From left: Hillsboro Schools Foundation Development Director Ginny Watson, Tobias Principal Andrew Bekken, Parent Group President Danica Barnes, and Hillsboro Mayor Steve Callaway appreciate the school’s new TREX bench.

NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Heidi Burkart Resource Conservation Manager Hillsboro School District 503-844-1324 burkarth@hsd.k12.or.us

 

L.C.TOBIAS ELEMENTARY HONORED AS TREX NATIONAL RECYCLING CHALLENGE WINNER

Composite Decking Leader Inspires Environmental Responsibility through 10^th Annual Competition

 

Hillsboro Oregon, June, 23 2017 – For the students at L.C.Tobias Elementary, it’s not only easy being green – it’s rewarding, too! Tobias was recently named a national winner of the 10^th annual Trex Plastic Film Recycling Challenge, a program designed to help educate students about the importance of recycling.

 

“The Trex Plastic Film Recycling Challenge is not only an engaging way to teach the importance of recycling, but it also serves as an incredible team building exercise,” said Heidi Burkart, Resource Conservation Manager of Hillsboro School District. “Our students worked together and with the community to recycle as much plastic as possible, and we are so thrilled that they demonstrated such strong leadership in this effort to save the planet!”

 

To capture this year’s top honors, Tobias Elementary students recycled more than 1348 pounds of polyethylene plastic. In recognition of their outstanding efforts, Trex Company, the world’s number one decking and railing brand and leader in high-performance, low-maintenance outdoor living products, presented the students with a new Trex bench for use at their school, as well as a picture frame made from Trex composite materials to showcase their winner certificate.

 

The Trex Plastic Film Recycling Challenge pits K-12 schools across the country against one another in a fun, friendly competition to collect and recycle the most plastic bags and other types of polyethylene materials for the chance to win Trex products for their schools. A record number of Hillsboro schools participated in this year’s program, collecting more than 6300 pounds of plastic film since the program started last November 15 on America Recycles Day. Instead of going into landfills, that plastic waste will be converted into beautiful Trex composite decking.

 

“Offering a rewarding, hands-on school project, the Trex Plastic Film Recycling Challenge provides students with a better understanding and appreciation for sustainable practices,” said Stephanie Hicks, material resource coordinator for Trex. “After a decade, the program is still growing – with a record number of schools competing this year – and continues to educate tens of thousands of students about environmental responsibility.”

 

One of the largest recyclers of plastic in the U.S., Trex uses more than 1.5 billion plastic bags to make its eco-friendly, wood-alternative outdoor living products each year. A standard 16-foot Trex board contains recycled material from approximately 2,250 plastic bags. In addition to plastic grocery and retail bags, Trex reuses polyethylene plastic from a variety of common household items – such as case overwraps, bread bags, bubble wrap, newspaper sleeves and dry cleaning bags – to create composite products that offer a superior alternative to wood and an environmentally responsible choice to consumers.

 

For more information about the Trex Plastic Film Recycling Challenge, visit Trex.com/Recycling.

 

###

About Trex Company

Trex Company is the world’s largest manufacturer of high performance wood-alternative decking and railing, with more than 20 years of product experience. Stocked in more than 6,700 retail locations worldwide, Trex outdoor living products offer a wide range of style options with fewer ongoing maintenance requirements than wood, as well as a truly environmentally responsible choice. For more information, visit trex.com.  You also can follow Trex on Twitter (@Trex_Company), Pinterest (trexcompany), or Houzz (trex-company-inc) “like” Trex on Facebook, or view product and demonstration videos on the brand’s YouTube channel (TheTrexCo).