In advance of America Recycles Day, Keep America Beautiful and 聽Zephyrhills庐 Brand 100% Natural Spring Water are honoring four Florida communities that have increased their on-the go recycling rates.
This effort was enabled by a grant from Zephyrhills庐 that funded 220 recycling bins (100 event recycling and 120 permanent bins) to increase access to recycling on beaches and at other public recreation locations along Florida鈥檚 waterways.
Together, Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful, Keep Indian River Beautiful, Keep Wakulla County Beautiful and the City of Crystal River have enabled their communities to recycle nearly 320,000 bottles and cans in just the past six months. That equates to roughly 440 recyclables per permanent recycling bin per month.
In April 2017, Keep America Beautiful and Zephyrhills庐 teamed up to distribute these recycling bins to help keep plastic out of the waterways and landfills and reduce litter in key Florida recreation areas. This past summer, Zephyrhills庐 expanded the grant to these four communities by gifting picnic tables and bike racks made from 100% recycled plastic that illustrate that recycled plastics can be used to create something new.
The state of Florida鈥檚 current recycling rate is 54 percent and aims to reach 75 percent by the year 2020. Increased access to recycling on-the-go will help the state reach this recycling goal.
鈥淲e are committed to helping improve recycling rates throughout Florida, and we are grateful to and proud of these Keep America Beautiful affiliate organizations for playing such a critical role in making on-the-go recycling available to everyone,鈥� said Luis Martinez, Zephyrhills庐 east regional sales manager, who also serves on the board of directors for Keep Florida Beautiful. 鈥淲e hope that the recycled plastic picnic tables and bike racks will help residents and visitors enjoy the recreation areas, while serving as a reminder that waste can become a valuable resource 鈥� if it is recycled properly.鈥�
In addition to recycling bins, Keep America Beautiful provided best practice guidance to grant recipients about setting up effective away-from-home recycling programs. In turn, grant recipients tracked the quantity and composition of the recyclable and waste items collected to learn how to continue to improve their recycling programs.
鈥淎s we celebrate America Recycles Day, Keep America Beautiful applauds the residents and visitors of these four communities for recycling while on-the-go,鈥� said Brenda Pulley, senior vice president, recycling, Keep America Beautiful. 鈥淎s a result, these materials will have a new life as they are used to create new products. The recycled plastic benches and bike racks these communities have received are testament that recycling makes a difference.鈥�
鈥淏ecause of the tremendous impact visitors have on our economy, Keep Wakulla County Beautiful was profoundly grateful to have been the recipient of the Zephyrhills庐 bin grant,鈥� said Jo Ann Palmer, executive director, Keep Wakulla County Beautiful. 鈥淲e want all those who come here to help protect our fragile environment, and our entire community has benefited from the permanent placement of the easy-to-see, easy-to-access and convenient-to-use bins. We have successfully placed a bin at every public entryway into our beautiful Gulf of Mexico waters, local lakes and river boat ramps.聽 This availability has made a positive impact on reducing litter and the use of trash cans by providing an on-the-go way for visitors and locals to properly dispose of recyclable items.鈥�
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