(Chelsea Update would like to thank Shawn Sinacola for the information and photos in this story.)
The Chelsea High School Arbor Club and Independence Hall invite you to help us keep all plastic bags and film out of the landfill as we work to win the NexTrex Challenge this year.
Since November of 2021, the students have collected 1,432 pounds of plastic. Accepted are: all #4 plastic, which is typically described as “stretchy.”
This annual challenge runs from Nov. 15- April 15, which means that residents have until Thursday, April 14 this year to drop off their plastic to one of the following locations:
- Chelsea High School Independence Hall entrance #3
- Chelsea District Library
- Bulldog Nutrition
- Lakehouse Bakery
- Serendipity Books
Independence Hall students pick up plastic from these locations on a weekly basis, bag the plastic, and weigh it. With five or six vehicles stuffed to the brim, Arbor Club students then drive the plastic to Meijer on Zeeb Road that makes special accommodations to receive this overabundance of plastic.
“We give special thanks to these organizations and businesses for accepting plastic,” said Shawn Sinacola.
Chelsea High School won the NexTrex Challenge in 2020 and was awarded a Trex bench and flower box. This year’s winners will receive a $5,000 cash prize.
“We thank the community for helping us work toward winning this prize. It is our hope that such a win would allow us to install a hoop house in the CHS Alumni Arbor so students could grow vegetables and native plants throughout the school year,” Sinacola said.
To clarify, Arbor Club in no way condones the continuous consumption of single-use plastic bags. Instead, we are trying to help reduce and eliminate plastic #4 in the landfills and recycling centers.
Please note that WWRA does not accept plastic bags in city recycling bins.
Contact Shawn Sinacola at [email protected] if you have any questions or need to arrange a large drop off.
Here are a few videos as well:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7TUKvuYPH0&t=1s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDNFXtMu6M0&feature=emb_logo
