Global Citizens Club Sponsor Plastic Bag Project

The Global Citizens Club has been working to collect plastic bags, made up of type 2 HDPE plastic, from homerooms in order to make mats for the unhoused. To motivate students, the collection turned into a competition. After two months, Mrs. Cabana’s homeroom won with a total of 2,383 bags. Mrs. Cabana is also the advisor for the club which is headed by senior co-presidents Angela Ortiz-Green and Kennedy Dawson. 

Members of the Global Citizens Club and its partners in the Spanish Honors Society managed the service project. From working at break to take home shifts, the project was organized and finished with efficiency. Since the club collected over three thousand bags, Angela projects they will be able to make approximately eight mats since each one takes 400 bags. 

The simple process involves taking the bags, flattening them out, cutting off the bottom and the handles, then cutting the remaining piece down the middle horizontally. Once this is done, the pieces of bag are knotted to form the “plain” or plastic yarn and eventually rolled into a ball. Either with a wooden loom or by crocheting, this yarn will turn into the mats for the unhoused to use.

The mats will provide several benefits for the unhoused community. They are washable, water-proof, and able to conserve heat. This makes them crucial for those who have nowhere to live. By converting plastic into a useful product, the Global Citizens Club is reducing the amount of plastic that would otherwise be in landfills. Unless recycled by everyday people, this waste affects not only the U.S. but global communities as well. Angela hopes that “this project will encourage students to recycle in unique ways rather than relying on other organizations to recycle.” 

Angela believes these service projects are important for the community as they reduce waste and repurpose plastics to use for the benefit of others. With the pollution crisis in our world, Angela said, “we see it as our mission to engage with and learn about communities around the world, as well as mitigate the adverse effects that our country and community has.”

Photo Credit: Angela Ortiz-Green