Join Us in Celebrating Creation on Earth Day
By Mike and Heather Merchant, Members of the Creation Care Team
The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it: for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters. — Psalm 24:1-2
As followers of Christ, we recognize that God created the earth and all its wonders. He has also given us the responsibility to take care of this beautiful gift and thereby honor him as Creator. Caring for creation is not only our duty but a reflection of our faith and love for God and each other.
To celebrate God’s creation on Earth Day, BCC’s Creation Care team is partnering with the City of Bellingham on April 25th to offer four convenient opportunities for you to practice stewardship and to part with unwanted items sustainably. So, clean out your garage, clear your office clutter, collect all your worn-out athletic shoes, and save all your plastic wrap! Then swing by on Saturday, April 25, between 12 and 3 pm and drop off the following items:
Sensitive documents for shredding
Electronic waste for refurbishing or recycling (old TVs, computer monitors, desktop computers, laptops, tablets, e-readers, portable DVD players, and anything with a cord)
Batteries of all kinds for recycling
Used athletic shoes and sneakers. Please tie or rubber-band matching shoes together. NOT ACCEPTED: NON-ATHLETIC FOOTWEAR OF ANY KIND. Depending on the condition, shoes go to resale markets, recycling, or conversion to create new energy.
Plastic film – save and store all your plastic grocery bags, ziplock bags, plastic shipping envelopes, bubble wrap, bread bags, produce bags, and thin, flexible plastic package wrapping
Why Are We Collecting Plastic Film?
Plastic film is one of the biggest sources of waste found in most households. And it’s a tricky one! While most plastic filmcan be recycled, many cities will not accept it in curbside collection because of the damage they cause to sorting machines during the recycling process. Plastic film wraps around the equipment, causing shutdowns, costly repairs, and interruption of all recycling sorting processes. As a result, 77% of the plastic film produced each year ends up in landfills. Plastic bags are the biggest culprit, as 5 trillion plastic bags are produced and used each year worldwide. If the bags were laid side by side, they would circle the earth seven times!
This year, BCC is fortunate to have the opportunity to participate in Ridwell’s spring recycling drive. Through Ridwell’s partnership with Trex Company, the plastic film BCC collects will not only stay out of the landfill but also go on to a second life as decking material. A standard 16-foot Trex deck board contains recycled materials from approximately 2,250 plastic bags and is 95% recycled content. Ridwell will do a one-time pickup of BCC’s accumulated plastic film and send it on to TREX to be recycled into lumber. A win-win for everyone!
We invite you to join us this Earth Day in clearing your clutter, reducing your environmental impact, and honoring our Creator.