Students Take Recycling Challenge; Aim To Collect Pounds of Plastic Bags

Students from Remsenburg-Speonk to Hampton Bays, Bridgehampton, Southampton and Our Lady of the Hamptons have a goal — collect as many plastic bags as they can by April 22.

The students are gathering the plastic bags as part of the third annual Trex Plastic Bag Recycling Challenge, which is sponsored by Southampton Town's Plastic Bag Education Task Force.

Starting on Nov. 15, the students will aim to place all single-use plastic bags and lunch baggies in containers in their schools that are provided by Trex, a manufacturing company that recycles plastic items turning them into usable goods like benches and bird houses.

Each participating school will receive one of those bird houses, with the victorious school winning a Trex bench that is made from recycled plastic bags.

Last year, six schools managed to collect 385 pounds of plastic bags with Bridgehampton taking home the top prize.