The Coca-cola Foundation contributes $1 million to The Recycling Partnership

The Coca-Cola Foundation, Atlanta, has announced it is contributing $1 million to The Recycling Partnership, Falls Church, Virginia, to support a new “coastal and waterway communities” grant program. The program will provide carts with lids to targeted communities from the shorelines of Southeast Texas up to Maine, along the Mississippi River and Great Lakes, and in the Pacific Northwest.

“We know from experience and research that providing lidded curbside recycling carts is part of the solution to curbing marine debris in developed countries,” says Keefe Harrison, CEO of The Recycling Partnership. “By providing households with a lidded container, we can help ensure that recyclables stay in the recycling stream and don’t end up in our oceans, rivers and lakes.”

She continues, “We’re thrilled to have this grant to support much-needed recycling infrastructure in coastal and waterway communities. We look forward to partnering with more companies and organizations to build on The Coca-Cola Foundation’s significant contribution towards implementation of real-world solutions.”

According to the Recycling Partnership, in July it will announce an RFP (request for proposals) to communities to apply for the coastal community cart-based grants on its website. The grants will be awarded on a rolling basis with work to follow in chosen communities shortly after the selection. As part of the cart grants, the partnership says it will team up with local organizations for a litter/beach cleanup initiative. The organization also plans to solidify best practices that will serve as a roadmap for local governments to implement in other coastal and waterway communities.

“The Coca-Cola Foundation places a high priority on supporting organizations like The Recycling Partnership that are substantially improving recycling in communities through infrastructure and education,” says Helen Smith Price, president of The Coca-Cola Foundation. “Through this new program, people living in coastal and waterway communities will be provided with the recycling program they need to prevent recyclables from entering waterways while also improving collection for future use.”

“The Coca-Cola Co. has been one of our largest and most dedicated supporters,” says Harrison. “The Coca-Cola Foundation’s $1 million donation to improve recycling infrastructure in coastal and waterway communities, along with the additional $2.3 million in support The Recycling Partnership has received from The Coca-Cola Co. over the past four years, signifies their recognition of the enormous challenge we face not just as a nation but also as a planet to prevent marine debris. Together we can promote cleaner waterways by collecting more recyclables using closed-top, curbside recycling containers.”

The Recycling Partnership is a national nonprofit organization that leverages corporate partner funding to encourage and support recycling across America. The organization says it engages in the “full recycling supply chain” from the corporations that manufacture products and packaging to local governments charged with recycling to industry end markets, haulers, material recovery facilities and converters

The Coca-Cola Foundation is the philanthropic arm of The Coca-Cola Co. Since its inception in 1984, the foundation says it has awarded more than $830 million in grants to support sustainable community initiatives around the world.