Grants Program Awards Nearly 4,000 Recycling Bins to 70 Communities Nationwide

(3BL Media / theCSRfeed) April 20, 2011 - Recycling programs in 70 towns and cities throughout the country will receive a significant boost to their local efforts as Keep America Beautiful (KAB) and The Coca-Cola Company announce the recipients of the spring 2011 Recycling Bin Grant program.

Chosen from nearly 800 applications submitted, the 70 grant recipients include community groups, local governments, colleges and nonprofit organizations across the country. Grants were awarded to applicants in 31 states including nine colleges and universities, 25 municipalities and other local government entities, 10 primary and secondary schools, 26 nonprofit organizations, and additional community groups and Native American tribes.

Recipients were chosen by KAB based on a number of criteria, including where bins are likely to have the most impact on recovering beverage containers from the waste stream, ability of recipients to sustain their program in the future, and intention to support collection programs with recycling education and promotion. The Bin Grant program is sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company and is designed to promote and support community recycling in the U.S.

“The entire recycling process begins when a consumer chooses to put their empty beverage container in a recycle bin instead of the trash,” said Gary Wygant, vice president, Coca-Cola Recycling LLC. “Through our work with KAB to provide bins to community-based organizations, we can help raise recycling rates by making recycling more accessible to more consumers.”

“Recycling on-the-go in public spaces is an important link to raising awareness of recycling overall, and to raising recovery rates for all materials,” said Matthew M. McKenna, president and CEO, Keep America Beautiful, Inc. “We’re thrilled that, through the support of Coca-Cola Recycling, we’re able to bring more recycling options to more communities that need them."

The Bin Grant Program provides recycling bins directly to recipients and leverages the purchasing power and recycling expertise of KAB. Since its inception in the fall of 2007, the Bin Grant program has placed more than 20,000 recycling bins in 380 communities in 48 states and the District of Columbia.  A full list of the spring 2011 Bin Grant recipients is below. Further information about the grant program is available at http://bingrant.org/.

About The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company is the world’s largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with nearly 500 sparkling and still brands. Along with Coca-Cola, recognized as the world’s most valuable brand, the Company’s portfolio includes 12 other billion dollar brands, including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, POWERADE, Minute Maid and Georgia Coffee. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, juices and juice drinks and ready-to-drink teas and coffees. Through the world’s largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy the Company’s beverages at a rate of nearly 1.6 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that protect the environment, conserve resources and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. For more information about our Company, please visit our Web site at www.thecoca-colacompany.com.

About Coca-Cola Recycling LLC
Coca-Cola Recycling LLC, a subsidiary of Coca-Cola Refreshments, is dedicated to recovering and recycling packaging materials used in North America – including polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic, aluminum, cardboard and plastic film. Coca-Cola Recycling is working to recover and recycle the equivalent of 100 percent of the packaging produced by the Coca-Cola system in North America.  For more information, please visit www.cokerecycling.com.

About Keep America Beautiful, Inc.
Keep America Beautiful, Inc., established in 1953, is the nation’s largest volunteer-based community action and education organization. With a network of more than 1,200 affiliates and participating organizations, Keep America Beautiful forms public-private partnerships and programs that engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community environments. For additional information, visit www.kab.org.

Spring 2011 Bin Grant Recipients
Interior Alaska Green Star, Fairbanks, AK
Seldovia Village Tribe, Seldovia, AK
Keep Mobile Beautiful, Inc, Mobile, AL
Operation Green Team (KAB) – City of Huntsville, Huntsville, AL
Craighead Elementary School, Mobile, AL
City of Conway, Conway, AR
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR
Arizona Recycling Coalition, Phoenix, AZ
Gila River Indian Community, Sacaton, AZ
City of Flagstaff, Flagstaff, AZ
Pasadena Area Community College District, Pasadena, CA
Town of Newington, Newington, CT
Florida Gulf Coast University Physical Plant, Fort Myers, FL
Keep Indian River Beautiful, Vero Beach, FL
Pensacola-Escambia Clean Community Commission, Pensacola, FL
Keep Jones Beautiful Commission, Gray, GA
Agnes Scott College Office of Sustainability, Decatur, GA
Keep Troup Beautiful, LaGrange, GA
Stephens County High School, Tocca, GA
Recycle Hawaii, Hilo, HI
Iowa Western Community College, Council Bluffs, IA
DuPage County, Wheaton, IL
Keep Northern Illinois Beautiful, Loves Park, IL
The Catalyst Schools, Chicago, IL
Town of Fishers Youth Council, Fishers, IN
The Green Express Studio, Overland Park, KS
McPherson Chamber of Commerce, McPherson, KS
Tulane University, New Orleans, LA
Tri Town Alliance, Braintree, MA
City of Leominster, MA, Leominster, MA
Redwood County Environmental Office, Redwood Falls, MN
Teens in Action/Camp Fire USA, Brooklyn Center, MN
Student Advocates for Valuing the Environment, Helena, MT
Keep Greenville Beautiful, Greenville, NC
Keep Shelby Beautiful, Shelby, NC
KAB of Nash & Edgecombe Counties, Rocky Mount, NC
Keep Lexington Beautiful, Lexington, NE
Keep Sidney Beautiful, Sidney, NE
Recycle Cibola!, Grants, NM
Keep Tularosa Beautiful, Tularosa, NM
Keep Las Cruces Beautiful, Las Cruces, NM
University of New Mexico PPD Recycling, Albuquerque, NM
Keep Western New York Beautiful, Buffalo, NY
Teatown Lake Reservation, Ossining, NY
Washington County Fair, Greenwich, NY
Jefferson-Lewis BOCES, Glenfield, NY
Keep Clark County Beautiful, Springfield, OH
City of Moore, Moore, OK
Keep Oklahoma Beautiful, Oklahoma City, OK
Lower Merion Township, Ardmore, PA
Pennsylvania Resources Council, Pittsburgh, PA
City of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
Keep Greenville County Beautiful, Greenville, SC
Richland County Recreation Commission, Columbia, SC
Town of Central, Central, SC
Keep North Myrtle Beach Beautiful, North Myrtle Beach, SC
University Medical Associates, Charleston, SC
Keep Yankton Beautiful, Yankton, SD
Advocates for the Upper Cumberland, Cookeville, TN
Keep Coffee County Beautiful, Manchester, TN
Henry County Recycling, Paris, TN
Caldwell Enhanced Option Elementary School, Nashville, TN
Keep Cocke County Beautiful, Newport, TN
Panhandle Environmental Partnership, Amarillo, TX
First Baptist Church, Big Spring, TX
South Plains Association of Governments, Lubbock, TX
City of Port Isabel, Port Isabel, TX
Salt Lake City School District, Salt Lake City, UT
Northumberland Public Schools, Heathsville, VA
University of Wisconsin-River Falls, River Falls, WI

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