Working To Protect The Environment

Early in the 2020-2021 Altrusa year, a member of our Altrusa group, who is also a member of the General Joseph Martin Daughters of the American Revolution chapter in our locality, spoke at an Altrusa meeting. A proposed project was organized through TREX recycling, and specific plastics qualified for collection and submission to the TREX Company were identified. As she explained the potential project with a goal to collect 500 pounds of #4 plastics, our members were interested in joining the effort to collect those plastics. Through the program, we became more aware of the types of plastics that typically go into the trash and thus into the waste management stream and convinced us of the need to deal with these items in a more responsible way. Members of Altrusa International of Martinsville-Henry County voted to begin the joint effort with the DAR to collect the #4 (LDPE) plastics. Some members of the club were already actively involved in local plastics recycling efforts but relegated to throwing away the numerous Low-Density Polyethylene (#4) items they accumulated every day. The total amount of plastics collected was 531 pounds which was over the goal.