Plastic Bag Exchange
Join the Office of Sustainability for the upcoming Plastic Bag Exchange this Friday, February 23rd from 11am-2pm in the Piazza! Receive a FREE student-designed tote bag in exchange for single-use plastic bags/plastic film products or by visiting our partner booths and filling out a digital stamp card!
In Partnership with Orange County Water District and Orange County Environmental Justice!
Unfortunately, many recycling facilities do not accept plastic bags that are collected in our recycling bins because unlike hard plastics, soft plastics are more difficult to process and machine sort, often jamming conveyer belts and needing to be cleared by hand. Because of this, many recycling facilities lack the infrastructure and extra labor costs to recycle plastic bags. However, with the help of companies like NexTrex, plastic bags and other types of polyethylene film such as plastic shipping envelopes, bread bags, Ziploc bags, and produce bags can be recycled at your local grocery store in plastic film recycling bins.
Plastic bags often end up in landfills where they can take hundreds of years to decompose, and many find their way into bodies of water and land, potentially contaminating the surrounding area with microplastics. When larger plastic items break down due to physical or chemical weathering, they eventually become microplastics, and are harmful when found in natural ecosystems. In recent years microplastics have been found in even the most remote places, such as deep in melted Artic ice cores, all the way to the summit of Mount Everest. .
This initiative aims to address the environmental challenges posed by plastic bags and similar films by partnering with NexTrex, an organization dedicated to establishing local, centralized recycling outlets throughout the United States. Through innovative recycling techniques, NexTrex uses its facilities to transform plastics into raw materials for manufacturing new environmentally friendly products such as outdoor furniture.
Unable to attend the upcoming Plastic Bag Exchange event but still want to contribute to recycling efforts?
NexTrex has partnered up with several stores to provide convenient drop off locations. Simply bring your plastic grocery bags, produce bags, plastic baggies, or other clean plastic films to any of NexTrex’s drop-off locations.
NexTrex Locations:
Albertsons
Kohl’s
Ralphs
Safeway
Sprouts Farmers Market
Vons
Winco
What happens to the collected recycled bags? — Your donated bags will be sent to NexTrex’s manufacturing facilities. These facilities differ from local curbside programs because they can process plastic materials that local centers cannot. Plastic bags and thin plastic film get caught in machines and therefore local programs do not accept this form of plastic.
NexTrex diverted over 130 million pounds of recyclable plastic from landfills in 2018 alone (NexTrex, 2019). These recycled plastics are turned into decking materials and railings to create ecofriendly outdoor living spaces sold on the Trex website and in the lumber section of home improvement stores.
Recycled Materials in Manufacturing:
Similar to Trex’s ecofriendly decking through their NexTrex program, other companies also use recycled materials in their goods. This means that when you recycle your paper, aluminum, and plastic items, it is circulated back into the raw materials used for manufacturing. Companies such as Nike, Patagonia, and Coca Cola reuse recycled materials in their products. For instance, Coca Cola, Chapman University’s beverage supplier, is working on building a circular economy by using at least 50% of recycled materials in all their products by 2030.
Read more about Coca Cola’s Sustainable Business goals here:
Learn about the life cycle of your plastic bags and the different ways you can reuse them to extend their lifespan!
Community Solar Workshop
Interested in going solar, battery storage, and EV chargers?
Learn how to go solar at an informative Community Solar Workshop the Office of Sustainability is cohosting in partnership with nonprofit OC Goes Solar. This workshop features presentations, a Q&A session, educational resources and is open for all Orange County residents, businesses, and nonprofits.
Register for the workshop on Saturday, March 2nd from 3-5pm in Argyros Forum 208 here:
Meet with experts and community-screened solar installers, and learn about the benefits and basics of going solar for your home:
Learn about group discounts for solar, battery storage, & EV chargers
Reduce your energy bills, save money and improve your home value
Take advantage of available incentives and 30% federal tax credits for clean energy
Get a solar quote from community-screen solar contractors with program discounts
OC Goes Solar is a local nonprofit with a goal to simplify the process of going solar, by providing education to community members, pre-select equipment, negotiating pricing and warranties.
Learn more at:
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