America’s beverage companies are committed to preserving our environment. As part of our ongoing sustainability efforts under our Every Bottle Back initiative, we’re excited to partner with the city of Kenosha, Wisconsin to help increase the amount of valuable, recyclable material collected and modernize their recycling infrastructure.

American Beverage Association’s Kevin Keane and Wisconsin Beverage Association’s Kelly McDowell penned an op-ed in Kenosha News highlighting why this regional investment is critical to the city’s sustainable future.

“While Kenosha residents bag their recyclables for curbside pickup, the nearest materials recovery facility (MRF) that processes recyclable material does not accept bagged materials – which means a large portion of the city’s recyclables do not end up being recycled and remade into new products as intended. Together, the city of Kenosha, along with America’s leading beverage companies and top sustainability leaders, are joining forces to find better way solutions to improve the city’s recycling system.”

We’re working together to modernize the current plastic bag recycling system in Kenosha to 96-gallon, curbside recycling carts. More than 32,000 recycling carts will be delivered to households in the community, which will increase the load capacity of materials for pick-up, reduce recyclable materials from ending up where they don’t belong and generate 2.1 million new pounds of recyclable plastic over the next 10 years.

This monumental solution will help preserve the natural resources in communities like Kenosha and across the country. 

“We are proud to join forces and lead the charge, and we hope others will be inspired by our efforts to preserve our natural resources and ensure valuable recyclable materials, like plastic beverage bottles, are properly collected so they don’t end up as litter on our shorelines or as waste in landfills,” states Keane and McDowell. 

To learn more about our work in Wisconsin, read the full op-ed in Kenosha News.