https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/plastic-bags-bench-schools-1.4988653
[I presume it does not need to be said, but the first step should be
eliminating the use of all these single-use plastic bags in the first
place (say, with reusable bags). But, given the bags do get made and
used (mostly just once), useful reuses of the material are better and
leaving them blowing around our open spaces until they end up in water
somewhere. IMO, engaging youth is almost always a worthwhile endeavour.
images in online article]
Plastic bags collected by students transformed into benches
Close to 1 million bags collected by Manitoba schools as part of annual
program
CBC News · Posted: Jan 22, 2019 3:51 PM CT
Hundreds of thousands of plastic bags collected by schools in Manitoba
have been transformed into benches as part of an annual program
promoting recycling.
The benches were created as part of Bag Up Manitoba, a program run by
Take Pride Winnipeg! and Multi-Material Stewardship Manitoba.
This year, 154 schools took part across Manitoba, collecting over
866,000 plastic bags for recycling.
On Tuesday, one of those benches had its debut at General Byng School in
Winnipeg before a crowd of excited students.
General Byng is one of 14 of the schools that participated in the bag
collection program that will be receiving the benches.
Tom Ethans, executive director of Take Pride Winnipeg!, said the program
shows students how they can make a difference in a tangible way.
"The reaction of the students of the schools we've been to has been
incredible," he said.
"They are so wowed by the bench and by the fact that they've taken
something that they know is a plastic bag and now it's something
tangible like a bench like that. They are in awe."
The hope is that students will take that enthusiasm home and encourage
their parents to be environmentally conscious as well, Ethans said.
The benches were made by local company ReGen Composites out of recycled
plastic bags and other materials including end-of-life plastic bins,
pool plastic, lawn furniture and wood chips.
[Regen Composites website: http://www.regencomposites.com/
They say they use all plastic types, resin codes 1 to 7.]
