Lake Area Industries (LAI), a nonprofit employing individuals with differing abilities in Camdenton, launched its dock foam recycling program in 2013 after the Missouri Department of Natural Resources approached them to tackle the problem of waterlogged foam degrading and filtering back into waterways and eventually the Lake from neglected dump sites. At the time, no similar program existed. Other foam recycling operations handled only clean foam, not the wet, expanded polystyrene (EPS) used in docks. This became an issue following a 
mandate to remove dock foam and its broken-down particles from the Lake of the Ozarks to maintain a healthy
water environment.
To make it work, then-Executive Director Tiffany Maasen reached out to retired engineer Jim Lambert, who helped find a Canadian manufacturer willing to develop a specialized “densifier.” This densifier drains water from foam, filters all tiny particulates from the water, then chops the foam into popcorn-sized pieces before melting and compressing the material into pallet-sized blocks. Amazingly,
a 40-yard 
dumpster’s worth of dock foam is reduced to a single block that’s easy to stack and transport. Once a rail container is fully loaded with up to 40,000 pounds of dried, compacted foam, it’s shipped, often overseas, to be repurposed into products like planters, park benches, and much more.
LAI Executive Director Natalie Couch says dock foam recycling is a great entry point for higher functioning clients to learn job skills that help them transition into non-sheltered employment in the community. With dock foam now being encapsulated in plastic, employees use a Sawzall to remove the plastic and a log splitter to slice the large pieces of foam into smaller chunks that fit into the densifier, and will soon be purchasing a skid steer to help move the foam easily. Even the plastic from encapsulated floats is recycled. The dock foam recycling program has generated over $150,000 in revenue for LAI.
“Recycling is very labor-intensive,” Maasen explains. “So, using the sheltered workshop is a perfect setting, and it also makes workshop employees feel great because they are cleaning up their community.”
While four employees, along with supervisors, handle the dock foam recycling program, some of the other approximately 50 LAI staff do secure document shredding, cardboard recycling, and electronics recycling.
Couch shared, “For individuals who need more repetitive tasks, we also partner with Innovative Procurement to assemble fishing rods and tackle boxes for major retailers like Scheels, Bass Pro, and Walmart.” LAI employees also package screws, bolts and washers for dock ladders and prepare vinyl stickers for the buoys used on the Lake.
Everyone’s work, no matter how small, is woven into the greater story of protecting their beloved lake and keeping local shorelines pristine.
Their dedication is transforming old dock foam into new treasures while empowering the remarkable people who call Lake Area Industries home.
Be sure to visit LAI’s website, lakeareaindustries.org, under the service tab, for items you can drop off for recycling. They will also hold a free hazardous household waste collection event on May 14. And don’t miss LAI’s Gifted Garden for your spring and fall plantings to put in those recycled dock foam planters!
