Taunton Forge Elementary School in Medford is halfway to meeting its goal of collecting 100,000 plastic bags. Students have recycled 50,000 bags as part of the Taunton Forge-Goodwill Plastic Bag Challenge.
The challenge, a partnership with Goodwill Industries of southern New Jersey, is one of Taunton Forge School’s many “going green” projects.
Students and their families and friends gather plastic bags and send them to school in bunches indicating how many bags were donated. Fifth-grade students empty the collection bin and tally the school’s totals three times a week.
Goodwill makes regular plastic bag pick-ups. A “ticker” hanging in the school’s lobby charts students’ progress toward collecting 100,000 plastic bags.
Americans use 86 billion plastic bags annually. These bags can stay buried in landfills for hundreds of years. But properly recycled with the help of Goodwill, they can be repurposed and made into beautiful composite decking material. With approximately 140,000 plastic bags, a 500 square foot Trex deck can be created. Beyond being a green project for Taunton Forge, this project benefits Goodwill, a local non-profit organization. It also provides job opportunities for local residents with disabilities who help sort and package the plastic bags.
According to Taunton Forge Principal Sherry Weinberg, the challenge is a grand slam.
“Taunton Forge students understand that recycling means more than separating plastics, glass and paper. Collecting plastic bags greatly enhances our efforts to create a more sustainable environment,” she said. “In addition, our fifth-grade students have made the Plastic Bag Challenge into a math project and are keeping meticulous records as we climb to our 100,000 bag goal.”
