Eagle Scout project to revitalize green space in Mars with recycled caps
MARS — It takes some inspiration to turn the caps from plastic bottles — arrayed as they are in bright blues, greens and yellows — into the benches and chairs of a community park.
But that’s exactly what 15-year-old Caden McKinney plans to do.
“I came up with the idea,” he said. “It was because, a couple years ago, during quarantine, me and my friends would always hang out in Mars. That park didn’t really have a lot of tables or benches to sit at. So I thought it would be a good idea for me to get tables and benches for just anyone in the community to go there and sit down, and just eat or talk to people when they’re there at the park.”
Caden has collected 550 pounds of plastic bottle caps and $1,000 in donations since October, with the aim of recycling the supplies he has collected into two benches, a table and a garbage can for Garfield Park. He’ll enlist the services of manufacturer Green Tree Plastics, which will produce the equipment from the recycled caps, to fulfill the requirements for his Eagle Scout project.
Caden needs to raise $2,000 for his project. Green Tree charges $625 for the table, $295 for each bench, $350 for the trash can.
Eagle Scout projects give Boy Scouts such as Caden the chance to demonstrate leadership and benefit the community while earning Scouting’s top rank. These projects generally represent the culmination of a Scout’s leadership training.
Caden is a member of Boy Scout Troop 400, based in Mars, with about 40 Scouts.
The high school sophomore set a deadline to complete the project by the end of the summer, before he returns to school. At that time, he will drive to Indiana, Pa., and pick up the park equipment from Green Tree Plastics, he said.
The caps Caden has collected so far were collected at Mars Borough Administration Office, which manages a collection site for plastic caps near its entrance. He also has gathered caps from friends and family.
Since October, he has given more specific requests about the criteria for recyclables over Facebook, he said.
“Some things I’ve gotten for my collections have been pretty weird,” Caden said.
Donations have ranged from all kinds of plastic products to nonplastic items such as coins, he said.
On Dec. 20, Caden posted illustrations of products that will work and products that will not. Acceptable products include drink bottle caps, milk jug caps, medicine bottle caps with cardboard inserts removed, container lids, and hair spray and deodorant caps, he explained. Unacceptable products include the bottles or containers themselves, medicine bottles, medical supplies and caps and lids that are dirty, he added.
Green Tree Plastics recycles products such as those for Caden’s project as part of its ABC Promise Partnership, a cap and lid program that promotes stewardship for the earth and green living among children.
Financial donations to the project are tax deductible. Those wishing to donate recyclables or funds can visit: www.greentreeplastics.com.
“I’ll just say I’m really excited to do this project because I know I’m going to be helping my community by doing this,” Caden said.
“With your help, we can make a big contribution to our local community through this recycling project, and the donation of much-needed equipment for all to enjoy,” he told the community in a Dec. 20 Facebook post.
