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PepsiCo Foundation Launches Recycling Challenge

PURCHASE, NY -- The PepsiCo Foundation, the beverage giant's philanthropic arm and national nonprofit The Recycling Partnership have kicked off the " All In On Recycling " challenge to provide families with the resources they need to recycle more and recycle better. The PepsiCo Foundation is providing $10 million in funding to jumpstart the challenge, which is being hailed as one of the largest-ever public gifts of its kind. The goal of the challenge is to raise $25 million in total donations from leadin...

August 1, 2018

PURCHASE, NY -- The PepsiCo Foundation, the beverage giant's philanthropic arm and national nonprofit The Recycling Partnership have kicked off the "All In On Recycling" challenge to provide families with the resources they need to recycle more and recycle better.

The PepsiCo Foundation is providing $10 million in funding to jumpstart the challenge, which is being hailed as one of the largest-ever public gifts of its kind. The goal of the challenge is to raise $25 million in total donations from leading businesses and organizations. Additionally, the more than 2,800 communities that participate in the initiative are expected to triple the collective investment, catalyzing roughly $75 million in municipal funding and bringing the total amount of support to $100 million.

Due to lack of infrastructure, widely varying municipal recycling programs and low awareness of proper recycling practices, more than half of the material that could be recycled from U.S. households is lost. However, the problem is not a lack of desire: 94% of Americans want to recycle more, and they would if they had easily-accessible recycling containers and clear information about proper recycling practices.

The Recycling Partnership estimates that the "All In On Recycling" challenge will help the U.S. capture 1.9 million tons of quality recyclable materials over the next five years, including 7 billion bottles and cans. This would result in a total greenhouse gas avoidance of 5.5 million tons of CO2 -- the equivalent of removing more than 1 million cars from the road for a year.

Half of the total funds raised by this challenge are expected to help provide curbside carts to more than 550,000 households, a measure that has reportedly proven to double the number of recyclables recovered. They will also help provide the missing infrastructure needed to recover recyclables from multi-family homes such as apartment buildings and condos, one of the most challenging segments of the population to serve. The other half of the funding will support recycling education and operational programs that will increase collection of recyclables while reducing contamination.

The plan is to utilize some of the funds raised from the initiative to provide recycling solutions across the country to cities, including Miami, Florida, and El Paso, Texas, as well as the State of Michigan and the Central Ohio region.

This largest-ever major residential recycling initiative is part of PepsiCo's signature sustainability program, Performance with Purpose, which aims to leave a positive imprint on society and the environment. By 2025, PepsiCo's goal is to design 100% of its packaging to be recyclable, compostable or biodegradable; increase recycled materials in its plastic packaging; reduce packaging's carbon impact; and, in partnership with the PepsiCo Foundation, work to increase recycling rates. PepsiCo and the PepsiCo Foundation already have invested approximately $55 million in recycling efforts in the U.S. in the last nine years alone.