From expanding recycling access for rural communities in Arizona to delivering new recycling carts to households in Rhode Island, America’s beverage companies are marking America Recycles Day by celebrating seven years of investments in local recycling systems through their Every Bottle Back庐 initiative. The anniversary comes as the initiative prepares to announce its next projects in Sarasota, Fla., Washington, D.C. and Indianapolis.
The idea behind Every Bottle Back庐 is simple: bottles and cans can only be remade into new ones if they are collected and sorted effectively. That depends on infrastructure, including curbside residential carts, accessible drop-off sites and sorting technology that works. Since launching in October 2019, the initiative has put industry investment behind all of it, community by community.
“America鈥檚 beverage companies design their bottles and cans to be recycled and remade into new ones. We鈥檙e proud to invest in communities to ensure they have the infrastructure and education needed to make recycling easier and more accessible,鈥� said Kevin Keane, president and CEO of American Beverage. “We鈥檙e committed to expanding recycling access, protecting the environment and keeping valuable materials in use for generations to come.鈥�
Through Every Bottle Back庐, in collaboration with Closed Loop Partners and The Recycling Partnership, America鈥檚 beverage companies have:
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Provided more than $34 million to improving recycling infrastructure across 74 communities nationwide.
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Kept an estimated 731 million pounds of PET and nearly 48 million pounds of aluminum out of landfills and the environment over the next decade.
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Provided free recycling carts for more than 1 million households.
This year鈥檚 projects show what that investment looks like on the ground: more households with carts, more residents within reach of drop-off sites and new technology to improve collection. Highlights include:
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Navajo County, Arizona – $100,000: Expanding recycling access to more than 131,000 residents.
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Modesto, California – $123,500: Delivering new recycling bins to 18,500 apartment units.
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Miami-Dade County, Florida – $504,000: Deploying advanced smart camera recycling technology to 42,000 households.
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Levy County, Florida 鈥� $130,000: Supporting new recycling drop-off site serving over 55,000 residents.
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Providence, Rhode Island – $625,000: Delivering 55,000 new recycling carts to residents.
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Campbell County, Virginia – $163,500: Expanding recycling access for more than 55,000 residents.
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Fairfax City, Virginia – $115,000: Delivering new recycling carts for more than 24,000 residents.
Every Bottle Back庐 will build on this momentum in the coming days with new projects in Sarasota, Fla., Washington D.C. and Indianapolis, where upgraded sorting technology, new carts and out-of-home bins will capture more bottles and cans for recycling. Additional details for all three projects will be announced soon.
Announced in 2019, the Every Bottle Back庐 initiative unites America鈥檚 beverage companies around a shared goal: investments in stronger, more effective recycling systems that keep valuable materials out of landfills so they can be remade as intended.
In 2027 and beyond, the initiative will focus on the next generation of recycling solutions, from modernizing sorting and processing infrastructure to upgrading collection systems and expanding education that helps recycling work better for communities.