SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – American Beverage today announced a $305,600 grant awarded to South Lake Refuse to improve the recycling infrastructure for 19,100 South Lake Tahoe residents. The grant, in collaboration with The Recycling Partnership, will help fund new recycling carts to replace resident-provided containers for more convenient and effective collection. It also supports residential outreach materials with educational information on what materials can be recycled using the new carts. 

“Plastic does not belong in greenspaces and waterways, which is why we’re proud to play our part in making recycling easier and more accessible for South Lake Tahoe residents,” said Kevin Keane, president and chief executive officer of American Beverage. “We are committed to working with local leaders to advance and prioritize pragmatic solutions that strengthen recycling and community-focused programs like the California Redemption Value system.” 

This grant supports South Tahoe Refuse, the area’s contracted materials recovery facility, and the city and county in realizing their efforts to upgrade collections operations and bring improved recycling access directly to residents. 

“Through partnerships like this, we’re working to get every bottle back so they can be remade as intended. These projects are a win-win for communities, the environment and our industry because they go much further in reducing the use of new plastic and addressing packaging concerns than bans,” Keane continued.  

The new carts will allow El Dorado County to collect an estimated 15 million pounds of new recyclables over the next decade. This includes more than 195,000 pounds of recycled aluminum and half a million pounds of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET). With more recycled materials, the beverage industry can reduce the use of virgin plastic and create more bottles out of 100% recycled content. 

This investment is part of 65 initial projects that the leading members of the beverage industry — The Coca-Cola Company, Keurig Dr Pepper and PepsiCo — and its sustainability partners have committed to fund through Every Bottle Back. To date, the beverage industry has committed $39.1 million in funding nationwide. These investments are estimated to yield nearly 915 million new pounds of recycled PET and more than 87 million more pounds of recycled aluminum over the next decade. 

 

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