The environmental impact of non-biodegradable plastics may seem insurmountable on a global scale, but a group of local high schoolers is taking charge in our community to help the environment one piece of plastic at a time.

Over one year, the Springfield Township High School (STHS) Sustainability Club collected 1,000 pounds of plastic to recycle. That's 1,000 pounds of plastic that will not be entering the ocean or endangering wildlife in other ecosystems.

For STHS junior Nell Matthews, co-president of the Sustainability Club along with students Adam Thorp and Asher Silberman, this project has become a family tradition. Nell's mother had collected plastic for her company, and her older sister Kate, the previous president of the Sustainability Club, started the project at STHS. This is the second time the club has done the project.

To embark on such a huge undertaking, the Sustainability Club registered with the NexTrex Recycling Challenge Program, an initiative run by the deck product manufacturer Trex. The company offers schools, civic organizations, houses of worship and universities the opportunity to collect 1,000 or more pounds of soft film plastic and packaging in a 12-month span in exchange for a Trex furniture bench.

Throughout the year, the school kept track of how much the collected plastic weighed and uploaded pictures to the NexTrex website. There were collection bins in the main office of STHS, so all students and faculty could dispose of their plastic. NexTrex also provided posters and magnets with a list of common household items they can take home and educate their families with. The Sustainability Club would bring the plastic to Acme at the end of the week, weigh it, put it online and leave it at Acme's plastic recycling site.

According to Emily Whitacre, the material sourcing and promotions coordinator at Trex, the company values protecting the environment and this initiative is one way to show its commitment.

"We're a very green company... we're using a 95% ratio of recycled materials to make our products," Whitacre said.

STHS was not alone in this effort. The Sustainability Club reached out to several local Chestnut Hill businesses for support in collecting plastic – Threadwell and Kilian's Hardware. These businesses both helped Matthews' mother when she was doing the project and helped STHS by contributing the plastic they collected towards the Sustainability Club's goal. Threadwell and Kilian's Hardware continue to collect plastic currently.

The plastic recycling challenge proved to be a learning experience for Matthews, who also came away with a renewed appreciation of the importance of recycling.

"One of the biggest things about this project is that it really opened my eyes to how many things you can recycle... like the plastic bags inside of cereal," Matthews said. "So I think it's really important for people in the communities to be more mindful of sorting out recycling and trash. I know that it can be a little bit difficult, and maybe people don't really want to do it, but it is an important thing to look into and be mindful of."

Not only did STHS get a new green bench to proudly display outside the school's main office, but the students and faculty came away with a sense of pride in their efforts to protect the environment. For Matthews, the project may be over, but the goal should remain the same.

"Sustainability for me is just living with the environment in mind and going through every day understanding the impact you have on this planet and understanding that you should make it as kind of an impact as you possibly can," Matthews explained.

Local environmentalists are taking notice of the Sustainability Club's efforts, including Ruffian Tittmann, executive director of the Friends of the Wissahickon.

"FOW commends the Sustainability Club's effort to not only recycle but to also raise awareness of the issue of plastic pollution and its detrimental impacts on our environment," Tittmann said.

Although this project may have been extensive, the Sustainability Club is not done getting students involved in protecting the environment. Some of the projects the club regularly focuses on include trash cleanups at Fort Washington Park and clothing drives where people can donate or exchange their unwanted items.

One of the biggest upcoming projects for the Sustainability Club is working on the school's courtyard. Matthews encourages the larger community to get involved.

"It would be great if we could have community involvement with that and people are willing to share their expertise on native plants, or if they have any plants they want to give to us, or if they want to help take all the junk out of the courtyard, or if they want to help with planting and gardening," Matthews said.

To reach out to Nell Matthews and the Sustainability Club, send an email to nelleanor123@gmail.com.