Rehrig Pacific will begin rolling out 18,600 new locally-made recycling carts in Milwaukeethis week in partnership with the Recycling Partnership and Dow. The larger, 95-gallon carts will be replacing residents’ current 18-gallon bins, which have not supported the volume of recyclables that residents are generating.
Rehrig Pacific worked in collaboration with national nonprofit The Recycling Partnership who provided the city with a $649,000grant to improve its collection services. Rehrig also partnered with Dow, who provided a resin donation that allowed the carts to be purchased at a 95% cost savings. The new, wheeled carts roll easily to the collection point, provide more capacity for recyclables, and reduce litter by protecting residents’ recyclables from the elements.
Rehrig Pacific is committed to maintaining shorter freight lanes: the carts were manufactured at Rehrig’s Pleasant Prairie, Kenoshaplant, just 40 miles from the City of Milwaukee. This close proximity results in less CO2 emission and fewer transportation costs. Rehrig’s seven manufacturing facilities are strategically located throughout the U.S., decreasing the distance it takes to get products to customers and reducing the amount of carbon emissions released into the atmosphere.
Each year, City of Milwaukeeresidents recycle over 50 million pounds of materials through the City’s curbside program. Milwaukee’srecycling transformation is expected to yield more than 10 million new pounds of recyclables each year. “This partnership between The City of Milwaukee, The Recycling Partnership, Dow and Rehrig Pacific was an exciting opportunity for these four groups to come together to create a sustainable solution for this community,” Marc Scott, Vice President Environmental Sales said. “The results are often the most successful when we’re able to combine the expertise and resources of diverse partners like this.”
“The Recycling Partnership is honored to work together on this partnership with the City of Milwaukee, Dow, and Rehrig Pacific to make this project a reality,” said Rob Taylor, Director of Grants and Community Development for The Partnership. “We’d also like to express our gratitude to the PepsiCo Foundation for their financial support to improve equitable access to recycling. Thanks to the collaboration of these stakeholders, Milwaukeehouseholds will soon be on their way to better protecting our planet by wasting less and recycling more.”