Recycling Efforts Honoring Barb Bartel, Former WIDL Librarian

Maggie Scheffer (submitted photo)

IRON RIVER – The West Iron District Library (WIDL) recently became the recipient of a bench that will be placed in the library courtyard.
The bench is made of material from recycled plastic bags collected over a three month period by Crystal Fresh Market for Iron County Watershed Coalition (ICWC), and provided to TREX for recycling. TREX is a plastic film recycler, specializing in outdoor furniture and decking.
A name plate honoring former librarian Barb Bartel is affixed to the back of the bench. Barb was a supporter of conservation efforts and also a member of the two organizations that collect bags for recycling in the county, ICWC and Rise-UP. She passed away in August 2022.
To date, eight benches have been placed at public sites throughout Iron County by the “Iron County Watershed Coaltion” and “Rise-UP of Iron County”, the two non-profits participating in TREX plastic recycling, in partnership with Crystal Fresh Market as the collection site.
Shoppers may return plastic shopping bags to Crystal Fresh Market in support of recycling, and as a result additional TREX benches will be donated to public venues around Iron County.