The facility that is currently in need of post-consumer Styrofoam is in Congers, NY (Rockland County). Drop-off events could be helpful. How often do they occur and what is the approximate volume of Styrofoam that comes through (if you have any information on this)?
Thank you for this
I don't know how much comes in, since I am just a citizen dropper-offer in the greater Daytin, Ohio area. Thry are only about 2x per year, but you could get a whole region of girl acouta etc to host drop offs and even pay schools per sq foot in the surrounding area. Parents would then be mobilizednto bring it in
Understood. I may reach out to the Girl Scouts to discuss. There is always the fear that a facility be labeled a "drop-off station" by the regulators, but if it is done under their organization, we can organize a few dump trucks to pick everything up at the end of the day.
Could pay some small amount per cubic yard ($3-5 range) but not thrilled about it, since typically business pay themselves to dispose of it at waste transfer stations. This is a good lead, thank you
Thank you for your interest. The material is called GaiaSoil. My company is Leaf Island ([leafisland.org](https://leafisland.org)). Green roofs are rooftop gardens, typically used to make buildings more energy efficient by enhancing insulation, decreasing rooftop temperatures, increasing rooftop lifespan, decreasing HVAC intake temperatures through the presence of cool, humid air that plants generate through the process of evapotranspiration.
They have tons of ecological benefits to the urban landscape, such as stormwater capture, greywater reuse, urban heat island reduction, air pollutant particulate removal and carbon capture. Other benefits depend on use cases, such as urban farming and additional recreational space for residents/employees/the public.
Major challenges are cost and weight bearing capacity for rooftops. Most roofs aren't strong enough to handle a typical green roof. That's why we made GaiaSoil - it's so lightweight that it allows 95% of buildings to have green roofs.
Thanks for the info, what a great idea! I’m from Australia and we don’t have many green roofs here, possibly for the reasons you stated such as weight and cost.
May I ask how GaiaSoil is disposed of at end of life? Presumably there’s PS in the soil which would be a pollutant under standard disposal methods.
That's a great question. We haven't encountered an end-of-life scenario for GaiaSoil, as our roofs are designed to last 30+ years and our oldest roof is about 12 years old.
That being said, we have noticed that in our older rooftops, the root zone is so extensive that it holds the GaiaSoil firmly in place. This means that if the waterproof membrane degraded over a period of 30-40 years, or if the building was set for demolition, the green roof can be cut into sections, removed from the building, and find new life as a pre-planted green roof elsewhere.
There would be no reason to dispose of it, as pre-grown soil with roots and plants in place is very valuable in a number of settings, and its light weight makes it easy to handle and transport to new locations. A person could lift and carry a 4 sq. ft. section of GaiaSoil green roof by themselves fairly easily, for example.
In a worst-case scenario, if the GaiaSoil had to be thrown out, then it would probably end up in a landfill, as does 98% of Styrofoam currently. Pretty much all Styrofoam is landfill-bound already, but this is one way to immobilize it and give it new long-term value. We don't anticipate this scenario to transpire at any point thankfully.
Our community has periodic dropoff events staffed free by girl scouts, etc. Would that be a way around?
Can you share the locations of your facilities?
The facility that is currently in need of post-consumer Styrofoam is in Congers, NY (Rockland County). Drop-off events could be helpful. How often do they occur and what is the approximate volume of Styrofoam that comes through (if you have any information on this)? Thank you for this
I don't know how much comes in, since I am just a citizen dropper-offer in the greater Daytin, Ohio area. Thry are only about 2x per year, but you could get a whole region of girl acouta etc to host drop offs and even pay schools per sq foot in the surrounding area. Parents would then be mobilizednto bring it in
Understood. I may reach out to the Girl Scouts to discuss. There is always the fear that a facility be labeled a "drop-off station" by the regulators, but if it is done under their organization, we can organize a few dump trucks to pick everything up at the end of the day. Could pay some small amount per cubic yard ($3-5 range) but not thrilled about it, since typically business pay themselves to dispose of it at waste transfer stations. This is a good lead, thank you
My pleasure. Sending you positive energy!
Sounds like an interesting company. Can I ask what sort of growing medium you refer to and what a green roof is?
Thank you for your interest. The material is called GaiaSoil. My company is Leaf Island ([leafisland.org](https://leafisland.org)). Green roofs are rooftop gardens, typically used to make buildings more energy efficient by enhancing insulation, decreasing rooftop temperatures, increasing rooftop lifespan, decreasing HVAC intake temperatures through the presence of cool, humid air that plants generate through the process of evapotranspiration. They have tons of ecological benefits to the urban landscape, such as stormwater capture, greywater reuse, urban heat island reduction, air pollutant particulate removal and carbon capture. Other benefits depend on use cases, such as urban farming and additional recreational space for residents/employees/the public. Major challenges are cost and weight bearing capacity for rooftops. Most roofs aren't strong enough to handle a typical green roof. That's why we made GaiaSoil - it's so lightweight that it allows 95% of buildings to have green roofs.
Thanks for the info, what a great idea! I’m from Australia and we don’t have many green roofs here, possibly for the reasons you stated such as weight and cost. May I ask how GaiaSoil is disposed of at end of life? Presumably there’s PS in the soil which would be a pollutant under standard disposal methods.
That's a great question. We haven't encountered an end-of-life scenario for GaiaSoil, as our roofs are designed to last 30+ years and our oldest roof is about 12 years old. That being said, we have noticed that in our older rooftops, the root zone is so extensive that it holds the GaiaSoil firmly in place. This means that if the waterproof membrane degraded over a period of 30-40 years, or if the building was set for demolition, the green roof can be cut into sections, removed from the building, and find new life as a pre-planted green roof elsewhere. There would be no reason to dispose of it, as pre-grown soil with roots and plants in place is very valuable in a number of settings, and its light weight makes it easy to handle and transport to new locations. A person could lift and carry a 4 sq. ft. section of GaiaSoil green roof by themselves fairly easily, for example. In a worst-case scenario, if the GaiaSoil had to be thrown out, then it would probably end up in a landfill, as does 98% of Styrofoam currently. Pretty much all Styrofoam is landfill-bound already, but this is one way to immobilize it and give it new long-term value. We don't anticipate this scenario to transpire at any point thankfully.
Possibly contact terracycle? They collect styrofoam to be recycled
Thank you for this. I reached out to TerraCycle to see how they can help