In partnership with the Plastics Lab at Envision Charlotte, Providence Day School now collects, cleans, and recycles #5 (PP) polypropylene plastic food delivery containers served at school. Students may also bring in clean and sticker-free containers from home and deposit them in a collection bin located in the Academic Center entrance next to the parking deck. 

Storage bins are located in each lunch location around campus. Students eating in the Dining Hall follow simple steps to remove all stickers from the packaging, place uneaten food items in the compost bin, and place containers in the dish room window. PD’s foodservice partner Flik washes the packaging, stacks the items to dry, and then boxes them up for delivery to Envision Charlotte’s Innovation Barn.

Once the items are received for recycling, they are broken down into smaller pieces, shredded into flake, and extruded into 3D printer filament. Both the recycled flake and 3D printer filament can be used to make face shield components for frontline medical workers or other plastic products.

This project allows PD to contribute to a circular economy in which new products are made using recycled plastics instead of buying new plastic and creating more waste that ends up in a landfill. Although these containers are labeled as recyclable, they are not currently recyclable in Charlotte at the local Material Recovery Facility.

Charlotte residents may donate washed and sticker-free takeout containers in receptacles located at Solid Waste Services at 1105 Otts Street or the Innovation Barn at 932 Seigle Avenue. Materials that can be recycled in curbside bins in Mecklenburg County include plastic bottles with necks, milk and juice cartons, glass, and clean paper or cardboard. Click here for a guide to “Recycle Right” in Mecklenburg County.

Click here to learn more about Envision Charlotte.