Submitted by Kristin Battistoni
(July 8, 2024) — Since November 1, 2024 the Haddam Sustainability Committee has been collecting soft plastic for our latest round of the TREX Recycling Challenge. As many know, TREX uses soft, stretchy plastic in their building materials. If we can collect one thousand pounds in a twelve-month period, we will receive a bench.
This program was started in 2018 and we have collected more than five tons of material to date. The program started off strong and is slowly making a comeback after the Covid-19 pandemic. This program helped the Town of Haddam to win Bronze status from Sustainable CT, a state-run program designed to recognize towns that create sustainable practices. We have even received the attention of Governor Lamont, who stopped in for a visit and helped us weigh a bag or two.
We have drop-off locations at the Town Office Building and the Transfer Station. The purpose of this program is to take soft plastic out of the regular garbage and take it someplace that can use it. Soft plastic is any plastic that you can easily stretch or dent when a finger is pushed through it. Things like bread bags, Saran wrap, Amazon bags and sandwich bags are just a few examples. If it makes a crinkling sound, like a chip or dog food bag, it is not able to be recycled through the TREX program. All material must be clean and dry.
When dropping off your donation, please keep in mind the small group of volunteers who come out to collect the material. Please don’t put loose or dirty plastic into the bin. Tie it up in one of your donation items: You will be surprised at how many bags will fit into a bread bag. If the bags are loose, when the bin is opened the plastic tends to fly away. Plus, a volunteer has to spend time putting all the loose material into a bag so we can bring it to the drop-off locations.
Please remember that single use plastic water bottles and other recyclable containers do not qualify for this program. No other recycled material should be put into the soft plastic bin except soft plastics.
Thank you to everyone who is using the program. Together we are helping Haddam become more sustainable. Contact the Haddam Sustainability Committee with project ideas or questions at HaddamSustainabilityCommittee@gmail.com.
Photos by Kristin Battistoni
