From Bags To Benches

DNREC to Have One Ton of Plastic Bags Made into Benches

Dover (April 15, 20210 … In honor of Earth Month, Gov. John Carney joined Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Secretary Shawn Garvin on April 15 to tour the facility where Delaware State Parks will have 15 benches made from excess plastic bags.

In 2020, the DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation converted its plastic carry-in carry-out bags at Delaware State Parks to corn and paper products. Left with an excess of plastic bags, the Division worked with Eco Plastic Products of Delaware, a non-profit organization, to have the plastic bags turned into benches for Delaware State Parks.

Each bench will be made of 127 pounds of plastic bags – approximately 30,000 bags. The excess plastic bags weighed about 2,000 pounds, the equivalent of about 450,000 plastic bags and enough to produce 15 benches for the parks. The benches will be placed throughout Delaware State Parks with informational plaques about the benches and Division’s Carry-in, Carry-Out Trash-Free Parks Program.

Carry-In, Carry-Out, which was implemented in Delaware State Parks in 1994, asks visitors to take their trash with them when they leave, reducing the strain on limited resources, and increasing the beauty of the parks. The corn and paper bags now used in state parks are available to help visitors participate in the program. This program promotes recycling and has saved Delaware State Parks millions of dollars. It also helps keep Delaware State Parks cleaner for all visitors.

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DSF …. We have been doing beach clean ups for years and will restart as soon as covid restrictions ease up a little more. In the mean time carry in and carry out even if it isn’t yours. Ninety percent of our beach trash washes up from the ocean. And a lot of that is from the Delaware Bay and River. We collect as much trash in winter on empty beaches as in summer on full beaches.
| A five gallon bucket makes a great container to collect trash, while you beach comb or surf fish. Would love to see some boardwalk businesses step up and do the bucket of trash for a cup of coffee or a beer deal. Clean up what they thrive off of.
Why do we have to carry in and carry out of Delaware State Parks?