Across Kansas City, a recycling program transforms recycled plastic bags into park benches

The city of Merriam is one of the latest local beneficiaries of a program in which plastic bags are recycled as free park benches. To make it happen, the city collected about 1,000 pounds of plastic bags in just four months.
There are two brand new benches along the Turkey Creek Streamway Trail in Merriam. They exist because 1,000 pounds of plastic bags did not end up in a landfill.

The city of Merriam is one of the latest local beneficiaries in a program offered by Trex Co. Inc., a billion-dollar company, in which plastic bags are collected and weighed before being recycled as free park benches.

The Merriam benches joined others created through this program found throughout the area. Recycled benches have been installed in Belton, Lenexa, Mission, Overland Park, Shawnee, and both Kansas City, Missouri, and Kansas City, Kansas.

“The recycling is important but getting the bench is cool,” said David Hentges, secretary and founder of the Kansas City Downtown Lions Club.

The club has collected enough plastic bags in the past three years to get six benches.