In 2019, the Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service completed Community Needs Assessments for each county in the Commonwealth. One of the goals of these assessments was to identify priority issues and concerns of citizens.  Residents statewide identified “illegal dumping and littering” as the top agriculture and environment priority issue.

Reducing waste through recycling provides communities opportunities to develop leaders to address a global concern – the plastic waste crisis. Many types of plastics, including caps and lids, are not desired by recyclers.  The Campbell County Extension Agent for Natural Resources serves as an educator to inform communities about the plastic waste problem and ways that they can address it through the ABC (A Bench for Caps) Program. https://www.greentreeplastics.com/abc-program/

The Campbell County Extension District board funds the program to convert plastic caps and lids that youth groups collect into useful benches for their communities.  The agent works with community mentors like Linda Slone (Ft. Thomas, KY) who received the 2020 Outstanding Extension Volunteer Award for Natural Resources and Environmental Management.

http://www.fortthomasmatters.com/2021/04/in-other-words-linda-slone-receives.html

She was recognized for her efforts in encouraging plastic recycling in Fort Thomas.  Mrs. Slone assisted in getting DJ Scully, Campbell County Extension Agent for Natural Resources, into Highlands High School on so he could educate their Green Team (20 students) about recycling and the ABC program.  Afterwards, she organized the students’ collection, sorting, and weighing of plastic caps.  In October 2020, over 1000 pounds of plastic was recycled into four benches for the community that are placed at Highlands High School and Tower Park.

Alexandria, KY United Methodist Church involved five youth and two community mentors in the program after learning about the program from Extension. They recycled 250 pounds of caps and lids into a bench for their playground in February 2021.

Since the Extension Service began offering these programs in 2016, ten groups have recycled 5700 pounds of plastic waste into benches for their communities.