Billy Stancroff, post commander of VFW Post 77 29, and Briana Meeker, of PADNOS, pose with mountains of plastic in a recent recycling drive.
(Photo courtesy of WMEAC)
By WMEAC
The ‘Cash for Plastics’ recycling drive, ending on April 23, collected exactly 466 pounds of plastic from throughout Muskegon County.
Sponsored by the West Michigan Environmental Action Council (WMEAC), PADNOS, and the Muskegon Area Recycling Network, the effort was aimed at educating area residents about the different types of plastics, and which types are valuable and have a market.
According to Kari Bliss, customer experience and sustainability for PADNOS, the two types of plastics, #2 natural color, and #2 mixed color, are valuable, worth fifty cents a pound, and twenty-five cents a pound, respectively.
According to Bliss, “The project was important because many participants commented that they learned a lot about how to recycle ... that’s a win in my book!”
A local VFW organization, a church bell choir, a climate action organization, an arts group, and several schools participated. The top three collectors were VFW Post 7729, first place; Ravenna Middle School, second place, and Montague NBC School, third place. They received $100, $50, and $25 cash prizes.
Billy Stancroff, post commander of the VFW, says the key to their top win was setting it up through the membership and also collecting plastics at the senior dinner they have every month. “It was excellent to win first place,” he said.
Dan Eisenhauer, science teacher at Ravenna Middle School, said their grades had several competitions to add an extra incentive to the effort, including the losing teacher “taking a pie for the cause.” “They got really into it and were excited to win second prize,” he said. “We had fun and they know we kept plastic out of the landfill.”
Students at Montague NBC School were also in a competition, and seventh graders won and will get an afternoon trip to Duck Lake State Park for a beach cleanup.
The recycling plastics drive may take place again, according to Bliss. “We are considering whether to make this a regular event and will be sure to let the public know if and when this fun and possibly financially rewarding project is up and running again,” she said.
For more information, please contact Bliss at or kari.bliss@padnos.com (616) 260-4320 or Tanya Cabala, Lakeshore Outreach Organizer for WMEAC at tcabala@wmeac.org or (231) 798-5196.
West Michigan Environmental Action Council (WMEAC) (www.wmeac.org) has been West Michigan’s preeminent resource for environmental education and advocacy since 1968. It is a non-profit, 501 (c3) organization uniquely positioned to respond to emerging issues and new threats to West Michigan’s natural and human ecologies, strategically focused on building sustainable communities and protecting water resources.
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