ABC Program – A Bench for Caps

The ABC (A Bench for Caps) Program, is a Community Service Project for both schools and the community. It was spearheaded by Kiwanian Kevin Meyer in the summer of 2019.

By December 2021, every school in Loudon County had received a Buddy Bench, and the program is now expanding into Anderson, Blount, Knox, Monroe, and Roane counties, reaching beyond schools to include Boys and Girls Clubs and other organizations. We have partnered with other Kiwanis Clubs and continue to introduce this program initiative in other Kiwanis Clubs.

The program is environmentally conscious, repurposing non-recyclable plastic lids and bottle caps—collected from various community sources—into benches. Greentree Plastics in Evansville, Indiana, transforms 200 pounds of collected plastic into a single bench, preventing millions of pieces of plastic from reaching landfills.  

Since 2019, the program has produced 83 benches and 4 Ozark Hex Tables from roughly 17,400 pounds of non-recyclable plastic, showcasing an innovative approach to community building and environmental stewardship.

To-date that equates to over an incredible 1.5 million non-recyclable pieces of plastic caps and lips collected.

Our 2025 goal for this program is to produce 100 benches, with no doubt we will achieve this number.

You can donate caps and lids by dropping them off at the Community Church at Tellico Village, 130 Chota Ctr. Loudon, TN. There is a Wishing Well located under the long staircase in the church lobby. Monetary donations can be sent to: Kiwanis Club of Tellico Village, PO Box 592, Loudon, TN 37774. Please note Bench Program in memo line on your check.

Click on the picture below to download article on what are Acceptable Caps and Lids.