Day 203 – More times than not, we picture park benches being made from our discarded plastic waste. However, a variety of things can be made from recycled plastic. Trex has found a way to use plastic bags in the making of their decking.
Here is how Trex makes their composite decks into green decks.
- Locally sourced reclaimed wood that would otherwise end up in a landfill finds its way into Trex high-performance composite decks. By using reclaimed sawdust, they never have to cut down a tree to make their products.
- The reclaimed wood in their decks is combined with recycled plastic film from a variety of sources ranging from the overwrap on paper towels to dry cleaner bags, sandwich bags, newspaper sleeves, and grocery and shopping bags. The average 500-square foot composite Trex deck contains 140,000 recycled plastic bags! That makes Trex one of the largest plastic bag recyclers in the U.S.
- Trex takes an active role to ensure their supply vendors operate with ethical and responsible business practices. Approximately 95% of their supply vendors are based in the U.S. They conduct supply chain assessments, including in-person reviews, operating facility tours, and work with their suppliers to reduce environmental impact across the supply chain. As a result, they make it a practice to use post-consumer and post-industrial content wherever possible.
- Trex works along with other U.S. Green Building Council members to transform the way building and communities are designed, built and operated with the goal of creating environmentally and socially responsible spaces that improve the quality of life.
Trex can be found at Home Depot and Lowe’s. So, the next time you find yourself in need of a new deck, look into a company that is doing their part to be environmentally friendly.
Lastly, check out how your school or community can collect plastic bags to be used in Trex decks!
Tomorrow, making sure your kitchenware is sustainable.
365 Ways to Save the Planet 