FLOYD (WSLS 10) - Recycling pays off for a church in Floyd.
Parishioners at Pleasant Valley Church of the Brethren collected more than 500 pounds of plastic refuse as part of a recycling program with Trex, a company which manufactures wood-alternative decking products.
The refuse includes everything from grocery bags to bread bags, cereal and dry cleaning bags, as well as newspaper sleeves, food storage bags and produce bags.
"When you donate your unwanted plastic materials to Trex, not only are you helping to keep thousands of pounds of waste out of landfills, you're also helping us to continue to create beautiful and environmentally responsible outdoor products," according to the Trex website.
The program offers an incentive for schools and community organizations who participate. Those who collect more than 40,000 plastic bags in six months time will get a free composite bench donated to the organization.
Members of Pleasant Valley said as soon as they made the announcement, the bags started pouring in.
"I mean you go to the grocery store now and they put one or two items in a bag and you come home with 10 or 15 bags at a time," explained church member Iris Vest. "My family, we do it multiple times a week, so it seems like no time to collect that amount."
A parishioner learned about the contest while chaperoning a school field trip to the Montgomery Regional Solid Waste Authority.
The bench will be used on the church playground.