America's Beverage Industry Launches Public Space Recycling Program
On America Recycles Day
WASHINGTON, Nov. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- This
year, the American Beverage Association is honoring America
Recycles Day by supporting a pilot project called "Recycle on the
Go" in Palm Beach County, Florida,
to increase the amount of recycled cans and bottles and decrease
the amount of personal waste. As a founding sponsor of America
Recycles Day, the beverage industry has engaged in many
public-private partnerships around the country to better educate
and inform consumers about the importance and ease of
recycling.
In 2011, the American Beverage Association became a founding
member in the National Recycling Partnership (NRP), created to
reinvigorate recycling in America. This historic partnership—which
includes the National Recycling Coalition—aims to increase consumer
interest in recycling by providing information on what, how and why
to recycle.
"Our industry is committed to supporting recycling efforts, and
the 'Recycle on the Go' program is simply another way for us to
encourage residents in Palm Beach
County – and throughout the nation – to reduce, reuse and
recycle," said Susan Neely, American
Beverage Association president and CEO. "We are honored to be a
part of this collaboration with local government, and we look
forward to expanding public recycling opportunities like this
nationwide."
This year, ABA is providing funding for "Recycle on the Go" bins
as well as project support and assistance for promotion and
education components of this project. In addition, ABA will be
monitoring the results of this project and using that information
to help establish a best practices-approach to developing public
space recycling programs in other communities.
ABA member companies are also working in their communities on
efforts to support and promote recycling, including:
- This year, The Coca-Cola Company expanded its program
with Keep America Beautiful that supports community recycling to
include specific recycling bin grant opportunities for colleges.
Through this initiative and others, Coca-Cola has now placed more
than 160,000 bins throughout North
America since 2008. This is in support of Coca-Cola's goal
to recover 50 percent of the equivalent bottles and cans it places
in market by 2015. In addition, Coca-Cola diverts more than 94
percent of solid waste from landfills in its North American
facilities.
- In 2011, Dr Pepper Snapple Group diverted 81 percent of
manufacturing solid waste – more than 37,000 tons – from the waste
stream. This exceeded the goal it set just a year earlier to
recycle 80 percent of solid waste from its manufacturing plants by
2015. The company has since raised that goal to 90 percent and is
well on the way to achieving it, expanding the work it is doing
with third-party recycling companies to increase the efficiency of
its landfill diversion efforts.
- To celebrate the launch of its new ReBorn bottle, made with 50%
recycled plastic, Nestle Waters North America's Arrowhead
brand is partnering with Keep California Beautiful (KCB) to promote
America Recycles Day in San
Francisco. Arrowhead, KCB and other community partners are
hosting a recycling education and beautification event near
Fisherman's Wharf with more than 250 volunteers. Arrowhead is also
providing funds to install four solar-powered BigBelly bins that
serve as a one-stop solution for recyclables, compostables and
trash, which is a first for public spaces in the U.S. Nestle Waters
is working with a coalition to advance, at the state level, a
legislative solution to structural problems with recycling. NWNA
supports Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging and
printed paper that would increase recycling rates, reduce
government spending and use private sector business savvy to
lower costs. To learn more about EPR, click here. To learn more
about NWNA, click here.
- PepsiCo created the Dream Machine Recycling Initiative
on Earth Day 2010 in collaboration
with Waste Management and Keep America Beautiful to address the
need for greater public access to recycling solutions and to help
increase the national recycling rate. Since program launch, 4,000
Dream Machine bins and electronic kiosks have been placed, and
nearly 1,000 K-12 schools across 34 states have participated in the
Dream Machine Recycle Rally program. This has resulted in more than
160 million bottles and cans being diverted from landfills to
recycling. By increasing availability of recycled PET (rPET),
PepsiCo has sustained its commitment to using rPET in its beverage
bottles, making it one of the largest users of food-grade
post-consumer PET. PepsiCo is also making great progress in
building sustainable facilities. For example, Frito-Lay's
Casa Grande, Ariz., manufacturing
facility produces zero waste to landfill and runs primarily on
renewable energy and recycled water.
- The Sunny Delight Beverages Co. (SDBC) continues to
maintain Zero Waste to Landfill at all five of its manufacturing
sites—diverting nearly 36 million pounds of waste since setting its
Zero Waste goal in 2007. Externally, and in partnership with Keep
Cincinnati Beautiful, in 2012 SDBC sponsored its second recycling
challenge with some local schools to help them reduce their waste.
The goals of these in-school recycling challenges have been to
divert waste from landfills; educate students and staff about the
importance of recycling, composting and environmental stewardship;
and to help the participating schools work towards permanent, zero
waste programs. This year the participating schools diverted 88,485
pounds, or 44.2 tons, of waste from landfills. SDBC is now entering
its third year partnership with Keep Cincinnati Beautiful and some
local schools in a sustainability challenge that will include water
and energy reductions in addition to waste reductions.
For more information on the beverage industry's environmental
stewardship, visit www.ameribev.org.
The American Beverage Association is the trade association
representing the broad spectrum of companies that manufacture and
distribute non-alcoholic beverages in the
United States.
SOURCE American Beverage Association