David Bellm

January 30, 2014

3 Min Read
Sustainable packaging: PepsiCo announces ‘call to action’ to recycle in support of US military troops
Dream Machine recycling kiosk

284169-Dream_Machine_recycling_kiosk.jpg

Dream Machine recycling kiosk

PepsiCo announced the Dream Machine Summer Recycling Challenge, a national call-to-action asking Americans to commit to recycle every can and bottle at summertime cookouts, starting with Independence Day. The more Americans recycle in Dream Machines, the more support PepsiCo will provide to the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV), a national program offering free, experiential training in entrepreneurship and small business management to post-9/11 veterans with disabilities.


"There are few better times to thank the men and women of the United States armed forces for their sacrifice and service than Independence Day. We are proud that through the Dream Machine initiative, PepsiCo will help many of our veterans receive valuable job training," said Jeremy Cage, PepsiCo's head of the Dream Machine initiative. "We kicked off the Dream Machine recycling initiative on Earth Day and we are delighted that so many partners are making - or considering making - the bins available at their locations in cities and towns across the country."

PepsiCo's Dream Machine recycling initiative, created in partnership with Waste Management, was developed to support PepsiCo's goal of increasing the U.S. beverage container recycling rate from 34 percent to 50 percent by 2018. According to research conducted by Keep America Beautiful, only 12 percent of public spaces are equipped with recycling receptacles, highlighting the clear need for greater public access to recycling bins. Since the Dream Machine launch on Earth Day 2010, PepsiCo has formed partnerships that will make the kiosks available in a number of highly trafficked public locations across the U.S., including:

  --  More than 150 Rite Aid stores across North Carolina
  --  Several locations in Oklahoma, including Reasor's grocery stores, Oral
      Roberts University and OneOK Field, home to Minor League Baseball's
      Tulsa Drillers, in Tulsa
  --  Tropicana Field, home of Major League Baseball's Tampa Bay Rays
  --  Pennsylvania's Pocono Raceway, one of NASCAR's most competitive
      speedways
  --  Various locations across southern California, including California
      State Polytechnic University Pomona

North Carolina has been an early adopter of the program, providing access to the greatest concentration of Dream Machines in the country, to date.

"With the need to create green jobs and recover valuable materials, North Carolina has dedicated itself to driving innovative recycling programs," said Scott Mouw, Chief of Community and Business Assistance, North Carolina Division of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance. "The Dream Machine initiative provides a terrific way to make it more convenient for people to recycle on-the-go and an appealing rewards program to incentivize them."

Actress, comedian and author, Aisha Tyler, is lending her voice and talent to the cause with the debut of her new cinematic video short, COMMITTED. As writer, director and star of this exciting film, Aisha is hoping to get other Americans as fired up about recycling as she is.

"Recycling has become the green equivalent of flossing your teeth - we all know we should do it, but it takes extra commitment and follow-through, so we tend to avoid it when it's inconvenient," said Tyler. "I joined the Dream Machine initiative because it has a great message: recycling can be good for you, the environment and our nation's heroes."

To learn more about the Dream Machine, please visit www.facebook.com/DreamMachine.

SOURCE: PepsiCo

.

Sign up for the Packaging Digest News & Insights newsletter.

You May Also Like