KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Keep Knoxville Beautiful is participating as an official collection point for three Terracycle recycling programs.
According to a release, Keep Knoxville Beautiful is expanding its efforts to reduce waste and promote recycling by enabling the community to recycle hard to recycle items.
The recycling bins will be out Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and all day and night on the weekends, weather permitting.
Accepted items include:
- All Bimbo Bakeries brands bread bags. People should make sure there are no crumbs left in the packaging to prevent unwanted pests.
- All Simple Truth and Simple Truth Organic brands flexible plastic packaging (i.e. bags, pouches, liners, and wraps). People should make sure there are no crumbs left in the packaging to prevent unwanted pests.
- Colgate Local: People can recycle all brands of used or empty oral care products and packaging, including toothpaste tubes, toothbrushes, dental floss containers, mouthwash bottles, etc. Do not include any electric toothbrushes, battery toothbrushes, and/or their parts.
Accepted items can be brought to the Keep Knoxville Beautiful office at the Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum at 2743-B Wimpole Avenue in Knoxville. The office is located just behind the Visitors Center above the garage.
Once the collection bins are full, officials will ship the recyclables to Terracycle for recycling.
Kroger’s Simple Truth is the first store brand to develop a recycling program with TerraCycle, a company that for several years has been helping retailers and consumer goods brands recycle products that aren’t traditionally recyclable.
The Simple Truth Recycling Program centers on its flexible packaging that’s not accepted in the curbside bin, including produce bags, bread bags and plastic overwrap found on items like tissue boxes and bottled water.
Cincinnati-based Kroger Co. announced this week its new sustainable packaging goals that, according to anti-plastic activist group As You Sow, “fail to acknowledge the urgency of the plastic pollution crisis, and lag competitor commitments.” This statement came after As You Sow filed shareholder resolutions with Kroger, urging the company to make its private-label packaging reusable, recyclable, or compostable. The proposals were strongly supported by shareholders, earning nearly 40% support in 2019 and 2020, according to the activist group, which typically puts forth proposals requiring a vote at shareholder corporate meetings.
Regardless of the outcome, it’s never enough for As You Sow. “As the largest grocery retailer in the country, Kroger has a responsibility to be a leader in this space and set a high bar for sustainable packaging,” said Conrad McKerron, Senior Vice President of As You Sow. Kroger’s commitments “fall far short of what the company needs to be doing,” he added.
Developed in partnership with international recycling leader TerraCycle, Kroger’s new platform enables customers to recycle a wide range of flexible packaging not currently accepted in curbside recycling programs.
SEATTLE (Waste Advantage): The Kroger Co. announced the launch of its Simple Truth
® Recycling Program, offering customers a free and simple way to recycle the flexible packaging of more than 300 products from Simple Truth, America’s largest natural and organic brand, with annual sales exceeding $2.5 billion in 2019. Developed in partnership with international recycling leader TerraCycle, Kroger’s new platform enables customers to recycle a wide range of flexible packaging not currently accepted in curbside recycling programs, including produce bags, bread bags and plastic overwrap from household items like tissues and bottled water. The Simple Truth Recycling Program marks another significant milestone for Kroger’s Zero Hunger | Zero Waste social impact plan and establishes Kroger as the first Fortune 25 retailer to offer a free recycling program for its own private-label brand.
“A key part of achieving our ambitious Zero Hunger | Zero Waste vision is offering our customers innovative solutions to recycle and reuse product packaging,” said Keith Dailey, group vice president of corporate affairs and chief sustainability officer. “We’re thrilled to partner with TerraCycle to launch our new Simple Truth Recycling Program, supporting our sustainable packaging goals and enabling Kroger customers to recycle their favorite Simple Truth and Simple Truth Organic products without ever leaving home.”
“Thanks to companies like The Kroger Co. and their popular Simple Truth product line, consumers can enjoy their favorite foods while being rewarded for doing the right thing,” said Tom Szaky, TerraCycle founder and CEO. “As the first major retailer to create a free recycling program for their own private-label brand, Kroger is offering consumers the opportunity to divert packaging from landfills and make a positive impact on the environment for future generations.”
“Since its launch in January 2013, Simple Truth has led the way in making natural, organic and free-from foods more mainstream and accessible for customers,” said Ben Melillo, Kroger’s senior brand manager. “We know more of our customers are seeking out opportunities to reduce their environmental footprint and we’re excited to meet their needs by introducing the Simple Truth Recycling Program—an initiative that not only simplifies the recycling process, but also makes it more rewarding.”
Courtesy: www.wasteadvantage.com
