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Teaching children early on the importance of recycling packaging is a good lesson that can bring sustainable dividends to the future.
One of them, called the Trex Plastic Film Recycling Challenge, is celebrating its 15th anniversary. The program is sponsored by Trex, the world's largest manufacturer of alternative timber decks and railings, and inspires K-12 students across the country to participate and win prizes for their schools because they give new life to discarded plastic films.
The annual competition requires students from all over the country to collect and recycle polyethylene (PE) plastic film within six months in order to have a chance to win high-performance Trex products for their schools. The challenge starts from U.S. Recycling Day (November 15, 2021) and ends on Earth Day (April 22, 2022).
Trex is also the main sponsor of the recycling program, which has 30,000 stores nationwide and collects PE bags, films, and packaging belonging to #2 recycling code plastic.
The company's floors are made of 95% recycled materials, including a mixture of recycled wood chips and waste plastic film. Each year, the company reuses approximately 850 million pounds of recycled and recycled materials to produce durable laminate flooring.
Trex third-year students at Whitehouse School in Redding, New Jersey were one of 271 schools that participated in the previous school year.
The third-year students at Whitehouse School in Redding, New Jersey were one of 271 schools that participated in the previous school year.
Stephanie Hicks, Trex's material procurement manager, told PlasticsToday that the company "upgraded and recycled more than 360 million pounds of plastic film in 2020, which would otherwise be used for incineration or landfill, making Trex one of the largest plastic film recyclers in North America."
Trex President and CEO Bryan Fairbanks said: “Our school challenge program allows students to better understand and appreciate the importance of recycling, which shows that value can be found in what was once considered waste. This challenge shows that daily A little effort and a little creativity can not only have a positive impact on the environment, but also have a positive impact on the lives of the people living in it."
We also want to know what Trex has learned from the program and the children.
On the one hand, Hicks revealed that they have adjusted the program in the past year. "Although the 2021-2022 program operates in the same way as last year, we have improved the recycling page on Trex.com to make it easier for schools to register and participate," she said. "New online resources include educational videos and updated recycling posters."
This is not the only change-children and teachers continue to "improve" their level of play.
“School administrators, teachers and students are more creative every year, promoting their participation from collaborative Instagram videos to interesting and engaging Facebook posts,” Hicks said. "We have been looking forward to seeing their social content! Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, 271 schools participated in the challenge last year. As schools across the country adapt and pave the way forward, we anticipate the next few years The number of participants will increase."
Trex's unique plan won enthusiastic reviews from participants.
“We received feedback from teachers and their students are truly honored because their school community’s sustainability and greening efforts are recognized,” Hicks said. "The teachers shared that their students learned important lessons about recycling, including how to reuse recycled materials and how much plastic they use every day."
According to Hicks, the winners are selected based on the total weight of the plastic film collected by each student. And in order to provide equality among all schools, prizes are awarded to top recyclers based on grade, school size, and region. Each winner will receive high-performance, sustainable Trex products to help beautify their school’s campus, and each participating school will receive a special gift from Trex to thank them for their efforts.
The winner of the 2020-2021 challenge is the Northern Cross School in Roanoke, Virginia. Through classroom challenges and community-wide outreach activities, students collected what Hicks called "a staggering 5,325 pounds of recycled material."
“Schools participating in the Trex Plastic Film Recycling Challenge contribute to our company’s commitment to sustainability,” Hicks said. “We are proud to provide students across the country with an interesting educational program to understand the importance of recycling. "
This is also a successful plan for the plastics industry to train future recyclers in communities across the United States, who may have made sustainable changes in the country.
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