Bags to Benches Dedication

On April 23rd, Chelmsford leaders and residents gathered at the Warren-Pohl Reservation, 95 Boston Road, to celebrate the installation of a new bench made from recycled plastic bags. Director of Business Development Lisa Marrone hosted the event and led a conversation about this unique bench with Sustainability Manager Chris Haley and Kristin Champagne from the Recycling Committee. Committee members Rebecca Gore and Karen Willis held a ribbon while Kristin cut the ribbon with oversized ceremonial scissors. Everyone celebrated the dedication by tossing bird seed instead of confetti.

Chelmsford residents earned the bench by completing the Trex® “Bags to Benches” challenge, launched on Earth Day 2022. Residents participated enthusiastically by collecting over 500 pounds of plastic bags and film in less than 6 months. Every week, Recycling Committee members gathered the items from three collection sites in town, sorted, weighed, and delivered it to participating retail stores. Those retailers sent the material to Trex® where it was recycled into composite decking. The bench was made from the equivalent of 40,500 recycled plastic bags.

In addition to earning a bench, we all learned how clear, stretchy plastic (marked #2, #4 or “return to store”) can be recycled – not in the curbside recycling bin, but by returning it directly to participating retailers. Market Basket, Stop & Shop, Hannaford, and Kohl’s have special collection boxes near the entrance or next to the bottle and can redemption machines.