From plastic bags to park benches: Huntley church’s recycling initiative benefits community

Turning plastic bags into park benches has been the goal of an enthusiastic Community Outreach Ministry effort at Shepherd of the Prairie Lutheran Church in Huntley.

For the past two years, church and community members have been collecting plastic as part of the NexTrex Plastic Recycling program.

This program requires collecting 1,000 pounds of stretchy plastic products like plastic grocery bags, potato bags, or the wrapping around toilet paper and paper towels in one year.

“We have a total of five collection bins spread out at each entryway in the church,” said Tara Mackey, community outreach team leader at Shepherd of the Prairie. “People drop off their plastic throughout the week and on Sundays as they come to church.”

“We began our project in January 2024 knowing we had a year to reach our goal, and by that June we had already collected over 1,000 pounds of plastic and earned a bench. Since then we have acquired a second bench and helped two other groups in the community reach their goal as well.”

To accomplish this goal, Mackey notes that they have a monthly rotation of volunteer teams who bag, weigh, document, and transport the plastic to the local Huntley Jewel-Osco store every week. “We average between 30-50 pounds of plastic each week,” she says.

The results? The church received a bench which will be donated to the new Huntley park next door to the church on Main Street. Another bench is now located at the church outside the fellowship hall. They are still looking for a place to donate the bench they are currently working toward.

The bag recycling idea caught on with so much excitement, that Shepherd of the Prairie member Dottie Bobzin took the opportunity to use the collection bins at the church to earn a bench for the new walking path planned for Del Webb Sun City in Huntley.

“Imagine the possibility of 2,000-3,000 pounds or more of plastic being collected within a year by 2-3 different groups and made into something that beautifies and benefits the community,” Mackey said. “The Huntley Lions Club that meets at our church started their own NexTrex account after seeing our bins around the church and asked to use our collection bins to help them reach their 1,000 pounds as well.”

This partnership with NexTrex recycling is a win-win situation for all concerned. Trex is dedicated to educating proper recycling practices for plastic bags and other soft plastic films through its Recycling Challenge.

“This year NexTrex will begin a new incentive program,” Mackey added. “For every 250 pounds of plastic we log, we will get entered into a drawing to win a prize valued at up to $500. These prizes range from outside firepits, giant Jenga blocks and more. We’re excited to continue our recycling efforts at Shepherd of the Prairie. We aren’t doing this for the incentive prizes, but it’s a great way to get people interested in our efforts.”

“We collect a lot of plastic,” Mackey said. “I never dreamed this would become so successful! We are always looking for groups that would like to create their own NexTrex account and use our collection bins to help them reach their goal of a bench. I don’t think people will ever stop bringing plastic and we would like it to go toward a good cause.

Shepherd of the Prairie Lutheran Church is located at 10805 Main St. in Huntley. For more information, visit sotp.org or facebook.com/ShepherdofthePrairie/.