America’s leading beverage companies are committed to working with those who share its goal of reducing the use of new plastic and building a more sustainable future.  It’s why we brought together an unprecedented coalition made up of America’s leading beverage companies, The Coca-Cola Company, Keurig Dr Pepper and PepsiCo, and leading environmental and sustainability organizations, World Wildlife Fund, Closed Loop Partners and The Recycling Partnership to launch the Every Bottle Back initiative last fall.

Today, the city of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma was selected as the next region for major investments under the initiative!

Currently, Broken Arrow does not have a curbside recycling program meaning millions of pounds of valuable recyclable materials, like our 100% recyclable plastic bottles, are being landfilled.  Through Every Bottle Back’s $390,500 investment, Broken Arrow will launch a new curbside recycling program and provide 25,000 households with curbside carts and recycling educational materials.

As Katherine Lugar, ABA president and chief executive states, “America’s leading beverage companies launched Every Bottle Back last year to assist communities like Broken Arrow in implementing modern recycling programs with technology and infrastructure to ensure more plastic bottles and cans are recovered, recycled and remade.  Our collaborative approach will help our industry reduce its plastic footprint and build a more circular economy to use less new plastic overall. Together, we will ensure valuable recyclable materials no longer end up in a landfill or as litter in our communities.”

Over the next decade, the investment is estimated to yield 124 million pounds of recyclable materials -- more than three-quarters will be aluminum and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which our industry uses to make its 100% recyclable bottles and caps.

“This investment will ensure recyclable materials are properly collected and help local residents understand the importance of recycling properly, which is an important first step in building a circular system for our valuable PET plastic bottles,” said James McSpadden of the Oklahoma Beverage Association. “Making recycling accessible and convenient for consumers is a big win for the city of Broken Arrow and a model for Oklahoma.”

ABA is grateful for its ongoing collaboration with The Recycling Partnership to improve the quality and availability of recycled plastic and launch a public awareness campaign to remind consumers that our bottles are 100% recyclable

“The Recycling Partnership is excited to partner with ABA and the city of Broken Arrow to launch a brand-new curbside recycling program,” said Keefe Harrison, chief executive officer of The Recycling Partnership. “With this grant from The Recycling Partnership, 35,000 curbside-eligible households in the city of Broken Arrow will receive educational materials and a recycling container at no cost, making the city’s recycling services more equitable and accessible while diverting waste from landfills, supporting jobs, and protecting the environment.” 

Additionally, The Closed Loop Fund, a loan fund operated by Closed Loop Partners will provide an additional loan for carts with the city. 

For more on this exciting investment, check out ABA's infographic here and visit www.EveryBottleBack.org for more.