Fairfield bagging benefits of recycling

Fairfield?s Howard Park will be receiving a new look courtesy of the Build with Bags grant program.

The plastic bag recycling program being led by Iowa grocers announced the Fairfield Farmers? Market is one of 20 recipients of a Build with Bags grant award in 2012 and will receive a grant of $1,400.

Build with Bags grant funds will be used to obtain park benches and trash receptacles to help beautify the park and give farmers market attendees and other park visitors a safe place to rest and enjoy the outdoors.

?We are excited to announce the winners of the Build with Bags grant program,? says Michelle Hurd, interim president of the Iowa Grocery Industry Association. ?Now in its third year, the Build with Bags program has exceeded our expectations in encouraging individuals to recycle their plastic bags so those bags can be turned into products that beautify our communities. This year?s grant winners are reaping the rewards of their recycling efforts, and we hope other communities will follow suit and expand their recycling efforts.?

A total of 30 applications were submitted from which 20 winners were selected by a committee of five representatives in support of the Build with Bags program. Each committee member individually scored applications prior to meeting as a group to combine the scores for an overall point total. The top 20 applicants with the most points received grants totaling $36,421.20.

Applications were evaluated based on set criteria that included a statement of need for the grant and the community?s own plastic bag recycling efforts. Grant applicants were also asked to verify the recycled plastic content in the products they were looking to purchase and obtain an endorsement letter from a local grocer that is supportive of the community?s project and recycling plans. Geographic location also played a factor as the committee wanted to disperse the grant awards throughout the state of Iowa.

?While the endorsement letter was not the most weighted category in the selection process, it is one of the most vital to the Build with Bags program,? Hurd explains. ?In the program committee?s eyes, it reflects how the applying community is working with its local grocers to establish long-term projects and goals that help increase the awareness of plastic bag recycling.?

Encouraging purchases of furniture and equipment made from recycled plastic for parks and schools through its grant program is one of four goals established by Build with Bags. The other three include increasing the amount of plastic bags recycled, reducing consumption of plastic bags and increasing use of reusable bags.

Participating retailers, including all Dahl?s Foods, Fareway Stores and Hy-Vee locations statewide, are helping to highlight the announcement of the grant winners and celebrate Earth Day with a two-week, Build with Bags promotional effort through Wednesday.

Most stores are using program-branded plastic bags to draw attention to the program, in addition to displaying Build with Bags posters in the entryways of stores near plastic bag recycling barrels bearing the initiative?s logo and slogan.

For information on Build with Bags or its grant program opportunities, visit www.itseasytorecycle.org or www.iowagrocers.com.