Turning plastic into park benches

The Chester Park Board is looking at turning waste plastic in something more functional.

Park Board Vice-President Jessica Bland is spearheading a new program called "Plastic for Our Parks," which takes old plastic and recycles the material into park benches. New benches created by the program are already in place in front of City Hall and Brockmeyer Memorial Park, and the board is looking to collect enough plastic to place these types of benches in Cole Park, the City Gazebo, and The Cohen Complex.

The Boy Scouts initiated the program, which gathered the plastic for those first benches. The Park Board is reaching out to the community now through May 14, placing collection barrels at the Chester Grade School, St. John's Parent pickup area, Cole Park, Cohen Complex and Victor's MediCenter Pharmacy.

Any plastic lid with a recycle number of 2, 4, or 5 is acceptable, which includes caps from milk jugs, spray paint cans, deodorant cans, detergent bottles, toothpaste tubes, medicine bottles, magic markers and prescription and over the counter medication bottles. Bland added that larger lids, such as ones from ice cream pails, Cool Whip, peanut butter jars, cottage cheese, sour cream cheese, butter, coffee cans, mayonnaise jars, Nestea, and plastic Easter eggs are also acceptable.

She notes all caps, lids and Easter eggs should be clean, free of any debris or remains. Rinse them off before placing them in the collection barrels.

Volunteers are also being sought to help sort and prepare all of the plastic for transfer once the collection is finished.

Bland said it takes 200 pounds of plastic to create a four foot bench.