SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – As a reward for Springfield residents collecting 1,000 pounds of thin-film plastics for the Trex Thin Film Plastics Challenge, the Trex Company (Trex) provided the Springfield Rotary Club with its ninth outdoor bench, which was placed at the “Green on Main,” at 77 Main Street in Springfield.
The Rotary Club entered the Trex Thin Film Plastics Challenge in February of 2023 on behalf of the Springfield community, placing a Trex bin in the Springfield Town Library. In addition, thin-film plastics were collected at Bibens Ace Hardware, McGee CDJR of Springfield, Springfield GMC, Springfield Hospital, and the Springfield Food Co-op. Since that time, Springfield residents have been avidly pitching in to recycle their share of thin-film plastics, diverting over 7,200 pounds (over 3.5 tons) of thin-film plastics from the waste stream.
The challenge is part of the Trex Recycling Program, aimed at encouraging the public to recycle their grocery bags, bread bags, produce bags, cereal bags, ice bags, case overwrap, bubble wrap, dry cleaning bags, Ziploc and other resealable bags, and similar bags and wrap for other objects. If the sponsoring group’s participants collect 1,000 pounds of thin film plastics, Trex will send the group a Trex Outdoor Furniture 48-inch Yacht Club Bench. Trex does not manufacture the benches, they are a purchased gift for meeting the minimum requirement in the program. The plastic that is turned in is being upcycled into Trex decking. The benches are part of the Trex branded furniture line through Polywood. Polywood uses milk jugs and water bottles to manufacture their furniture.
This is the ninth bench that has been donated. The first two can be found at The Common, the third at the Park Street School overlooking the Kingsbury House, the fourth at the North Springfield Bog Trailhead, the fifth and sixth at the bus stop on Main Street, and the seventh and eighth at the Springfield Town Library.
Volunteers from the Springfield Rotary Club and from the Springfield Town Library collect and weigh the bags, report the bags’ weight to Trex, and deliver the bags to Trex’s closest participating dropoff retailer location, Shaw’s Supermarket in Springfield.
The Trex Bin will remain in place at the Springfield Town Library. The Springfield Rotary Club has partnered with Friends of Springfield Town Library, the Union Park Neighborhood Association, the Black River Action Group, Springfield on the Move (SOM), and Green on Main. Working with the Elm Hill School, Springfield Rotary Club has launched another challenge to earn an additional outdoor bench for the Springfield community.
The benches are dedicated to the 95th anniversary of the Springfield Rotary.
The Rotary Club of Springfield, founded in 1927, is an active community service club of more than 40 members who engage in community and human service projects both locally and internationally. For more information, visit www.springfieldvtrotary.org.