JAHACO, a Coatesville-based business, is taking plastic bags and soft plastics and turning them into beautiful benches, tables, and more, reports Bill Hartung for 6ABC.
JAHACO is run by husband-and-wife duo, Amy and Jeff Burke. Jeff was always passionate about building things, and Amy always loved refinishing furniture, so when they were able to combine those passions and create sustainable products, they were elated.
“The mission of JAHACO is to take non-recyclable plastic that would traditionally end up in a landfill or the ocean, such as your bread bags and shipping bags, and be able to make it into benches,” Jeff said.
Approximately 2,000 to 2,500 plastic bags are used to create one of the 2×4’s that make up JAHACO’s benches.
For every bench they build, 13,000 plastic bags are being taken from our waterways.
They partner with Eco Plastic Products of Delaware, a nonprofit organization that has the special equipment needed to grind up the plastic. From there, the snow-like product is extruded into different-sized lumber.
As JAHACO founders say, plastic is here to stay. But the community needs to work together to find other ways to reuse and recapture our discarded plastic to make them functional.
Learn more about how JAHACO is leading a sustainable mission by supplying the county with benches and more at 6ABC.
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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on VISTA.Today in July 2025.
