The Elkhart County 4-H Fair Green Committee has been collecting bottle caps and lids for the past seven years as part of their "A Bench from Caps" program and made 116 benches, 13 picnic tables and collected 43,607 pounds (21.8 tons) of plastic caps and lids.

With an abundance of benches and picnic tables, the Green Committee stopped accepting bottle cap donations on July 1 and will no longer be fronting the program, but they want to see it continue under another organization, said Jan Robinson, the Green Committee chair.

They are now actively searching for another organization who can take it over, Robinson said. Organizations participating in the ABC program with Green Tree Plastics, the company that began the partnership program, must be youth or senior citizen oriented, with the kids (or seniors) involved in collecting, sorting and weighing the plastics.

"It has been such a great program. We do not need them (the benches) at the fairgrounds at this time, but people have gotten into the practice of collecting caps and saving them and it would be great if another organization would step up and take it over for themselves," Robinson said. "They could reap the benefits by getting benches."

A representative from Green Tree Plastics will be at the Green Day event on the first Friday of the Elkhart County Fair from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. to discuss the program further.

Green Day is an event to educate the community about their local recycling options. This year, the event will host 21 exhibitors who recycle waste or have recycling options at their business. Seven of those 21 are new, including city of Goshen Storm Water, Goshen Environmental Reliance, Seed to Feed, Notre Dame University Office of Sustainability, Fables Books, Green Tree Plastics and Roof Maxx.

Since the Green Committee has started the ABC Program, Elkhart County has really stepped up, Robinson said. The program spread to include more 4-H clubs, churches and several community groups. Businesses have also participated financially.

"I've had four people call me in the last week asking, 'How do I get rid of my caps?'" Robinson said. "When we find out where they're going to go, we will call them and let them know."

Robinson worked at Heritage Middle School as a substitute teacher in 2015 and one of the building assistants was writing a newsletter for the intermediate school's ABC project, and she was immediately interested.

"If kids can learn the value of the environment, community service and what they can do for other people, then that's a win, win, win," she said.

To learn more about the ABC Program, visit the Green Tree Plastics booth on Green Day, July 22, at the Elkhart County 4-H Fair or contact Jan Robinson at 574/875-6775 or elkhartcountygreenfair@gmail.com.

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