CTC Reaches 1,012 lb Recycling Goal, Earns Bench!

We hit our 1,000 lb. goal and earned a bench made from recycled plastic! Plastic recycling continues – learn how to stay involved.

Hello, CTC Community!

We are thrilled to announce that our 12-month plastic recycling challenge officially ended yesterday, and thanks to all of you, we reached our goal! Not only did we hit our target of 1,000 pounds, but we surpassed it with a total of 1,012 pounds of recyclable plastics collected since October 2023!

This achievement means that our community will soon be receiving a bench made entirely from the recycled plastic we collected. It will be a lasting reminder of the incredible efforts and dedication of our community!

A Special Thanks

This success was made possible not only by your commitment but also thanks to our amazing partners' generous donations over the months. Here's the breakdown:

ASCS Linden Hills: 60 lb
Hampden Park Co-op: 147 lb
Lakewinds Food Co-op: 299 lb
Tim and Tom's Speedy Market: 72 lb
CTC & CCCC Community: 422 lb

Our grand total: 1,012 pounds!

Continuing Plastic Recycling

We are excited to announce that while the formal challenge has ended, we are continuing the plastic recycling program here at CTC. We believe this is a fantastic way for our community to keep diverting waste from landfills.

The accepted item list and drop-off locations will remain the same. If you are interested in helping with plastic recycling drop-offs (typically 1-2 opportunities per month), we would love your help! Volunteering for this task can even be done in place of your co-op laundry room cleaning (with advance notice). Please contact Lindy or sign up here.

Fun Facts About Soft Plastic Recycling

To celebrate our achievement, here are a few fun facts:

#1: Soft plastics, like grocery bags and bubble wrap, can take up to 500 years to decompose in landfills. Thanks to your efforts, we’ve prevented over 1,000 pounds of plastic from contributing to long-term waste!
#2: Soft plastics are tough to recycle because they get tangled in machinery. But specialized programs like ours ensure they’re repurposed into products like decking, benches, and park equipment.
#3: Plastic bags alone make up about 12% of global plastic waste. By contributing to this challenge, we’ve reduced a significant portion of that waste!
#4: Recycling plastic uses 95% less energy than creating new plastic from raw materials, making our efforts both environmentally and energy-friendly.
#5: The plastic we collected will be turned into sustainable, long-lasting products—like the bench we’re receiving soon. So, our recycling efforts today will help build a greener tomorrow!