If Zero Waste Jackson County can successfully complete a challenge it’s embarking on, the plastics will create a bench that can be placed in any of Jackson County’s communities. A successful challenge will also keep 500 pounds of plastic bags and plastic film products out of the landfill. “One of Zero Waste’s goals is to recycle smarter,” said organization founder Jenna Schwartz of how the community challenge fits within the organization’s holistic initiative, which advocates for refusing, reducing or re-using single-use plastics.
The newly formed organization will make it easier for residents to recycle their thin plastic products from Jan. 1 through July 1, 2020. The products are sent to NexTrex, a fabricator of outdoor products created using recycled plastics. If the group is successful at the conclusion of the challenge, the company will fabricate a bench. Schwartz said ZWJC will accept suggestions about where to place the bench in the county.
ZWJC will kick off its first plastic bag and plastic film collection event from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Jackson Library, 311 Third St., Jackson. The organization will host a 10 a.m. Jan. 25 showing of “Bag It,” a documentary showing the effects of plastic bags and other plastic products on the ecosystem, marine environment and human body. It will also collect eligible plastic film products during the event at the Jackson Library.
According to Schwartz, in addition to the Jackson Library, the group plans to continue rotating collections at libraries in Heron Lake and Lakefield on a monthly basis. Products can also be recycled at fixed locations in the county through the duration of the challenge: city halls in Jackson, Heron Lake and Okabena, and the Jackson County Land Management Office, 603 S. Highway 86, Lakefield. Schwartz said the group will also work with the Jackson County Central School District, nursing homes, restaurants and other businesses.