Goodwill and Trex partner for recycling innovation

Goodwill of Delaware and Delaware County, PA, the District of Columbia, Maryland and Northern Virginia, announced a partnership with Trex to collect plastic film that will be used in Trex composite decking products. Trex is the world’s largest composite decking company, offering an array of composite outdoor products that include fencing, furniture, and pergolas made from 95% recycled plastic and wood pulp material.

Members of the public can now bring clean, dry plastic film to any Goodwill of the Chesapeake, Goodwill of Delaware and Delaware County, or Goodwill of Greater Washington retail store to be recycled at no charge. Historically plastic film is the most difficult type of plastic to recycle. As a rule of thumb, any clean, dry, plastic film that you can push your thumb through can be recycled under this new initiative. Examples include single-use plastic bags, e-Commerce mailers, bubble wrap and air cushions, and dry cleaning bags.

The collaboration between the three Goodwill organizations and Trex will reduce plastic pollution that ends up in landfills or is thrown into unregulated dump sites, adversely affecting wildlife, their habitat, and humans. In the first three months of collection, more than 40,000 pounds plastic film was collected and recycled. The Goodwill collaborative anticipates diverting in excess of 300,000 pounds of plastic film in 2022 and 2023.

“It is my pleasure to announce that Goodwill and Trex are partnering in this vital initiative. For over one hundred years, Goodwill’s nonprofit mission has been to provide workforce development services to those with barriers to employment while operating a business model that, by its nature, protects the environment. We recycle every day and finding a source to recycle plastic film will help reduce waste,” Colleen Morrone, President & CEO of Goodwill of Delaware & Delaware County, said in a statement.