Operation Bed Roll – Homeless Project

Conserve, Crochet, Care

Operation Bed Roll is a collaboration between Greensboro’s Field Operations and Police departments to keep unrecyclable materials out of our landfills – and help some of our neediest residents have a safe place to sleep.

Operation Bed Roll aims to transform thousands of plastic grocery bags into “plarn,” or plastic bag yarn used to create crocheted sleeping mats that provide an insulated barrier for those who sleep on the ground. Greensboro Recycling Educator Tori Carle trains residents how to make the plarn and Greensboro police officers will distribute the mats to the homeless throughout the winter.

Plastic bags like the kind you get when you buy groceries or other items cannot be recycled via the City’s residential recycling program. Plastic bags that are put into residential recycling bins cause daily disruptions at the City’s Municipal Recycling Facility, getting caught in the sorting machinery.

Creating plarn is a creative way to reuse those plastic bags. Plarn can be used to knit or crochet a variety of items. Operation Bed Roll allows residents to use their craft skills to make bed rolls so these plastic bags can become something useful to the community.

College Park member, Diana Washburn is participating in this project from Sept. – the first of December 2017. You do not need to be able to crochet.  Anyone interested, please email Diana dbw1731@gmail.com.  For more information, go to: http://www.greensboro-nc.gov/index.aspx?page=4980