The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about drastic changes to our daily lives. The share of products consumed, used, and disposed of at home has grown – highlighting the need for sustainable recycling solutions.
Despite these recent challenges, America’s beverage industry is leading the way towards sustainable solutions, driving consumer awareness of the need for our plastic beverage bottles to be recycled so that they can be remade into new bottles, as intended.
Last month, our industry marked its one-year anniversary of the Every Bottle Back initiative, an unprecedented partnership with World Wildlife Fund, The Recycling Partnership and Closed Loop Partners to upgrade and modernize recycling infrastructure while helping consumers with ways to recycle better.
This year alone, America’s leading beverage companies and its Every Bottle Back partners have invested millions of dollars in key regions across the country that will strengthen community recycling programs and generate over 644 million new pounds of recycled PET. The investments advance the collection of our 100% recyclable bottles and cans so that they can be remade, decreasing our use of new plastic.
November 15th marks the start of America Recycles Week, a time to celebrate the positive impact of community recycling and how we can all come together to advance innovative solutions to build a more circular economy and protect our environment.
At the Ohio Beverage Association, we are proud of our industry’s proactive leadership. Our members have engaged on public space recycling at major Ohio sports facilities, festivals, marinas, and public parks. Grants have enabled cities like Youngstown to purchase new recycling receptacles to complement downtown revitalization. And we are just getting started.
Ohio is well positioned to carry out this work as we are home to many processors and haulers who have advanced innovative recycling solutions as part of their business plans.
Add forward-thinking government and nonprofit leaders and you have a state ready to build a safe and sustainable environment for generations to come.