The Trex Co. began a competition over a decade ago to encourage communities to recycle plastic film wrapping and bags. Student Voice and the commission have set a goal of collecting 500 pounds of polyethylene plastic by the summer to keep it from winding up in landfills, as it is not currently recycled by the county.

Student Voice advisers Lori Yukniewicz and Valerie Zanardi were “very pleased” with the commission’s enthusiasm to collaborate with the third graders. “The commission actually stopped their meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 28, to give a round of applause when we listed all the environmental programs Whitehouse School students and staff participate in on a daily basis,” Zanardi said.

Whitehouse School has earned U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School designation, and is a multi-year recipient of the N.J. Sustainable Schools highest award. To aid these green missions, Student Voice members collect food from the lunchroom and place it in a three-year compost bin. The third-grade leadership club also solicits shampoo bottles and beauty packaging for a TerraCycle program, as well as printer cartridges for yet another recycling venture.

Teacher Melissa Truempy coordinates with the Rutgers Master Gardeners to facilitate a Seeds to Salad experience in one of the two sensory gardens found at the elementary school. Each grade level is responsible for some aspect of the growing cycle: germinating seeds, planting sprouts, weeding, and watering with collected rainwater. All students then participate in a school-wide harvest.

For this latest challenge, Student Voice members will gather and weigh the plastic collected at the school and then deliver it to a designated drop-off point. The polyethylene will be recycled into composite products such as Trex decking. The commission will handle materials collected at the municipal building. Neil Hendrickson, chairman of the Environmental Commission commented, “The world is going to need leaders with a strong environmental ethic, and the students at Whitehouse School, through programs like these, will be among those able to guide us toward a sustainable future.”

Students encourage the whole community to help with the challenge. Residents are encouraged to bring plastic film to the bin outside the municipal building at 509 Route 523, Whitehouse Station. The following plastic is salvageable: grocery and retail bags, zipped baggies, case overwraps, bread bags, bubble wrap, newspaper sleeves, and dry cleaning bags. All plastic must be empty and dry.

If Readington Township is able to deliver 500 pounds of polyethylene by summer, Whitehouse School will earn a Trex bench for its sensory garden.