Students at Donegal Primary School learned a lesson in patience and the value of reuse when they participated in a program to earn a bench made from recycled plastic. They also discovered how supportive the wider Donegal community can be.

To participate in the Trex Recycling Challenge, the students had to collect 1,000 pounds of plastic over the course of one year. They started collecting in December of 2024, recycling breakfast and lunch bags and other items such as grocery bags from home.

By the end of that school year, however, they hit a snag.

"Because we are not in school from June until August, we were not able to collect much over the summer," said art teacher Jessica Good, who organized the project. "This meant that as we got closer to December of 2025 and the end of our year window, we needed to enlist the help of the parents and community. They stepped up and helped us reach our 1,000 pounds just in time!"

Once the half-ton had been collected, Good submitted the plastic to Trex, where the material was transformed into a bench. The bench is, appropriately, green to match Donegal's school color. It will be installed on the school's playground.

Turning recycled plastic into benches is just one initiative of Trex's NexTrex program. The program empowers community and commercial partners to divert plastic waste from ending up in landfills and give it new life as sustainable benches or Trex composite decking. Recyclable items include bread and produce bags, newspaper sleeves, grocery bags, bubble wrap and reclosable food storage bags.

Good learned about the program from the Mount Joy Lions Club, a group that also participates with Trex.

"They have the plastic recycling bins located all over town at various stores and churches," Good said. "I spoke with a member who directed me to the Trex website, where I registered for our school to participate."

Good explained that Trex has changed the way the program operates going forward, but she's glad the school had the chance to participate.

She recalled that the students were excited to take part in the project and even more thrilled when they reached their goal.

"We made a big announcement and had the bench in our main lobby for the kids to see," she said. "Mr. Jahoda, our principal, was also very excited and put the bench together the day it was delivered to us."

She also expressed gratitude to the people outside the school who helped make the project a success.

"The Donegal community is very supportive," she said. "We have amazing families who volunteer and dedicate many hours to helping the students and teachers throughout the school year. The students, staff and community were very eager to collect the plastic."

To learn more about the program, visit https://nextrex.com/view/recyclingchallenge.