Recycling Partner
As a company built on eco-minded values, Trex® Company, a manufacturer of high-performance, wood-alternative decking and railing, is enlisting communities and organizations to partner in its robust recycling efforts. The recently launched NexTrex® Grassroots Movement provides a turnkey framework for municipalities, universities, nonprofits, and other qualifying businesses to serve as centralized drop-off locations for recycling polyethylene plastic film while earning funds for their organizations.
The Grassroots Movement is an expansion of the successful NexTrex recycling program, a nationwide material sourcing initiative for Trex, which manufactures its world-famous composite decking from 95% reclaimed material including a mix of industrial wood scrap and recycled polyethylene plastic film. A large portion of the plastic film used by Trex comes from a network of more than 32,000 grocery stores and retail partners who work with Trex to responsibly recycle commercial, industrial, and post-consumer plastic film collected through warehouse and front-of-house collection. The new grassroots program extends the benefits of Trex recycling to business and organizations that may not meet the volume criteria for the company’s commercial recycling program.
Organizations approved for participation in the NexTrex program can earn funding by serving as drop-off locations where community members can recycle their discarded plastic film packaging. Each grassroots partner is equipped with a baler, which is housed on site for use in bundling and weighing recycled plastic material. After 20-40 bales are compiled, which is 20,000-40,000 lbs. of recycled plastic film, Trex will pick up and transport the material to its manufacturing facilities in Virginia or Nevada, where it will begin its new life as high-performance Trex composite decking. Trex then provides a rebate to its partners for the baled recyclable films making it a viable source of ongoing funding for business operations or community initiatives.
Trex makes it easy to get up and running with the NexTrex program. Partners are supplied with everything they need to succeed from instructional videos and promotional materials to free recycling bins and access to professional marketing and PR support. If needed, Trex will provide upfront financing to help with the purchase and installation of industrial balers for partner locations. Rebate funds earned through material collection may be used to pay off the financing or baler costs, after which partners begin to receive full compensation for all collected film.
One of the largest recyclers of plastic film in North America, Trex upcycles approximately 400 million lbs. of plastic waste annually, nearly all of which comes from post-consumer sources such as shopping bags, newspaper sleeves, bubble wrap, and package liners along with product overwrap, shrink wrap, and stretch film used to palletize boxes, which are collected through NexTrex retail partners and other participating community groups.
