The City of Chattanooga is renewing a program that would help recycle several tons of waste. It converts things such as food storage bags and takeout containers, and turns them into benches and lumber.The city hopes this will help reduce pollution in landfills. Last year Chattanooga collected more than 40 tons of hard to recycle plastics that could have otherwise been thrown into landfills.
But where does this plastic go? “There’s nothing sort of notable and specific that I can point to yet,” says Eric Holl, Senior Advisor to the Mayor of Chattanooga. The Hefty ReNew program started in Chattanooga back in 2022, but has nothing to show for it just yet. “It’s a longer process to see some of the more specific things like park benches, but a lot of this is more materials oriented.” Holl says. Park benches are important because in other areas where the program has been in place longer, some recycled material has been used to create them.
But after much success collecting trash last year, and still to this day, the city says there was no doubt to continue the program.