Should We Ban Water Bottles?

Well I told you I would throw out some topics that can be debatable. I believe that the Green movement is for the best but I am not on board with every aspect. I hear people say we should ban plastic grocery bags, plastic beverage containers and other plastic products. I do believe we need to keep these products out of the land fill and also stop littering with these products. We need to educate more on the topic of recycling.

I what to show you an example of a product and a company that has taken recycling to a different level.

Trex Decking is a composite decking that is durable, easy to use and great looking. There are many other companies that supply a similar product but from my experience trex is one of the best.  I have taken one piece of information from Trex’s website http://www.trex.com to explain how well they recycle.

Recycling Facts

• Trex keeps some 300,000 tons of plastic and wood scrap out of landfills every year.
  • that comes to about 600,000,000 pounds saved annually
• NO TREES ARE CUT DOWN for the purpose of making Trex. Our wood comes from:
  • reclaimed wood from woodworking operations
  • used pallets
  • sawdust (300 million pounds a year)
• Trex recycles all forms of polyethylene.
• Trex is one of the largest plastic bag recyclers in the United States.
  • Grocery/Retail/Drug Stores
    • 7 out of every10 recycled grocery bags in the U.S. end up at Trex (about 1.5 billion per year)
  • Industrial Accounts
  • Agricultural Operations
  • Food & Beverage plants
  • Government agencies
  • Colleges & Universities
  • Bulk Pellets/Flake & Densified
• Our manufacturing process is as green as our final product.
  • Trailers are hydraulically powered with vegetable-based oil
  • Our proprietary processing method eliminates smokestacks
  • Factory runoff/refuse is recycled back into the manufacturing line
• As much as possible, Trex packaging is made from recycled paper and plastic.
• We regularly seek out third-party audits to make sure we’re continuously improving our green practices while meeting all environmental, health and safety guidelines and regulations.

Green Projects and Affiliations

• Trex Company is a proud member of The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) the nation’s foremost coalition of leaders from every sector of the building industry.
  • Works to transform the way buildings and communities are designed, built, and operated
  • Goal: to create an environmentally and socially responsible environment that improves the quality of life
• Trex has been included in national environmental projects such as:
  • the BASF Near Zero Energy Home in Paterson, NJ
  • the Solar Decathlon, a collegiate green building competition
  • the National Building Museum’s “The Green House” exhibit in Washington, D.C.
  • Maui Wildlife Refuge Complex, Kealia Pond NWR in Hawaii
  • Point Defiance Zoo, Theater and Kids Zone in Tacoma, WA

  “Directly quoted from Trex website” www.Trex.com

Now I think this product is great and it along with many similar products would not exist if we did not have these plastic products. So I don’t think we should ban water bottles. We need to just more conscious of recycling these plastic products.

I have personally been to the Trex plant in Nevada and have seen the garbage that is unloaded on a daily basis. Believe me it is straight garbage but it is a beautiful product when it comes out the other end.

The plastic and wood is ground into fine pieces, then heated and blended in a huge hopper. When it reaches the proper consistency it is pushed through a die similar to a pasta press to make the shape. As it passes through the die it immediately goes into a trough of water to cool.

Plastic products have a place and a purpose. So I don’t think we should ban water bottles and plastic bags. I think we should all recycle more and buy products like Trex that do a good job with recycling. Please leave a comment and tell the other reader what you think.