The Randolph-Henry High School (R-HHS) Ecology Club is leading a competition for the school to collect and weigh plastic bags in an attempt to win a bench made from Trex decking boards.

According to R-HHS teacher and ecology club sponsor Erin Davis, the Trex boards are durable material made from recycled plastic and sawdust. She said the company prides itself on not cutting down trees in order to make the product.

Davis said the school in each category — which is based off of population size and type of school — that collects the largest number of pounds of plastic bags will win the bench.

“Randolph-Henry already runs a successful recycling program which has collected about 4,000 pounds of recycling this year,” Davis said. “However, we are excited about this new opportunity with Trex because it gives us a way to recycle the materials that are normally not recyclable.”

She said before the contest, the school couldn’t accept plastic bags because they cause machines to jam at the recycling sorting facility.

“With this new opportunity, we are expanding our recycling program to collect plastic bags so that these materials do not end up in our landfills,” Davis said. “Win or lose, we are doing something great to ensure a sustainable future for our children.”

According to Davis, there is a blue drop-off box for plastic bags outside of Ranolph-Henry’s auditorium near the brick retaining wall where members of the community can pull up to the sidewalk and drop off bags without having to come inside. Additionally, there are bins inside for students and staff to use.

“Because it takes a great deal of plastic to create just a few pounds, we are counting on the support of our wonderful community to make this happen,” Davis said.