Benches for Belleville delivers first new benches

Marina Gerick is giving the community an update on her Benches for Belleville project, undertaken to earn a Girl Scout merit badge from Girl Scout Troop 20414.
Marina, who attends Belleville High School, said she and her family took 1,300 pounds of plastic bottle caps to the company in Indiana that turns them into park benches — and brought back seven new benches.
The blue bench presented to Sumpter Township is at the back door of the township hall where people enter to attend meetings.
“We are still waiting to hear from the City of Belleville and Van Buren Township on locations,” Marina said, noting James Williams at Van Buren Public Schools is storing those benches at the transportation building.
These three benches were purchased with cookie funds from Girl Scout Troop 20414, she said.
Two benches in the orange and black colors of Belleville High School have been placed in front of the Fallen Tiger Wall at BHS. Waste Management donated the funds for these benches.
One bench went to Marina’s grandmother who helped a lot with storage of bottle caps and one bench went to Marina, since she worked so hard. It’s green, her favorite color, and is placed in front of her playhouse in the back yard of her Van Buren Township home.
“We are still collecting caps and lids,” Marina said, adding, “We are looking for funding to buy more benches and locations to place them.”
Marina said when she started the project in May 2018 they needed 400 pounds of lids and $100 for a six-foot bench. In August of 2018 it was changed and now a six-foot bench with a back takes 200 pounds of lids and $250. The standard color is gray and you add $50 for all other colors, with a rainbow blend costing an additional $75.
The company that recycles the plastic lids into benches is Green Tree Plastics in Evansville, Indiana, a seven-hour drive from Belleville.
“The original goal was one bench and we were worried we would not get 400 pounds for that bench,” Marina said. “The community’s response has been amazing and we now have close to 2,000 pounds more that we can take down.”
She said the company also does picnic tables, trash receptacles and backless benches.
“Unfortunately, the program no longer accepts the entire pill bottle, only the lid of the bottle. They were finding too many kids were given bottles with pills still in them,” she said.
Marina said volunteers pick up roughly 50-100 pounds a week from the various drop-off locations around the Belleville area.
“Most of the items dropped off are usable,” she said. “We are still receiving some that are the wrong numbers.”
She explained they must be 2, 4, or 5 recycle numbers, which are embossed in the plastic.
“And, we still receive items that are not lids or caps,” she said, stressing the company only accepts lids and caps of 2, 4, or 5 recycle.
“Many people wash their caps and lids and we appreciate that,” Marina said. “We have a process to wash when they are dirty, but it takes time.”
She said if an organization or individual would like to help sort or clean caps, please contact [email protected] .