SEATTLE (Recycling Monster): A recycling program run by Trex Co. collects plastic bags which are then transformed into park benches.
Established in 2006 in Winchester, Virginia, the company was initially focused on educating students on the importance of recycling and demonstrating ways to recycle plastic bags and films. It placed bins at local schools. The plastic from bins were picked up by Trex employees and turned into composite decking. This effort later grew into national self-service program named NexTrex.
As per the new program, designated recyclers were allowed to accept collected materials from schools, community organizations or municipalities.
Over the past three decades, Trex has upcycled more than 5 billion pounds of polyethylene plastic film. During the previous year, recycled 337 million pounds of polyethylene plastic film, which were later processed and transformed into composite decking products. As per estimates, a total of around 3,300 community organizations and municipalities collected around 2 million pounds of materials.
Stephanie Hicks, materials and recycling programs manager for Trex noted that the company aims to make it easy for people to recycle plastic. It plans to engage as many partners with the NexTrex programs, Hicks added.
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