The Rochester Memorial School’s 6th grade is competing with other schools across the country to collect the most plastic film in an effort to clean up the environment and to win a composite bench from NexTrex, a company that makes eco-friendly outdoor products. The competition began on America Recycles Day, November 15, and winds down on Earth Day, April 15.

Residents can drop off their plastic film at one of three plastic bins that are located at Friends Marketplace-Plumb Corner, Rochester Memorial School, and the Joseph H. Plumb Memorial Library.

Only certain types of plastic film are acceptable, such as grocery bags, Ziplock or any resealable storage bags, bread bags, and water case overwraps. Be sure to rinse and air dry your Ziplock or grocery bags because bags or containers with food residue will not be accepted. 

Plastic items, such as potato chip bags, net or mesh produce bags, frozen food bags, and candy bar wrappers are not recyclable. A way to check to see if the plastic can be recycled is to check the recycling label. If it has a #2 or a #4, it can be recycled. 

Rochester Memorial School is partnering with Stop & Shop in Fairhaven who is collecting the plastic for the school.

Sixth grade students Abigail Jacques, Adelaide Zell and Mara Donnelly are Rochester Memorial School students. For more about this project, see our related story here.