FALLS CHURCH, VA — On June 24-26, 2019, The Recycling Partnership will host their inaugural Leadership Summit: 50 Cities Driving the Circular Economy, inviting a select 50 cities and their sustainability representatives for a two-day summit in Chicago to drive recycling systems change across the country.
The all-expenses-paid, invitation-only meeting will feature results-driven ‘how-to’ workshops on implementing infrastructure, fighting contamination, and using effective, aligned recycling messaging to better engage residents to capture quality materials at the recycling cart. Participants will leave equipped with a comprehensive set of ready-to-use tools and resources to drive recycling systems change in their communities.
The Recycling Partnership selected invitees using population and recycling program data in an effort to bring together 50 of the largest communities focusing on curbside recycling programs and infrastructure, geographically distributed across the United States. Based upon census data from the American Community Survey, the 50 cities attending the Leadership Summit represent 45 million Americans, or 14 percent of the U.S. population.
“There’s currently a false narrative being spread regarding the strength – or supposed lack thereof – of the recycling industry,” said Keefe Harrison, CEO of The Recycling Partnership. “Our Leadership Summit is one of many ways we’re highlighting the investments that communities are making in recycling because Americans value recycling and know that it is essential for the health and future of our planet. The Partnership, along with our funding partners, is committed to bolstering a sustainable, long-lasting system that will weather the storm of market changes.”
Communities, manufacturers, material recycling facilities and corporations are investing in recycling in the United States because a connected recycling system drives a robust circular economy. Without recycling, we would continue to rely on a linear economy that further depletes the Earth’s natural resources. Recycling diverts hundreds of millions of pounds of recyclables from landfills and avoids millions of metric tons of greenhouse gas annually – creating healthier air and cleaner water at home and around the globe.
The Summit will be funded in part by the PepsiCo Foundation, Target and the Walmart Foundation, whose contributions will also fund post-workshop grants for select communities to implement recycling infrastructure and education and outreach tactics to improve the quality of their recyclables as well as their programs.
“Most Americans want to recycle more, and would, with easily accessible containers and clear information about recycling practices,” said Kathleen Niesen, Director, Recycling and Sustainability, PepsiCo Beverages North America. “Boosting recycling access and infrastructure begins on the local level, so we applaud the Recycling Partnership for bringing city leaders together to address local challenges and find solutions to strengthen our recycling system. Increasing recycling is critical to the health of our planet, and we’re pleased to see communities joining together with private and non-profit partners to make needed progress.”
“We’re proud to partner with The Recycling Partnership,” said Lisa Boyd, senior director of corporate responsibility, Target. “We look forward to this inaugural Leadership Summit helping further recycling systems change across the country, building a better and brighter future for generations to come.”
“We must come together as a country and a world leader, as communities, regions, and states, as local businesses and global corporations, and as individuals, a human race, and a planet – if we want our children, our wildlife, and our world to have a healthy future,” Harrison said.
About The Recycling Partnership
The Recycling Partnership (recyclingpartnership.org) is a national nonprofit organization that leverages corporate partner funding to transform recycling for good in states, cities and communities all across America. As the only organization in the country that engages the full recycling supply chain from the corporations that manufacture products and packaging to local governments charged with recycling to industry end markets, haulers, material recovery facilities, and converters; The Recycling Partnership positively impacts recycling at every step in the process. The Recycling Partnership has served more than 1,000 communities and counting with best-in-class tools, data, resources and technical support, helped place 500,000 recycling carts, reached 50 million households, and helped companies and communities invest more than $37 million in recycling infrastructure. In doing so, The Recycling Partnership has created meaningful social, environmental, and economic change. By the end of 2019, the nonprofit change agent estimates it will have diverted 230 million pounds of new recyclables, saved 465 million gallons of water, avoided 250 thousand metric tons of GHG, and driven significant reductions in targeted contamination rates. See what we’re up to @RECYPartnership on Twitter.
About The PepsiCo Foundation
Established in 1962, The PepsiCo Foundation works with nonprofit partners and invests in the essential elements of a sustainable food system – helping alleviate hunger, manage water and waste responsibly, and support women as champions of nutrition from farm to family. Learn more at: https://www.pepsico.com/sustainability/philanthropy
About Target
Minneapolis-based Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) serves guests at more than 1,800 stores and at Target.com. Since 1946, Target has given 5% of its profit to communities, which today equals millions of dollars a week. For the latest store count or more information, visit Target.com/Pressroom. For a behind-the-scenes look at Target, visit Target.com/abullseyeview or follow @TargetNews on Twitter.