Jasper County Conservation receives grant for park benches

New park benches will help to beautify Mariposa Parks this spring and summer, courtesy of the Iowa Grocery Industry Association’s Build with Bags program. Jasper County Conservation (JCC) has been selected as a recipient of a grant for six park benches made from recycled plastic bags for $1,918.

Eight Iowa communities will be receiving grants of up to $2,000 to purchase items made from recycled bags, that include park benches made by Plastic Recycling of Iowa Falls. One park bench represents approximately 10,600 bags that won’t end up in the landfill.

“We are excited to announce the winners of this year’s Build with Bags grants,” Michelle Hurd, president of the Iowa Grocery Industry Association, said. “Now in its 13th year, the program continues to encourage individuals to recycle their plastic bags so those bags can be turned into products that beautify our communities. We are proud to reward this year’s grant winners for their recycling efforts.”

Eight winners were selected by a committee of representatives in support of the Build with Bags program. Each committee member individually scored the applications. The scores were then combined for an overall point total. This year, the top eight applicants with the most points received grants totaling $15,397.

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 to obtain an endorsement letter from a local grocer who is supportive of the community’s project and recycling plans. Steve Tielbur, grocery manager at Newton Fareway, wrote a letter supporting JCC, an important component in the Build with Bags program.

Build with Bags is a cooperative effort of the Iowa Grocery Industry Association, Keep Iowa Beautiful, Metro Waste Authority in Des Moines and Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Originally launched in August 2009, the Build with Bags Grant program has awarded $380,991.12 in grants to approximately 250 Iowa communities.

For more information on Build with Bags Grants, visit www.iowagrocers.com.