A group of environmental stewards wise to the after-market uses for plastics hope a new weeklong recycling effort will be the first of many fruitful drives to take place in Helena.

While Americans use about 25 million tons of plastic each year, only 1 million tons of that material is ever recycled, according to the EPA. The rest ends up in landfills.

The wasted material has members of S.A.V.E, a Helena-based group dedicated to environmental awareness, eager to draw attention to its new plastics recycling drive.

Matt Elsaesser, one of S.A.V.E.'s founders, said that with the uses for recycled plastics on the rise, collecting the material only makes sense.

"We had people at our first event that had half their basement filled with plastic waiting to be recycled," Elsaesser said. "We did it for Earth Day and Trash for Trees, and we ended up collecting a bale."

A 20-yard recycling bin filled with plastic milk jugs equals a 1,000-pound bale when compressed. The bale is shipped from Pacific Steel in Helena through Missoula to Spokane, where plastics pour in from as far away as Edmonton.

"It'll be chipped and rinsed and melted back into resin," Elsaesser said. "Sometimes it can be made into synthetic lumber. There are tons of construction uses for that."

The uses for recycled plastics don't stop with modern building materials. Stephen Miller, a senior consulting scientist at Chevron Energy Technology Company in California, believes recycled plastics could soon be used to lubricate car engines.

Researchers at Chevron and the University of Kentucky have already succeeded in converting waste plastic into lubricating oil. The result -- a polyethylene-derived oil -- may someday improve fuel economy and reduce the frequency of oil changes.

"This technology could have a significant environmental impact," Miller said. "It could benefit different communities that want to do something positive about their waste plastics problem, especially if there is a refinery nearby that could do all the processing steps."

Plastics made from polyethylene can be broken down by heat into a wax, which can be converted into a high-quality lubricating oil for use in engines and transmissions.

Researchers believe the oils derived from wax can also help auto manufacturers improve fuel economy. However, according to the American Chemical Society, commercial interest for the new technology has been limited.

Locally, Elsaesser said, S.A.V.E. will collect two varieties of plastic, including Type I beverage containers like clear soda bottles, and translucent Type II beverage containers, like milk jugs.

"For Pacific to bale it and sell it, it must be compressed to where it weights a lot," Elsaesser said. "If it's just thrown away, it takes up a lot of landfill space."

Reporter Martin Kidston can be reached at 447-4086, or at mkidston@helenair.com