop-Off Location
Our Mason, Michigan facility hours are 7 AM to 3 PM, Monday through Friday. For small quantities on weekends or after 3 PM during the week, a drop-box is available. If you have a substantial amount (i.e. truckload) of material to deliver, we would appreciate delivery at a pre-arranged time, so that a loading dock will be available for you. For more information, please call 517-676-3803 ext. 2206. Existing Michigan County Recycling Program sites in need of pick-up scheduling assistance should call 517-676-3803 ext 2251.
We are located on Howell Road in Mason, just east of Cedar Street. | Map It
Commercial/Industrial Information for Mason, MI Location
Deliveries must be pre-arranged with Dart Container Corporation. All others will be turned away at our dock. Our Mason, Michigan dock hours are 8 AM to 2 PM, Monday through Friday. We can accept a limited number of trailer drops but will require a signature accepting liability from the responsible party for any trailers left on our property. Contact Dennis Fitzgerald to arrange for a delivery at 517-676-3803 ext. 2866 or at Dennis_Fitzgerald@dart.biz.As time permits (depending on our workload) we may assist the driver in the offloading process.
New customers must provide samples for testing with sufficient lead time to allow Dart's lab to make an adequate assessment. We suggest allowing at least 5 business days. We can accept baled or densified material provided it is:
- No greater than 20 pounds per cubic foot in density.
- Not bagged prior to densification or baling.
- Free of paper labels and other non-polystyrene materials.
Because of the potential for contamination, we cannot accept material that has been stored outside, unprotected. We cannot accept material that is treated with flame retardant. If you are unsure about your material, send us a sample for testing.
We cannot accept packaging "peanuts", also known as loose fill. For a listing of Michigan organizations that will accept this material, please visit The Plastic Loose Fill Council at www.loosefillpackaging.com or call the "Peanut Hotline" at 1-800-828-2214.
We reserve the right to refuse unloading of material that is highly contaminated with paper, metal, or non-polystyrene plastic, or unacceptably packaged (loose, in opaque plastic bags, or in corrugated cartons). We reserve the right to bill for labor costs we incur in handling highly-contaminated material, or for delivered material that we cannot process and which we must landfill.
Revised December 2008