Club members assembled a bench for Oracle State Park.
Barbara Barr Bengen
What are you doing with your soft plastics? We can’t add them to our recycling bin and set them out on the curb. If we put them in the trash, they just stick around in our landfills for hundreds of years. Tah dah! Enter soft plastics recycling!
The Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke is teaming up with Desert Life Pharmacy, Senior Village, Pickleball at the Ranch and SaddleBrooke, the Community Centers in Oracle and San Manuel, and Santa Catalina Catholic Church to turn our soft plastic into useful, weather-proof benches! You can help by collecting your soft plastics and bringing them to one of the local drop-off points.
Soft Plastic Drop-off Points
SaddleBrooke
* Pickleball Courts
* Dog Park
* Desert Life Pharmacy
* Diane and Bill Demeroutis: 62492 E. Ironwood Drive
* Fran and Fred Lowy: 63247 Brooke Park Drive
* Linda and John Howard: 39106 S. Riverwood Court
SaddleBrooke Ranch
* Pickleball Courts
* Gail & Tom Fraioli; 30808 S. Greenstone Dr.
Oracle
* Oracle Community Center
Catalina
* Santa Catalina Catholic Church
* Senior Village
San Manuel
* San Manuel Community Center
Items Which Are Included
* Plastic bags
* e-commerce mailers from places like Amazon, etc.
* Plastic bags for frozen foods (cleaned)
* Meat wrap (cleaned)
* Produce bags and wrap (cleaned)
* Ziplock and storage bags (cleaned)
* Petfood bags (cleaned)
* Bread bags
* Cereal bag liners
* Ice bags
* Newspaper sleeves
* Dry cleaning bags
* Bubble wrap
* Case overwrap
The Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke continues to seek community partners to help with this project. We need drop-off points, locations for benches, and groups and individuals who want to support this effort. You can reach us at saddlebrookerotary.com, by calling 520–404-5712, or by email at rotarySBAZ@gmail.com.
Recycling soft plastics not only diverts waste from landfills but also beautifies neighborhoods and parks as we transform trash into benches. It’s a small action, but makes a big impact. So, grab a bag, start collecting today, and turn your trash into a seat for someone to rest on tomorrow! Some of our benches can be seen at Senior Village, Santa Catalina Catholic Church, and Oracle State Park.
Tom and Gail Fraioli brought the idea for the soft plastics recycling project to our Rotary Club just a couple of short years ago. The project has really grown. In fact, Tom Fraioli is thrilled to announce that “We collected 905 pounds in January. A record month for us!”
Come join your friends and neighbors who have fun working together to make the world a better place. Rotary is the world’s largest volunteer organization and is found in more countries than the Red Cross, Starbucks, or McDonald’s. We are working to make a difference.
The Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke is an award-winning club. We meet Thursdays at 11 a.m. for lunch at the Ranch House at SaddleBrooke Ranch. Following a brief meeting in the ballroom, there is an educational program or speaker. Rotary is open to those who live or work in SaddleBrooke, SaddleBrooke Ranch, and the surrounding communities. For more information, check out saddlebrookerotary.com or contact Diane Demeroutis, at RotarySBAZ@gmail.com.