Local dogs just got some new toys made from old material.
Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr. joined with representatives of ShopRite and TerraCycle on Wednesday, Aug. 27 to announce new dog park equipment made from recyclable materials has been donated by ShopRite to the Essex County South Mountain Dog Park in Maplewood/Millburn.
The dedication of the equipment caps off a year-long flexible film recycling pilot program created by ShopRite that collected more than 4.6 tons of hard-to-recycle flexible film packaging from ShopRite customers at stores in Newark, Bloomfield, Livingston, Plainfield and Stirling.
“We consider this program to be wildly successful,” said Alexandra Emery from Wakefern. “I feel confident the equipment will be loved.”
The pilot program empowered customers to recycle hard-to-recycle packaging, such as potato chip bags, pet food and treat packs and detergent pouches, via dedicated collection kiosks at five ShopRite locations in New Jersey.
More than 9,125 pounds of flexible plastic were collected and processed by TerraCycle into raw materials used to manufacture new, durable dog park equipment. The program was launched in collaboration with ShopRite, P&G, Purina, Campbell’s Snacks and TerraCycle.
TerraCycle partners with businesses, communities, and individuals to collect and process hard-to-recycle items like certain plastics, snack wrappers, and personal care product packaging.
“At TerraCycle, we find ways to recycle material and give them a second life. Our favorite part of the job is turning what we create over to the community for their use,” said Sarah Erbe from TerraCycle.
This pilot not only diverted waste from landfills but also gave new life to the materials as dog park equipment. The project is a testament to how public-private partnerships and community engagement can transform waste into lasting, local impact, according to DiVincenzo.
“I want to thank ShopRite and TerraCycle for donating the new equipment to our South Mountain Dog Park. We appreciate their interest in wanting to help out and choosing our dog park at the location to make the donation,” DiVincenzo said. “Not only will this contribute to the dog park, but it removes recyclable materials from our waste stream and demonstrates what useful second life products can be created.”
Steve Hildner from Wakefern said the South Mountain Dog Park was chosen after the company googled “best dog park in New Jersey.”
“Thank you to Essex County for partnering with us and accepting this equipment. Our customers absolutely loved this project, which helped to significantly change their recycling habits,” said Monica Hansen from Village Supermarkets.
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