Trex launches film recycling challenge in K-12 schools

Winchester, Virginia-based Trex Co., which makes composite decking and railings made of recycled materials, plans to launch its 16th annual Trex Plastic Film Recycling Challenge for K-12 students. The competition challenges students to collect and recycle as much polyethylene (PE) plastic film as possible over a five-month period between America Recycles Day, Nov. 15, and Earth Day, April 22.

In addition to earning national recognition, the top-performing schools can win Trex outdoor living products for their campuses as well as cash prizes to use toward educational programming and supplies.

Charter Next Generation (CNG), an independent producer of high-performance specialty films that’s based in Chicago, is a corporate sponsor for this year’s competition. CNG will present $5,000 to each individual elementary, middle and high school that recycles the most plastic film in their categories during the competition period. Cash prizes of $3,000 and $2,500, respectively, will be awarded to the second and third place schools at each level. CNG will award an additional $2,500 to the top recycling school overall.

Additionally, CNG will present cash rewards to schools that most creatively promote their recycling efforts through social media using the designated hashtags, #TrexRecyclingChallenge and #Recycle2Win. For this aspect of the competition, schools will be evaluated on the number of posts, quality of content and creativity used to drive awareness to participation and the importance of recycling. Those with the most impactful social media campaigns will receive gifts of $5,000 for first place, $3,000 for second place and $2,000 for third place.

“By combining our efforts, Trex and CNG were able to bring the competition to more schools and recycle more material than in years past, which is directly in line with our commitment to being a sustainability leader in the industry,” says Kathy Bolhous, chairman and chief executive officer at Charter Next Generation. “We are incredibly excited to build on that momentum and surpass our goal of over 1,000 schools participating in this year’s challenge.”

In addition to the prizes awarded by CNG, Trex will reward top participants based on grade level, school size and region. Trex says the winning schools per capita will earn high-performance Trex products to help beautify their campuses, and all participants in the Trex Plastic Film Recycling Challenge will receive a special gift from Trex in appreciation for their efforts and contributions.

According to Trex, schools can enroll in the competition by completing a short form at https://nextrex.com/view/programs. Trex says schools enrolled in its Trex Plastic Film Recycling Challenge receive a turnkey kit with detailed instructions, promotional materials, recycling bins and a list of qualifying recyclable materials. Participants weigh and report collection totals to Trex each month throughout the collection period before delivering the recycled plastic to designated Trex drop-off points in their communities. Schools can track their success and standings throughout the program via a dedicated leaderboard at Recycle2Win.com.

“Over the past 16 years, we’ve seen firsthand how this fun and engaging initiative inspires students to make eco-conscious choices for their schools, communities and lives,” says Stephanie Hicks, materials sourcing manager for Trex Co. “Thanks to the determination of these bright, dedicated students, Trex has been able to divert millions of pounds of discarded plastic film from ending up in waterways and landfills by repurposing it into beautiful, sustainable Trex decking.”