Parish thanked for donation of plastics

January 14, 2025

Members of the group “Bags to Mats” working at St. Joseph Parish in Earling recently received a composite bench from the NexTrex company for having turned in 1,000 pounds of plastic film to be recycled.

A group of 10-15 volunteers work twice a month cutting grocery bags into five-inch strips which are the woven into 3’ x6’ mats. These mats are given to the homeless in Council Bluffs. The unused scraps and leftovers began the collection of all things made of plastic film. Thanks to the efforts of people from other towns and businesses, the group was able to collect 1,000 lbs. of plastic film and prevent it from going into landfills.

The bench sent to the parish sits in the back of St. Joseph Church.