Plastic was socked away in a garage over the course of eleven months. The piles sat stagnant throughout the spring, and more were added during the moist summer.

Then Wednesday evening, in a celebration of the city of Casper's move to start recycling plastics on Thursday, about 20 of the United Church of Christ's members de-capped and stomped on all kinds of plastic.

Prescription bottles, water bottles, milk jugs, strawberry cartons and soda bottles were pummeled into a smaller state and sorted by type. Pieces of tape inscribed with permanent marker were stuck to the walls marking make-shift sorting stations.

The stench was foul -- pungent, but a bit on the sweet side. Sugars and milk had been collecting in some of the bottles for months, and when members of the congregation began stomping on the bottles, the liquids leaked onto the floor and permeated the damp air.

Whitney Bradley, who's been with the church since its inception in 1954, marveled at the high level of participation among members of the church. About a quarter of the congregation was packed into the dimly lit garage, pounding away at plastic.

Jim Olm, the church's point man on green issues, said the church formed a "green team" about two years ago with a goal of performing monthly projects aimed at helping the environment. The church maintains a stretch of highway through Evansville and has participated in the Platte River Revival event.

"Being environmentally conscious isn't political, it's life," he said. "Under that thinking, we've been having environmental awareness events each month."

The congregation stockpiled plastics for months, thinking a road trip to Torrington with a truck load of bottles would've came before the city decided to accept plastics. Once the church received word from the city, though, they just let the stockpile build.

Rev. Dee Lundberg said her church's continued "green efforts" -- ranging from recycling plastic bottles, finding second-hand uses for old furniture, doing energy audits within the church and changing lights to more efficient compact florescent bulbs -- fit with the belief that life is a gift.

"It's a real commitment to caring for the creation," she said.

Mary Jane Reed, a member for 37 years, said she was continually surprised at the collection of trash each time she dropped off her plastic.

"Many hands make light work though," she said. "Everyone pitches in."

Lundberg and other volunteers from the church -- itself a part of "On Sacred Ground," a consortium of environmentally friendly churches -- will be manning the recycling depot at Kelly Walsh High School this weekend.

"Church isn't a spectator sport," she said, nodding to parishioners in the garage making a dance out of crushing bottles. "Even if you want to thumb your nose at the environmentalist movement, nobody likes litter."

You can reach city reporter Pete Nickeas at pete.nickeas@trib.com or (307) 266-0639. You can read more about Casper politics and government at http://tribtown.trib.com/redtape