Kalamazoo Valley Community College Invites the Public to Recycling Event

Image of people unloading a bag of items from their vehicle into a truck.

Kalamazoo Valley Community College is partnering with Green Earth Electronics Recycling to host biannual EPS foam and electronics recycling events at the Texas Township Campus. This year the events will be held Saturday, April 19 and Saturday, Oct. 25 from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. at the Texas Township Campus. Both events will take place in the main parking lot off of O Avenue and are led by the college's Sustainability Committee.

Energy and Materials Handling Manager Nathan Rickey says these events provide an easy opportunity for the community to recycle items that are often challenging or costly to recycle.

"We tried to focus on the western side of Kalamazoo County where many may not have an easy method or location to recycle their materials," Rickey said. "These events are a service to the community and allow community members an opportunity to recycle materials, both foam and electronics. There is a huge demand for additional recycling opportunities within the area."

This initiative began in early 2022. Kalamazoo Valley began collecting expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam, commonly known as Styrofoam, which accumulated from daily deliveries to the college.

Kalamazoo Valley learned that the City of Kalamazoo was actively hosting quarterly foam and electronics recycling events at Mayors Riverfront Park in downtown Kalamazoo. Recognizing the potential for collaboration, Kalamazoo Valley reached out to the city in the summer of 2022 with the goal of coordinating a recycling event at the college later that year.

After coordinating event logistics with the sity, the first recycling event hosted by Kalamazoo Valley took place on October 22, 2022 at the Texas Township Campus. The event proved to be a success, drawing significant community participation. Going forward, the college has committed to host recycling events at least twice per year.

"With the support from both employees and community members, I quickly found out how passionate some of the locals are with the recycling programs that are offered." Rickey said. "Positive feedback from these events has confirmed that adding this opportunity to the western side of Kalamazoo County was much needed. It's great to be able to host these events and get involved with partnering with the community in these efforts." A wider shot of two vehicles, both with the back open, as people transfer objects from one to the other.

After each event, Kalamazoo Valley works with Dart Container Corporation to coordinate a pickup of the collected foam. Once in hand, Dart condenses the foam and repurposes it into picture frames, crown molding and other useful household materials.

Not sure what items you can bring to the next event on April 19? Remember this simple guideline for recycling foam: if it bends and breaks, it's recyclable; if it bends without breaking, it can't be recycled with the rest.

All materials collected at these events, both foam and electronics, are recycled free of charge with the exception of televisions, monitors and freon units which carry a small fee. The community is encouraged to bring their foam and electronics to the 2025 events to help reduce waste and support a greener Kalamazoo.

For more information or questions, contact Kalamazoo Valley Facilities Services at .