Maggie Walker’s environmental club, SECSEE, formally known as Saving the Environment through Conservation Sustainability and Environmental Education, has adopted a new initiative that furthers its goals of conserving, protecting, and educating about the environment. This school year SECSEE is participating in the “NexTrex” recycling challenge created by Trex, a wood alternative manufacturer. For this challenge, the club is collecting plastic bags and films that are to be brought to a specialized recycling facility instead of being disposed of inappropriately. “All the plastic that we collect is being sent to a company that uses it to make composite decking and furniture. This sequesters the plastic, preventing it from being released into the environment,” says club sponsor Mr. D’Urbino.

As students and staff may have noticed, large collection bins are currently located in both the Bluestone lobby and the stairwell closest to the art hallway. Here, SECSEE hopes to see students donating plastic film to contribute to the project. Gavin Hoyt (‘24), a member of the SECSEE leadership team, says that their club sponsor Mr. D’Urbino introduced the idea to the club and the leadership team, and that they’ve since been “working to do this project through contacting teachers, Schoology announcements, posters around the school, and other similar announcements and work throughout the school.” When asked about why he initiated the project, D’Urbino stated, “We started this project after realizing that only a minuscule portion of plastic film—approximately 1.8% [in the U.S.]—is recycled properly.” Additionally, D’Urbino adds, a majority of this plastic ends up in “landfills, in the oceans, or clogs up other recycling streams that do not have the appropriate equipment to deal with films and bags.” As such, SECSEE is working to redirect the path of these plastics toward a company that can repurpose them in a productive way.

Hoyt emphasizes that the primary goal of this initiative is “to spread awareness of how to help the environment through recycling.” However, in addition to educating participants and helping prevent plastic from polluting the environment, this project could also yield a tangible reward for Maggie Walker. The goal of the NexTrex challenge is to collect 1000 pounds of plastic film over the next calendar year. D’Urbino shares that if the Dragon community hits this target, Trex will “donate a composite bench to the school that is made of the same plastics that we have collected.” Hoyt adds, “This is a really important project for both protecting the environment and earning something for our school.”

The NexTrex challenge has just begun, but the SECSEE leadership team is looking to build momentum and garner early donations. Hoyt calls on students to support the initiative, saying that SECSEE “would really appreciate if everyone could contribute, even just a little bit, to help with this meaningful and important project.” Students seeking more information can visit Schoology and check the Sunday Night Updates. Anyone interested in contributing can stop by a collection bin and help improve the environment one piece of plastic at a time.