Environmentally Friendly

All the ingredients we use are being re-used.

The same process we use to make our products is also environmentally responsible. Trex® is made from about 50 percent recycled and reclaimed plastic, and 50 percent reclaimed wood. These materials would otherwise go unused in landfills. Using sustainable materials and green manufacturing processes is a policy that touches everything we do.

• Learn more about how Trex is made

Recycling Facts

• Trex keeps some 300,000 tons of plastic and wood scrap out of landfills every year.
  • that comes to about 600,000,000 pounds saved annually
• NO TREES ARE CUT DOWN for the purpose of making Trex. Our wood comes from:
  • reclaimed wood from woodworking operations
  • used pallets
  • sawdust (300 million pounds a year)
• Trex recycles all forms of polyethylene.
• Trex is one of the largest plastic bag recyclers in the United States.
  • Grocery/Retail/Drug Stores
    • 7 out of every10 recycled grocery bags in the U.S. end up at Trex (about 1.5 billion per year)
  • Industrial Accounts
  • Agricultural Operations
  • Food & Beverage plants
  • Government agencies
  • Colleges & Universities
  • Bulk Pellets/Flake & Densified
• Our manufacturing process is as green as our final product.
  • Trailers are hydraulically powered with vegetable-based oil
  • Our proprietary processing method eliminates smokestacks
  • Factory runoff/refuse is recycled back into the manufacturing line
• As much as possible, Trex packaging is made from recycled paper and plastic.
• We regularly seek out third-party audits to make sure we’re continuously improving our green practices while meeting all environmental, health and safety guidelines and regulations.

Green Projects and Affiliations

• Trex Company is a proud member of The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) the nation's foremost coalition of leaders from every sector of the building industry.
  • Works to transform the way buildings and communities are designed, built, and operated
  • Goal: to create an environmentally and socially responsible environment that improves the quality of life
• Trex has been included in national environmental projects such as:
  • the BASF Near Zero Energy Home in Paterson, NJ
  • the Solar Decathlon, a collegiate green building competition
  • the National Building Museum's "The Green House" exhibit in Washington, D.C.
  • Maui Wildlife Refuge Complex, Kealia Pond NWR in Hawaii
  • Point Defiance Zoo, Theater and Kids Zone in Tacoma, WA

Trex Recycling Programs

• Trex offers a complete recycling solution for all your recyclables.
  • Trex recycles:
    • post-consumer
    • post-industrial
    • post-commercial plastics
• Trex is a member of the:
  • Association of Post Consumer Plastics
  • SWANA
  • Progressive Bag Affiliates
  • The Society of Plastics Industry
• Trex sponsors several community-based recycling programs.
  • Our commitment to salvaging and reusing materials begins at the local level, with the sponsorship of several community-based recycling programs at major national grocery and retail chains.
  • Trex has joined with Penn Jersey Paper and Goodwill Industries to launch the BagSmart™ program, a comprehensive initiative to help consumers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey recycle and reuse plastic bags — thus reducing their impact on the local environment.
  • The Plastic Bag Challenge program has seen great success among schools in Virginia, Georgia and Northeast areas.
    • School-wide competitions are held to see who can collect the most plastic bags to recycle with Trex.
    • Kids get excited and interested in recycling early. Participating schools compete to collect the most plastic bags to be recycled by Trex and reused in their communities.
• If you would like Trex to help start a local recycling program in your community, school or university, contact us at recycle@trex.com.

Industry Recognition

• Trex was one of the first recipients of the Green Award, presented by Winslow Management Company to companies that make positive contributions to both the environment and their shareholders.
• Magazine and newspaper articles commonly regard Trex as the environmentally sound choice for decking, railing, and fencing.
• Trex has received numerous environmental awards, including:
  • Winslow Management Company's Green Award for companies that positively contribute to both the environment and their shareholders
  • Connecticut College's Inherit the Earth Gold Medal for "demonstrating that business can be profitable, while meeting the needs of environmental sustainability"
  • The "Excellence in Plastics Recycling" Award from the Society of Plastic Engineers Recycling Division
  • The Governor of Virginia's Environmental Excellence First-place Award for "Outstanding Environmental Projects" (twice received)
  • The Governor of Virginia's Environmental Award for "impressive tonnage of recycled grocery bags and pallet wrap kept out of landfills"