America’s leading beverage companies take their commitment to the environment seriously. Earlier this week, we wrote about how individual companies have been recognized for their environmental stewardship, but we see this commitment at every level of our industry. Just this week it was announced that the Minnesota Beverage Association, along with the American Beverage Foundation for a Healthy America, provided a matching grant to the Minnesota State Fair Foundation to support the purchase of 260 recycling bins.

These bins will be placed throughout the Fair to help encourage recycling at Minnesota’s largest annual event. The Fair currently has 1,500 waste containers, but only 380 recycling bins. According to data from previous Fairs, when a waste bin is not accompanied by a recycling bin about 80 percent of the material that is thrown away is actually recyclable material. However, this number drops when the waste bin is accompanied by a recycling bin.

In an effort to continue its ongoing commitment to the environment, the matching grant from the Minnesota Beverage Association will go to provide more recycling bins that will be used during the next five years of the Fair. According to Minnesota Public Radio, the new recycling containers “[are] increasing the number of recycling bins by 82 percent.”  Fair consultants will collect data on changes in recycling rates as a result of the grant for the 2016 Fair and each Fair thereafter. Additionally, these bins will be used at other events statewide.

To see all the places these recycling bins have been spotted, check out the Minnesota Beverage Association’s Twitter and Facebook page.