Join The Movement To Make A Positive Impact On Plastic Film Recycling

WINCHESTER, Va., July 21, 2025 – In response to enthusiastic participation from municipalities, schools, nonprofits and community groups across the country, Trex Company [NYSE:TREX] is encouraging more organizations to join the growing NexTrex^® Grassroots Movement. This nationwide initiative empowers everyday changemakers to become local recycling leaders by transforming plastic film waste into funding opportunities—and ultimately, into beautiful and sustainable Trex^® composite decking. With an easy-to-implement framework and support from America’s Most Trusted^® Outdoor Decking* brand, joining the movement is not just a win for the planet—it’s a win for communities, causes and the collective good. 

An extension of Trex’s highly successful commercial recycling program, the NexTrex Grassroots Movement is designed for organizations that may not meet commercial volume thresholds but are committed to sustainability. By serving as community drop-off locations for polyethylene plastic film, participating partners can earn rebates to support their missions while helping divert plastic waste from landfills.

“This program proves that even small-scale efforts can have a big impact,” said Stephanie Hicks, Materials and Recycling Programs Manager for Trex Company. “Whether you’re a small-town recycling center, a school looking to engage students, or a nonprofit with an eco-conscious mission, the NexTrex Grassroots Movement offers a simple, supported way to drive change.”

A Turnkey Program with Tangible Results

NexTrex^® is a material sourcing initiative for Trex, which manufactures its world-famous composite decking from mostly recycled and reclaimed content, including a mix of industrial wood scrap and polyethylene (PE) plastic film. One of North America’s largest recyclers of plastic film, the company uses more than 320 million pounds of recycled plastic annually and has diverted more than 5.5 billion pounds of PE film from landfills over the past three decades.

Organizations involved in the Grassroots Movement serve as drop-off locations where local community members can responsibly recycle plastic film materials that qualify to be recycled by Trex. These include everyday items such as grocery/retail bags, produce bags, sandwich bags, case overwrap from paper towels and toilet paper, newspaper sleeves, dry cleaner bags, bubble wrap and flexible shipping pouches. Partners can also recycle shrink wrap, pallet wrap and other flexible plastic materials used in their operations. A full list of qualifying materials can be found at NexTrex.com.

Trex makes it easy to get up and running with the program. Each participating site is equipped with a baler for bundling collected film, and Trex supplies all the tools needed for success—bins, signage, marketing materials, and even upfront financing for baler installation, if needed. Once 20–40 bales (roughly 20,000–40,000 pounds) are accumulated, Trex arranges pickup and transports the material to its manufacturing facilities where it begins a new life as beautiful, low-maintenance composite decking. Partners are compensated for the collected materials—turning the plastic waste into a reliable revenue stream.

Sustainable Success Stories

The Sanitation Department for the City of Flagler Beach, Fla., is a prime example of the positive impacts of participating in the NexTrex Grassroots Movement. “Prior to partnering with Trex, the Sanitation Director there told us they had no control over whether their discarded flexible plastics were truly being recycled,” explained Hicks. “Now, instead of paying to dispose of that waste, they know exactly where it’s going and they’re generating revenue from it.”

Other communities and organizations are seeing positive results, both in sustainability and in civic engagement:

• Emmet County Recycling in Michigan was one of the first Grassroots partners. “NexTrex has helped us keep thousands of pounds of plastic out of landfills while creating a model that other communities now want to replicate,” said Lindsey Walker, Market Development and Commercial Accounts Manager for the organization.
• The Arc Otsego in Oneonta, N.Y., joined the Grassroots Movement last year and already has collected nearly 100,000 pounds of plastic film through public recycling efforts, in-agency contracts and partnerships with local businesses and organizations. “We are THE place for folks to recycle plastic,” said Faith Tiemann, Chief Marketing Officer. “It has helped us attract more traffic to our ReUse Center, which has helped to increase sales—all of which benefits the work we do to support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.”
• NW Works, located in Trex’s hometown of Winchester, Virginia, became a public recycling point in 2022, adding a dedicated NexTrex collection shed to its campus. In addition to engaging both its clients and the broader community in diverting plastic film from landfills, the organization’s involvement in the Grassroots Movement has proven a valuable source of additional funding to support for its vocational placement and programming.

Join the Movement

Since its inception in 2022, the NexTrex Grassroots Movement has grown to include more than 90 partners with 90+ drop-off locations throughout the U.S. Together, these partners have recovered more than 4 million pounds of PE plastic waste from their communities.

“Environmental stewardship doesn’t have to be complex or costly,” noted Hicks. “With NexTrex, we’ve created a model that’s easy-to-implement, financially rewarding and environmentally essential. We’re excited to help more organizations make a meaningful and measurable difference.”

To learn more about the NexTrex Grassroots Movement, contact recycle@trex.com or visit NexTrex.com.

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About Trex Company

For more than 30 years, Trex Company [NYSE: TREX] has invented, reinvented and defined the composite decking category. Today, the company is the world’s #1 brand of sustainably made, wood-alternative decking and residential railing, and a leader in high performance, low-maintenance outdoor living products. Trex boasts the industry’s strongest distribution network with products sold through more than 6,700 retail outlets across six continents. Through strategic licensing agreements, the company offers a comprehensive outdoor living portfolio that includes deck drainage, flashing tapes, LED lighting, outdoor kitchen components, pergolas, spiral stairs, fencing, lattice, cornhole and outdoor furniture – all marketed under the Trex^® brand. Based in Winchester, Va., Trex is proud to have been named America’s Most Trusted^® Outdoor Decking** 5 Years in a Row (2021-2025). The company also holds a place on Barron’s list of the 100 Most Sustainable U.S. Companies (2024 and 2025), was named one of America’s Most Responsible Companies 2024 by Newsweek, ranked as one of the 100 Best ESG Companies by Investor’s Business Daily, and named the Sustainable Brand Leader in the decking category by Green Builder Media for the 15^th consecutive year. For more information, visit Trex.com. You may also follow Trex on Facebook (trexcompany), Instagram (trexcompany), X (Trex_Company), LinkedIn (trex-company), TikTok (trexcompany), Pinterest (trexcompany) and Houzz (trex-company-inc), or view product and demonstration videos on the brand’s YouTube channel (TheTrexCo).

**2021-2025 DISCLAIMER: Trex received the highest numerical score in the proprietary Lifestory Research 2021-2025 America’s Most Trusted^® Outdoor Decking studies. Study results are based on the experiences and perceptions of people surveyed. Your experiences may vary. Visit www.lifestoryresearch.com.