Basking Ridge Recycles 500 Pounds Of Plastic Bags In 3 Months

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Basking Ridge residents recycled more than 500 pounds of thin plastic film as in less than three months as part of the TREX Challenge. This earned the township a high-performance park bench made of recycled plastic from TREX.

"The large amount of material that was collected so quickly further demonstrates the necessity of reducing our use of plastic as well as recycling the plastic we do use so it doesn’t end up in a landfill," the Bernards Township Environmental Commission stated.

The challenge kicked off in October and the township more than exceeded the 500-pound goal by December, according to the Environmental Commission member Debra DeWitt.

According to Trex, 500 pounds collected is equal to about 38,000 plastic bags. TREX, a company that specializes in composite decking, furniture and other eco-friendly products, aggregates the thin film plastics collected and repurposes them to create outdoor products.

The first bench will be placed at Pleasant Valley Park this spring and the second at Mt. Prospect School.

Due to high amount of bags recycled there is now enough plastic collected to meet the requirements for several more benches, according to Department of Public Works Director Jorge Casacuberta.

The township has registered with TREX to collect a second bench for turning in another 500 pounds of thin film plastic. Additionally the Basking Ridge Business Alliance will register to earn a third bench in the future.

All TREX Challenge collection bins will be collected in the next couple of days. Residents may
continue to recycle their thin film plastic at the following retailers: Acme, Kohl’s, McCaffrey’s
Food Markets, Stop & Shop, Target, Weis and Whole Foods.

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