Caden McKinney might be pointing the way to a more ecologically friendly future with his ongoing Eagle Scout project.

McKinney, a member of Boy Scout Troop 400 in Mars, is collecting caps from plastic bottles to be turned into benches and chairs for Garfield Park in Mars.

So far, McKinney has collected 550 pounds of plastic bottle caps and $1,000 in donations since he began his effort in October. He will turn to Green Tree Plastics to produce the outdoor furniture from the bottle caps to complete his project.

The high school sophomore needs another $1,000 for his project and has given himself the deadline of the end of the summer to complete his plan to create two benches, a table and a garbage can.

McKinney is to be commended for his efforts, which will benefit Mars in a number of ways. First and most obviously, Garfield Park will receive needed outdoor furniture at no cost to the borough.

Second, every pound of plastic that goes into making benches and tables is one less pound of plastic that gets deposited in a landfill — to then begin seeping into the food chain.

According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Studies, about 8 million metric tons of plastic are dumped into the ocean each year, and tiny pieces of plastic ranging in size from microscopic to the size of an ant are ingested by creatures as small as plankton and begin to make their way up the food chain, ultimately reaching humans.

The health effects of microplastics are still unknown, but we do know that plastics in the human body alter the way hormones normally function.

One of the major drawbacks to plastic in the environment — its indestructible nature —becomes an asset when it’s used to build park benches and other outdoor fixtures. It will last for a very long time.

Of course, not all plastic can be used. McKinney has posted an illustrated list of products that will work and those that will not.

Perhaps in the future, techniques will be developed to allow even more of the ever-present plastic waste that surrounds us to be used in productive, non-polluting ways.

— EKF