GREENVILLE — Fifty new bottle cap benches have arrived at the fairgrounds in preparation for the Great Darke County Fair, which gets underway on Friday.
The benches were placed around the grounds by fair caretakers and community service workers on Tuesday.
“Dick Lavy Trucking took 10,000 pounds of cap and lids to the bench manufacturer in Evansville, Ind., and then returned to bring them when they were done,” said Krista Fourman, director of Darke County Solid Waste Management.
She said there were a total of 93 benches, with 50 going to the fairgrounds.
“The six-foot benches are made out of recycled caps and lids,” she said. “Darke County Department of Developmental Disabilities (DD) is among those that collects cap for us.”
Fourman said the benches weigh about 200 pounds each.
In addition to the fairgrounds, the distribution sites are Darke County Park District with 22 benches; village of Osgood, six; Arcanum Pre-school, one; and St. Paul’s Church of Christ in Greenville, two.
Those interested may have names engraved on a bench by contacting Fourman.
“The names of each of our 20 townships are on them, and fair-goers may be challenged throughout fair week to find all 20,” Fourman indicated.
At the Solid Waste display at the fair in the Coliseum, there will be a contest with people guessing how many bottle caps are in a container that will be on display, she said. “One Shot Scrap & Recycling, Bradford, is donating a $100 Kroger gift card prize to the winner.”
Fair caretakers helping out in unloading and placing the benches Tuesday included John Strawser, Jerry Byerly and Nathan Anthony.
The bottle cap collection continues.
“Help us put benches throughout Darke County’s parks, community areas and bike paths,” Fourman pleads.
She said acceptable caps for recycling include caps off of milk jugs, detergent, hair spray, toothpaste tubes, deodorant, drink bottles, flip-tops (such as on ketchup, mustard), spout cups (mustard), spray paint, ointment tube and caps with recycled numbers of 2,4 and 5. Other recyclable items that can be used are cottage cheese lids, mayonnaise jar lids, yogurt lids, peanut butter jar lids, ice cream bucket lids under 8 inches, Cool Whip container lids, coffee can lids, cream cheese container lids and butter container lids.
Those items not acceptable are: metal of any kind, drink bottles, plastic type Ziplock bags, trigger sprayers, fast-food drink lids, food containers, soap pumps, lotion pumps or grocery bags.
Caps and lids may be dropped off at any of the following locations: Darke County Solid Waste, 684 Wagner Ave.-Suite C; OSU, Darke County, 603 Wagner Ave.; Unwrapped Pack and Ship, 608 S. Broadway; WTGR-Tiger Country 514 Martin St.; Darke County Park, 4267 State Route 602; and Darke County Board of Developmental Disabilities, 5488 Jaysville-St. John Road, all in the Greenville area; Village of Ansonia Administrative Office, 202 N. Main St., Ansonia; 1 Shot Services, 6377 Hahn Road, Bradford; and Village of Versailles, 177 N. Center St.
