Kroger has announced an expanded program to provide consumers with a new way to recycle some packaging and plastics not currently accepted by curbside programs.
In collaboration with TerraCycle waste management company, Kroger’s expanded Our Brands Recycling Program will now be able to recycle “flexible plastic” items like “potato chip and snack bags, shredded cheese bags, frozen food bags, pouches, deli meat and cheese bags, grain and bean bags, as well as flexible plastic pet food packages” from its Simple Truth, Private Selection, Kroger, Comforts, Luvsome and Abound brands, says the company.
“Flexible plastic consumer product packaging, including multi-layer films, helps preserve food quality and freshness but is harder to recycle and not accepted in curbside programs,” said Keith Dailey, Kroger’s group vice president of corporate affairs and chief sustainability officer, in a release. “Kroger recognizes the negative impact packaging — including plastic waste — can have on the environment. This is why we remain focused on innovative solutions for reusing and recycling packaging materials.”
Here’s how the recycling program works:
- Any individual, school, office or community organization can sign up at Terracycle.com/Kroger.
- Once you’re signed up, you can start collecting flexible plastic packaging (bags, pouches, liners and wraps) from Kroger’s private label brands in a box — any box will work. The list of eligible products that can be recycled can be viewed at Kroger.com.
- When your collection box is full, ship it to TerraCycle using the free prepaid shipping label available in your account on the program page.
- Earn points for every pound of eligible packaging sent and redeem points as donations to participating charitable organizations.
- Following receipt, the collected packaging will be cleaned and melted into hard plastic that can be remolded to make new recycled products.
In addition to the recycling program, Kroger also offers an in-store plastic film recycling program which offers customers the option to bring certain types of plastic films like plastic grocery shopping bags, dry cleaning bags, newspaper sleeves, produce bags, bread bags, plastic cereal box liners, multi-pack case overwraps and more to the store to reycle.
These programs are part of Kroger’s Zero Hunger | Zero Waste social impact plan. Kroger also says it is the first “Fortune 25 retailer to offer a free recycling program for its own private-label brand.”
This article appears in Apr 1-30, 2021.