How to be a part of the recycling effort
Between the heat, the Northeast flooding, a tornado in Chicago, a war in Ukraine and other very unpleasant worldly things, there is a piece of good news. The Trex Company, known for their plastic planking and yard furniture released a report this week about their very successful plastics recycling efforts.
Their statistics were published in the 2022 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) report. According to their report, the company “upcycled , meaning that they took discarded materials (plastic bags and film) and created a product of higher quality or value, nearly 170,000 tons of scrap polyethylene (PE) film. Trex products are totally manufactured and based in the United States, based in Winchester, Virginia. President and CEO, Bryan Fairbanks explains that Trex was founded on sustainable principles and makes sustainability a priority. He attributes the success of this company to the employees and community partners that have made Trex a household word. Since its founding, Trex has diverted, recycled and upcycled 5 billion pounds or 2.5 million tons of plastic film.
So, folks, here’s the news that was news to me: we all know that you can recycle grocery bags at store locations that have those bins outside of their store: Food Lion, Harris Teeter, Ingles, Kohl’s, Kroger, Lowe’s, and Piggly Wiggly; you can also contribute bread bags, the plastic bags that your Gaston Gazette is delivered in, plastic bags from the grocery store that you put produce in, the plastic bag over dry cleaning, the plastic overwrap from water bottle cases, from multi-packs of paper towels and toilet paper, the bubble wrap (after you pop, of course ), bubble mailers, the plastic sleeve inside of cereal boxes and probably more.
The way to check if that plastic can be recycled into Trex: if you can stretch, its good. If it makes a crinkling sound (like a fast-food cup lid), put it in the trash. Also, no Saran-type wrap or the plastic wrap off meat/chicken packages. So, along with your recycling bins at home, start a bag of these types of plastic. We all know there as an over abundance of wasted plastic, so here is one more opportunity for you to recycle right. On you next scheduled visit to Harris Teeter or Food Lion or Kohl’s, grab your plastic film bag and drop off for more feed stock for Trex.
Trex has also partnered with some schools and other community organizations. Those places then gather their plastic film and take to a retail store. The store then bales the plastic materials into 1,000-pound bales and ship to a warehouse who will ship to Trex when there are enough bales to pack onto a transfer trailer.
For any of you who have wood decking, stairs, railings or patios, consider this product as you upgrade or replace. In our circular economy, it is as important for outlets to exist for upcycled products. After visiting their website, a cost comparison between wood planks and Trex materials will make you rethink wooden decks. It’s not for every usage but knowing that your bread bags and grocery bags are being recycled and used is positive.
So in addition to the cardboard boxes, plastic bottles, aluminum cans, steel cans, glass bottle and jars, paperboard boxes (like cereal and tissues), junk mail, reusable batteries, cooking oil, latex paint, motor oil and antifreeze, please add these very recyclable plastic films: grocery bags, bubble wrap, bread bags, produce bags, plastic overwrap from cases of water bottles, paper towels, toilet paper, stretchy plastics (not Saran-like wrap or meat wrap. Please make sure the plastic is free from food and water. Let’s make this happen.
Nan Kirlin is the recycling coordinator for Gaston County.
This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: How to be a part of the recycling effort
