CHICAGO, June 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP) announced today that its Dream Machine recycling initiative is the official sponsor of 2,500 Free Green Cans that will be placed throughout the Chicago Park District, including 16 miles of downtown lakefront, effectively increasing public access to recycling bins in the Park District by 125 percent. Free Green Cans are dual purpose recycle/trash bins that provide residents and visitors with a convenient and rewarding way to recycle their plastic bottles and aluminum cans while on-the-go.
(Photo: http://multimedia.pepsico.com/public?search=green+can)
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110622/NY24508)
The more bottles and cans people recycle in a Dream Machine-sponsored Free Green Can in Chicago – and in Dream Machine bins and kiosks across the nation – 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 U.S. veterans with disabilities.
According to Keep America Beautiful, only 12 percent of public spaces are equipped with recycling receptacles—indicating a clear need for greater public access to recycling bins. Through the broader, national Dream Machine program PepsiCo aims to create strategic partnerships, such as the sponsorship of Free Green Cans in Chicago, to help increase the U.S. beverage container recycling rate to 50 percent by 2018.
"We are thrilled to work with Free Green Can on this unique extension of the Dream Machine recycling program," said Jeremy Cage, Senior Vice President of Innovation and Insights at PepsiCo and head of the Dream Machine recycling initiative. "By recycling a bottle or can in a Dream Machine-sponsored Free Green Can, residents and visitors of Chicago can help make a real difference for our planet and in the lives of disabled U.S. veterans."
"We believe that people fundamentally want to help the environment and that if recycling is made easy, people will make the right choices," said Steve Holland, President and Chief Executive Officer of Free Green Can. "We're happy to be in partnership with the PepsiCo Dream Machine and the Chicago Park District to deliver an exemplary patron experience for visitors of one of the country's premiere park districts. It is our hope that others will join us in our commitment to 'greening' Chicago."
"The Chicago Park District is committed to keeping more than 570 parks and 26 miles of lakefront green and healthy for all to enjoy throughout the year," said Mike Kelly, Chicago Park District Interim Superintendent and Chief Executive Officer. "We are excited to implement these new dual purpose recycling trash bins in our parks, thanks in large part to this public-private partnership. This is a great example of how public-private partnerships work to innovatively fund Park District projects and initiatives."
To learn more about the Dream Machine recycling initiative, please visit www.facebook.com/DreamMachine. To find a Dream Machine near you, visit www.dreammachinelocator.com.
About the Dream Machine Recycling Initiative
The Dream Machine recycling initiative, introduced on Earth Day 2010, will make thousands of new recycling kiosks and bins available in popular public venues such as gas stations, stadiums, and public parks. Dream Machine kiosks are computerized receptacles that include a personal reward system that allows consumers to collect and redeem points for each bottle or can they recycle in the kiosk. The multi-year collaboration with Waste Management enables the local capture and recycling of PET and Aluminum, using both technology enabled and non-technology enabled recycling kiosks. The Dream Machines are provided by WM GreenOps, LLC, a subsidiary of Waste Management, and operated by Greenopolis, the first interactive recycling system that brings together online and on-street technologies. People who recycle their beverage containers in kiosks can redeem points they collect and receive awards when they visit www.greenopolis.com.
About Free Green Can
Free Green Can offers free, turn-key recycling programs to hosts (municipalities, venues, college campuses, etc.) by partnering with environmentally friendly companies looking to support local recycling efforts while also reaching consumers with sponsorship, advertising and/or public messages. Their dual purpose recycle/trash can makes recycling easy by offering a convenient one-stop disposal option for both traditional trash and recycling materials. Recycling on the go has never been easier. For more information, visit www.freegreencan.com.
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About Chicago Park District
The Chicago Park District strives to enhance the quality of life in Chicago by becoming the leading provider of recreation and leisure opportunities, to provide safe, inviting and beautifully maintained parks and facilities, and to create a customer-focused and responsive park system. For more information about the Chicago Park District's more than 7,600 acres of parkland, 570 parks, 26 miles of lakefront, 10 museums, two world-class conservatories, 16 historic lagoons, 10 bird and wildlife gardens, thousands of special events, sports and entertaining programs, please visit www.chicagoparkdistrict.com or contact the Chicago Park District at 312/742.PLAY or 312/747.2001 (TTY).
About PepsiCo
PepsiCo offers the world's largest portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands, including 19 different product lines that generate more than $1 billion in annual retail sales each. Our main businesses -- Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade, Frito-Lay, and Pepsi Cola -- also make hundreds of other enjoyable and wholesome foods and beverages that are respected household names throughout the world. With net revenues of approximately $60 billion, PepsiCo's people are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth by investing in a healthier future for people and our planet, which we believe also means a more successful future for PepsiCo. We call this commitment Performance with Purpose: PepsiCo's promise to provide a wide range of foods and beverages for local tastes; to find innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment, including by conserving energy and water usage, and reducing packaging volume; to provide a great workplace for our associates; and to respect, support, and invest in the local communities where we operate. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.
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About the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities
The Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV) is a program first created by the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University, designed to provide training in entrepreneurship and small business management to post-9/11 veterans with disabilities resulting from their military service. The mission of the EBV is to open the door to business ownership for our veterans, by developing skills that relate to the many steps associated with launching and growing a small business. Today the EBV is offered by a network of world-class business schools across the U.S., that includes Syracuse University, Texas A&M University, Florida State University, UCLA, Purdue University, University of Connecticut, and Louisiana State University. The training is provided at no cost to qualified and accepted veterans.
Media Contact: | Lindsay Bell | |
Dream Machine Communications | ||
Office: 212-593-6381 | ||
Mobile: 207-712-1661 | ||
Lindsay.Bell@pepsico.com | ||
SOURCE PepsiCo