A Fox Chapel teen is making a dent in local landfills with his start-up, Green Bridge 412, but the soon-to-be college freshman needs someone to take the recycling reins.
Over the past year, Kabeer Chopra and his team of volunteers rid thousands of pounds of plastic bags, glass bottles and batteries from across the Lower Valley — for free.
There are 150 homes and businesses on his client list in Fox Chapel, Aspinwall, Blawnox and Harmar. The pick-up service is open to other nearby communities, too.
Disposables are collected on weekends from homes, businesses and nonprofits and delivered to places that recycle: batteries are taken to Staples, glass is deposited in the recycling bin at the Fox Chapel Borough Building and plastics are donated to Giant Eagle.
“We help get those materials that wouldn’t normally be recycled to places that repurpose them,” said Chopra, a senior at Shady Side Academy.
“We don’t want them ending up in landfills.”
The environmental advocate, though growing the venture by leaps and bounds, is facing challenges to keep the effort afloat.
Chopra will be off to Tulane University in the fall and needs volunteers to step up.
His family, specifically his younger sister, Mahika, is willing to take charge of the program but only if there are enough volunteers to carry out the mission.
“We definitely need a lot more help,” he said.
“I always wanted the program to be successful, but it’s grown a lot more than I thought it would.”
In 2025, the group recycled about 2,800 pounds of plastic bags, 14,260 glass bottles and 366 pounds of batteries.
Part of the program’s surge can be credited to Chopra’s gumption. He approached at least two public entities, Blawnox Borough and Feeding the Flock Food Pantry, to help with their recycling overflow.
In Blawnox, Chopra worked with classmate Simon Passerrello-Carnevali to initiate a volunteer recycling program for residents.
“It allows residents an opportunity to recycle even though curbside pickup recycling is not available in the borough,” Manager Cory Dennison said.
“We are very appreciative of our volunteers’ great efforts to help residents recycle a variety of items and do their part to help the environment.”
At Feeding the Flock in Harmar, Treasurer Cathy Frankfurt said Chopra’s efforts have spurred her group to be more environmentally active.
“He initiated this. He came by and asked us,” she said. “It definitely creates less plastic waste because we would otherwise throw it in the trash.”
The group distributes 300 boxes of food each week, resulting in a lot of tossable material. Huge pallets arrive wrapped in plastic, which volunteers now set aside for collection.
“It helps,” Frankfurt said. “It also has inspired us. We just got a cardboard smasher so we can do a little more toward the effort.”
Chopra said the program was born while he worked a summer job at Giant Eagle. He was startled by the massive plastic consumption and the underutilized recycling facilities.
“Few customers returned plastic bags or brought reusable ones,” he said.
“Most people want to make environmentally responsible choices but either don’t know the proper recycling steps or lack time to complete them.”
His Green Bridge 412 aims to bridge the gap.
A small group of volunteers consists of retirees, college students and people with disabilities, all united by a common goal of waste reduction and sustainable living.
But Chopra said three of his volunteers won’t be able to continue because of moves or new commitments.
Another challenge is that battery recycling now costs money. Because of the volume collected, it’s becoming difficult to use free drop-off options such as Staples.
Batteries will be taken to Pennsylvania Resource Council on the North Side for a charge of $0.33 a pound.
“We’re really looking to make sure the program is ready for someone to take over and continue to build it,” Chopra said.
People can register as clients or as volunteers through greenbridge412.com. For details, call 412-426-5311 or email contact@greenbridge412.com.