Goodwill of Delaware and Delaware County, PA, the District of Columbia, Maryland and Northern Virginia, announced a partnership with Trex to collect plastic films for use in Trex composite decking products. Trex is the world’s largest composite decking company, offering a line of composite exterior products including fences, furniture and pergolas made from 95% recycled plastic and wood pulp.
Members of the public can now bring clean, dry plastic wrap to any Goodwill of the Chesapeake, Goodwill of Delaware and Delaware County or Goodwill of Greater Washington store to be recycled at no charge. Historically, plastic film is the most difficult type of plastic to recycle. Generally, any clean, dry plastic wrap that you can run your thumb through can be recycled under this new initiative. Examples include single-use plastic bags, e-commerce mailers, bubble wrap and air cushions, and dry cleaning bags.
The collaboration between the three organizations Goodwill and Trex will reduce plastic pollution that ends up in landfills or is dumped in unregulated landfills, negatively affecting wildlife, wildlife habitat and humans. During the first three months of collection, more than 40,000 pounds of plastic film were collected and recycled. The Goodwill collaboration plans to divert more than 300,000 pounds of plastic wrap in 2022 and 2023.
“I am pleased to announce that Goodwill and Trex are partnering in this vital initiative. For more than a hundred years, Goodwill’s nonprofit mission has been to provide workforce development services to people facing barriers to employment while operating a business model that, by its nature, protects the environment. We recycle every day and finding a source to recycle plastic films will help reduce waste,” said Colleen Morrone, president and CEO of Goodwill of Delaware & Delaware County, in a statement.