Beverage Companies Boost Recycling Access in Rural Wisconsin Ahead of America Recycles Day

POLK COUNTY, Wis. - Ahead of America Recycles Day, American Beverage is investing $53,128 to increase recycling access for more than 3,500 residents. This includes supporting three new recycling drop-off locations in Apple River, Atlas and McKinley, Wis.

The investment provides 12 new roll-off containers at the three new recycling drop-off locations to expand capacity and increase recyclable material collection. The grant also provides containers for five existing locations to expand hours of operation and education about the new facilities on what materials can be recycled.

"We're proud to play our part in making recycling more convenient and accessible which will significantly boost the amount of recyclable materials collected in Polk County," said Kelly McDowell, executive director of the Wisconsin Beverage Association. "This critical partnership reinforces the Wisconsin beverage industry's commitment to decrease our use of new plastic by remaking recycled plastic bottles into new ones, as intended."

The project, which is through The Recycling Partnership, is expected to yield 2.5 million new pounds of recyclables over the next decade. This includes nearly 100,000 pounds of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic and more than 33,000 pounds of aluminum, both of which are crucial to making recyclable cans and bottles.

This grant is in addition to a previous investment in Kenosha, which provided nearly 32,000 households with 96-gallon curbside recycling carts.

Since launching five years ago, Every Bottle Back-an initiative of The Coca-Cola Company, Keurig Dr Pepper and PepsiCo-has reached 14 million Americans through $28.5 million in funding nationwide. In total, the investments across 49 communities are estimated to yield 705 million new pounds of recycled PET and 43 million more pounds of recycled aluminum over the next decade.

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