Foam Ice Cream Containers Hold Treats, Greener Future

A moment on the lips, a lifetime in the landfill.

That used to be the extent of the journey the foam bowl containers that Super Sundaes on Amwell Road in Hillsborough used.

Soon, Sundaes’ proprietor Jayne Mochnacz will be extending the life of the foam containers, taking them on a road trip to a facility in Lancaster, Pa., where they will be recycled into new containers.

Mochnacz said the idea sprung up in 2010, as she looked to eliminate the foam bowls all together from her ice cream shop.

After some research, she tinkered with getting paper containers –but realized the wax liners were just as landfill clogging as their Styrofoam counterparts.

That, and switching to an innovate, greener packaging would severly limit the amount of green in her business’ wallet, and thus her customers’ wallet as well.

 “I wish there was a cost effective way to sell my ice cream and use [a biodegradable] container, but I figured if I could recapture some of that waste and not let it end up in the landfill, I would be doing my part,” she said.

Although people would likely be excited about the switch, she said that most customers wouldn’t like the price hike she would have had to enact to cover the cost of a more bio-friendly cup.

Instead, Mochnacz decided to make the most of what she had – and that includes saving the Styrofoam containers, cleaning them out, and making a day trip out of visiting the recycling plant in Lancaster.

The Dart corporation, Mochnacz explained, is where she orders her foam containers from.

Through their “Recyla-Pack” program, small businesses have an opportunity to recycle foam containers.

The Recycla-Pack collection bin doubles as the shipping carton and is used to neatly stack and collect bowls and cups for transport back to the facility.

Mochnacz said she anticipates to bring back a quarter of the total amount of Styrofoam that she uses.

“Any little bit helps,” she said of the contribution.

“I also think this is something people could do themselves,” she said of the program. “You don't have to be a business or a corporation, and it would be a good way to encourage people to help out and not just to throw foam away,” she said.

There are two green bins set up in Super Sundaes, ready to collect the foam containers, explained Mochnacz.

After finishing their ice cream treats, people can drop smoothie cups, plastic water bottles and foam bowls in the designated green buckets.

Recycled water is then poured on the cups, and the containers are left to dry overnight before being neatly stacked in a Dart- approved container.

The small acts of reusing, she added, add up to a big difference.

Mochnacz also has a sign-up sheet next to the green collection bins in Super Sundaes' so people can register their names to go on the act.earthday.org website, which features a list of good deeds others can pledge to do to reduce, reuse and recycle.