Goodwill Turns Plastic Bags into Composite Wood in New Recycling Program

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The nonprofit is partnering with Trex, a company that makes composite wood from recycled materials. Goodwill has collected 17,000 pounds of plastic so far in just two months.

-From this Earth Day forward, Goodwill is also discontinuing its use of plastic bags in all of its stores.

-Whether it's a grocery, garbage, or produce bag, Goodwill is now taking plastic bag donations as part of its latest sustainability effort.

-You can visit any of the 16 locations in Omaha to drop off your bags at the front or at the donation drive-through drop-offs.

 This is composite wood. How it's made is really interesting. Goodwill is partnering with a new recycling partner to transform donated plastic bags into this.

Whether it's a grocery, garbage, or produce bag, Goodwill is now taking plastic bag donations as part of its latest sustainability effort.

The nonprofit is partnering with a company called Trex, which makes composite wood from recycled materials.

So far, in just two months, Goodwill has collected 17,000 pounds of plastic. Forty thousand pounds is needed for Trex to pick up.

"Just imagine if we hadn't collected all these plastic bags, if Trex didn't turn these plastic bags into lumber, all these plastic bags would have ended up into the ocean, into the landfill," said Mehreen Chowdhury, Goodwill Omaha's sustainability manager.

 From this Earth Day forward, Goodwill is also discontinuing its use of plastic bags in all of its stores.

Beyond this effort, the nonprofit has kept nearly nine million pounds of clothing, textiles, and other materials out of local landfills.

You can visit any of the 16 locations in Omaha to drop off your bags at the front or at the donation drive-through drop-offs.

 Courtesy: www.3newsnow.com