WINCHESTER, VA.—Some say it’s not easy being “green,” but Trex Company, the world’s largest manufacturer of wood-alternative decking and railing, is committed to changing that mindset. To mark America Recycles Day (November 15), the industry leader is reminding Americans that they can bring their recyclable plastic films to participating stores across the country to be repurposed into Trex composite decking through the award-winning NexTrex recycling initiative.
“America Recycles Day presents an ideal opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of recycling and how simple it can be,” said Leslie Adkins, Vice President of Marketing for Trex Co. “Through our partnerships with grocery store chains and major retailers across the country, it is easy and convenient for eco-minded consumers to responsibly dispose of plastic bags and other discarded household plastic films while they are out shopping for essentials.”
The Trex portfolio of high-performance, low-maintenance composite decking is made from more than 95 percent recycled content, including reclaimed wood scrap and polyethylene plastic film. Nearly all of the plastic waste used in the making of Trex decking comes from post-consumer sources—ranging from shopping bags, newspaper sleeves and package liners to product overwrap, shrink wrap and stretch film used to palletize boxes.
Largest Sources: Grocery Stores, Other Retailers
One of the largest recyclers of plastic film in North America, Trex uses more than 400 million pounds of recycled plastic material each year in the making of its world-famous decking. Among its largest sources are grocery stores and other retailers who partner with the company to sustainably repurpose polyethylene plastic waste (#2 and #4). Through the NexTrex program, recycled plastic material is collected at the retail sites and then sent to local distribution centers, where it is sorted and shipped to Trex’s manufacturing facilities in Virginia and Nevada. Currently, the NexTrex recycling program engages more than 32,000 stores nationwide and recently reached a monumental milestone—one billion pounds of recyclable material collected through participating retailers.
“By collecting and dropping off their recyclable plastics at NexTrex locations, consumers play a vital role in our efforts to prevent plastic film from ending up in landfills,” says Adkins. “We strive to make it easy to be green in order to nurture eco-friendly habits and further our mission to create environmentally-friendly and sustainable outdoor living spaces.”
Consumers interested in contributing to the NexTrex program are encouraged to bring any of the following clean and dry plastic items to their local participating store for recycling:
- Grocery and retail shopping bags
- Bread bags
- Case overwraps
- Dry cleaning bags
- Newspaper sleeves
- Ice bags
- Ziploc and other reclose-able bags
- Produce bags
- Bubble wrap
- Plastic shipping envelopes
- Salt bags
- Cereal box liners
- Wood pellet bags
To find a list of participating NexTrex retailers, visit Trex.com/Recycling. For more information about Trex decking, visit http://www.Trex.com.
