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East Hampton Press / Community / Community Story / 2340715

Montauk Library Earns Bench Through Plastic Donations

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Alice on the library's new bench. COURTESY MONTAUK LIBRARY

Alice on the library's new bench. COURTESY MONTAUK LIBRARY

authorStaff Writer on Feb 12, 2025

The deadline was one full year, but the Montauk Library succeeded in collecting 1,000 pounds of recyclable plastic film in half that time to qualify for the Trex Challenge and earn a bench made of composite recycled materials. The bench has already arrived and can be found inside the library. The bench will be placed on the children’s deck when the weather gets warmer.

The library issued the challenge to the community on July 1, 2024, but in less than the required year, collected half a ton of discarded plastic film to be recycled. Members of the Montauk community met the challenge with enthusiasm, dropping their contributions into large cardboard boxes set up at the library’s entrance. Each time the boxes filled up, the plastics were submitted to Trex, a company that makes composite decking materials, and which offers free benches to libraries and schools, if they can meet the recycling challenge.

The library will continue to collect recyclable plastics to donate to other libraries’ Trex Challenges. It may take on another challenge on July 1, 2025.

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