This month, America’s leading beverage companies announced the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex area as the first region of investment under Every Bottle Back, our breakthrough initiative that seeks to reduce the use of new plastic by increasing the amount of valuable plastic bottles (PET) that are reclaimed, recycled and remade into new bottles.  As part of this investment, nearly $3 million will go towards strengthening infrastructure, supporting Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) and improving access and education to single-family and multifamily homes.  These investments are expected to yield 3 million pounds of newly recovered PET.

“Our plastic bottles are made to be remade, and we are excited to work alongside communities in Dallas-Fort Worth to bolster recycling and demonstrate how innovative solutions can make a real difference for future generations," said Katherine Lugar, president and CEO of ABA.“This is an important step for our industry and builds on our ongoing commitment to create a more circular economy where our 100% recyclable bottles are never wasted but are remade as intended.”

According to reporting from Resource Recycling, “the initiative will be carried out throughout 2020, kicking off in the spring and taking place at least through the end of summer. After the projects sunset, the team is aiming to perform more capture rate studies, MRF audits and consumer engagement surveys to determine how effective the various efforts were.”

“This important effort will help ensure that modern recycling infrastructure exists to support curbside recycling in the Dallas-Fort Worth community," said Carol McGarah of the Texas Beverage Association. “I’m very grateful to our local partners across the region for inviting us to help expand and improve recycling opportunities available to Texas families.” 

To learn more about our investment in the Lone Star State, read our press release or visit EveryBottleBack.org.