'It's Easy To Recycle': Norman Church Celebrates 9,000 Pounds Of Recycled Styrofoam

The University Lutheran Church in Norman is celebrating a major milestone for its Styrofoam recycling program.

Recently, the group hit a total of 9,000 pounds of recycled material.

It all started in 2021 when Cathy Bowden applied for a grant to purchase a tool called a densifier.

“It’s easy to recycle, all that we ask is you bring clean food service foam to us, and we’ll take care of the rest,” Bowden said. “And packaging foam just has to be without tape and paper labels.”

Bowden and volunteers run the densifier about every 10 days, or once the room collecting all the Styrofoam starts to overflow.

She said the City of Norman has helped spread the word and also provides a space for the team to store their trailer with the densifier.

Several other churches also regularly contribute to the eco-friendly efforts, including local Presbyterians, Methodists, Episcopalians and Catholics.

The University Lutheran Church has weekly Styrofoam collections. People interested in donating their foam can contact the church for more information.