At first it was hard to find enough bags, “But once we tell people what we’re doing, we have plenty,” Mrs. Colanna said.
In four years, they estimate that 133,000 plastic bags have been recycled into 168 sleeping mats that have gone all over the world.
Soldiers use the mats beside their cots to shake the sand off their feet to keep their cots clean, said Jane Colanna of Economy. And, the mats can be folded and stored in knapsacks.
Recently mats were sent to Panama, as part of the Thomas and Linda McCormack Panama Foundation, where surplus American medical supplies help the impoverished.
“The doctors would be standing on the dirt floor to operate, if they didn’t have these mats,” said Patty Mandell of Cranberry, as she crocheted plastic bags into a mat that looked like a braided rug. Logos and other print on multi-colored bags add texture. She is reminded of growing up in Indiana, where she learned how to crochet in the fifth grade.
Recently mats were sent to Panama, as part of the Thomas and Linda McCormack Panama Foundation, where surplus American medical supplies help the impoverished.
“The doctors would be standing on the dirt floor to operate, if they didn’t have these mats,” said Patty Mandell of Cranberry, as she crocheted plastic bags into a mat that looked like a braided rug. Logos and other print on multi-colored bags add texture. She is reminded of growing up in Indiana, where she learned how to crochet in the fifth grade.
Mats have also been sent to Africa, Brazil, Haiti, Jamaica, Honduras and Panama as well as Allegheny and Beaver Counties. Another newspaper article, one about the devastation of plastic bags on the environment, inspires them to keep going.
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