A local plastic bottle cap recycling program has reached milestones of 6,584 pounds of caps collected and 31 items installed locally after being made from the recycled plastic, Dennis Swinton of the Rochelle Kiwanis Golden K Club said March 26.
Swinton has been heading up the program for the past six years with youth clubs and donors in the community. The endeavor started with Rochelle Township High School Key Club students collecting bottle caps to honor a teacher, and has grown to include the entire community, with many dropping off donations of bottle caps in the driveway of Swinton’s home on School Avenue.
“It’s kind of overwhelming sometimes,” Swinton said. “We tried to shut it off for the winter and people just kept bringing bottle caps. I just took 100 pounds of bottle caps over to storage this morning from the past couple of weeks. I don’t even have the container out in my driveway right now and people just keep setting bags out there on the benches. The container will be back out when the weather is nicer.”
The program requires 200 pounds of donated bottle caps and a cost of $328 to build a 6-foot bench, 250 pounds of caps and $391.50 to build a trash receptacle, 100 pounds of caps and $208.40 to build a 4-foot bench, 150 pounds of caps and $208.50 to build a 4-foot bench with arms, 175 pounds of caps and $35.50 to build an 8-foot team bench, and 500 pounds of caps and $639 for a 6-foot adult picnic table. Monetary donations have been made toward the cash cost of the benches as well.
In the past year, installations have been done at Rochelle Middle School, Creston Elementary School, Kings Camp and at Rockhouse Kids in Rockford. Over the past six years, Rochelle-area installations have been placed at schools, senior living communities, churches, along the bike path, in parks, at Railfan Park, the VFW, the Hub City Senior Center and more.
Swinton said plans have been made to install a handicap-accessible table at Camp Independence in Lake County. Kiwanis Golden K has sponsored Rochelle Township High School graduate Bryn Kissack’s trips there for the past 3-4 years. Steward Elementary School will soon be getting a picnic table as well.
“A lot of people seem to think we’re saving the landfill with this work,” Swinton said. “And they can be happy about that. But what makes me happy is the amount of people that want to do something and get involved.”
Kiwanis sponsors the Builders Clubs at Rochelle Middle School and at elementary schools in Kings, Steward and Creston. Swinton decided to ask them if they wanted to participate in collecting bottle caps in exchange for a bench at their school. They did, and benches followed.
Students at the grade schools collect the caps and bring them in bags. And then members of the RTHS Key Club and Focus House students sort them, fill a bag, weigh them, tag it and get it ready. The caps are taken to Green Tree Plastics in Evansville, Indiana. A brass plate has been donated for each installation by Marvin Quinn of Quinn’s Jewelry Store.
The Kiwanis Golden K club then brings the new unassembled benches back to Rochelle before they’re assembled, delivered and installed.
“The schools are energized and like to do it,” Swinton said. “The Builders Clubs, Girl Scouts, the RTHS Key Club and the community at large like to help with it. No matter where I go, people have bottle caps to give me. That’s the amazing part, the amount of people in this town that are so giving. That means a lot to me. I’m happy about the amount of people that participate and make it happen.”
Acceptable caps for the program include those from disposable drink bottles, many plastic food and hygiene item caps and lids, spray paint caps, and pill bottle caps. Caps or lids with recycle numbers 2, 4 and 5 are accepted.
Items that can’t be accepted by the program include any metal or cardboard, drink bottles, grocery bags, dirty or cut lids, K-cups, plastic toys, or any plastic with recycle numbers 1, 3, 6 or 7 on it.
Swinton said he didn’t anticipate the project would continue after the first bench, but the RTHS Key Club wanted to continue it and area elementary school students got involved. Living near RMS, he now sees students utilize the benches each day.
“A lot of kids respond to it,” Swinton said. “Every time they walk by a bench they know they had a part in it. And kids use them for things like waiting for the bus. The project has just blossomed. If I were to disappear tomorrow, whoever bought this house would wonder why bottle caps keep showing up. Because it’s that involved. I see people all over town that want to donate. It never ends.”
At each Kiwanis Golden K meeting, Swinton enjoys giving an update on the bottle caps program. He’s started to get other members involved with the work, which has become a lot for him to handle at age 88.
“It’s a challenge and something to keep me going at my age,” Swinton said. “I came to Rochelle when I was 16. I’ve lived in three states and I’ve moved with my wife 22 times. Rochelle is the most giving, wonderful place to live. It’s not a big money town. We’re a working community. And people still give.”