Why aren styrofoam/paper cups/plastic bags recycled at the U of M?
Styrofoam and plastic bags, though made of recyclable material, have no local recycler. The distance to a recycler for these items makes it economically impossible to collect them. Paper cups are made of paper mixed with wax so that the paper doesn’t get soggy, but this also makes them unsuitable for paper recycling. Luckily, they are somewhat biodegradable and the university compost pile is large enough to break them down.
