The Gloucester Lions Club is collecting plastic bags and plastic wraps for a recycling program that turns unwanted items into benches for the benefit of the community.

Since November 2016, the club has partnered with Gloucester Clean Community, Gloucester County Public Schools, and a variety of community groups to collect the plastic items.

The goal of the program is to collect 500 pounds of plastic every six months, to deliver that plastic to Trex (via the Gloucester Court House Food Lion), which in turn provides a bench made from the recycled material for the benefit of Gloucester residents.

By April 2017, the club received its first bench, which was placed at Brown Park. “Since then, we have collected enough plastic for benches at Gloucester-Mathews Care Clinic’s future Bay Transit stop shelter, Page Middle School, and as of June 2019, we are excited to announce the successful plastic collection for our fourth bench, currently at Peasley Middle School,” said Lio...