Through July 12, 2019, communities are eligible to apply for grants
to establish local plastics recovery program
MIDLAND, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Dow is again teaming up with national nonprofit and long-standing
collaborator Keep
America Beautiful® to award up to $125,000 in grants for
organizations to establish the Hefty®
EnergyBag® program in their communities. The Hefty® EnergyBag®
program, a collaboration between Dow and Reynolds Consumer Products,
offers an innovative approach to diverting hard-to-recycle plastics,
such as chip bags, standup pouches, foam containers, candy wrappers and
juice pouches, from landfills and converting the materials into valuable
resources.
For a fourth cycle, Dow is offering, via the 2019 Hefty® EnergyBag®
grant program, up to $125,000 in grant funding to eligible communities
across the nation. Previous grant recipients include: Boise, Idaho and
Cobb County, Georgia (Keep Cobb Beautiful Inc.), as well as Lincoln,
Nebraska, which will launch its Hefty® EnergyBag® Program at the end of
April, and a second grant for Cobb County to expand their existing
program. The first permanent Hefty® EnergyBag® program launched in the
Omaha area in October 2016.
Recipients of the third grant program will be announced in mid-2019.
Recipients of the fourth grant will be announced in late 2019, after
submissions have been fully evaluated.
“We’re pleased to encourage the growth of the Hefty EnergyBag Program
with grant funding in collaboration with Keep America Beautiful, so that
we can recover the value of used plastics that can’t currently be
recycled,” said Jon Pyper, associate director of sustainability for Dow.
“The Omaha-area, Boise-area and Cobb County programs have already proven
that we can successfully and sustainably divert more plastics from
landfills and reuse those molecules. We’re eager to continue expanding
this program and to encourage improved recycling in communities
throughout the country.”
The grant application is open to municipalities, nonprofits, materials
recovery facilities and other qualifying organizations through July 12,
2019. Dow will equip grant recipients with a framework to aid in
developing successful Hefty® EnergyBag® programs in their communities,
and will facilitate planning, implementation and metrics tracking. Dow
also consults with recipients as they manage their local programs and
solicit involvement from key community stakeholders. Dow and Keep
America Beautiful will host a one-hour webinar on Wednesday, May 9 to
review the application process and describe how the grant applications
will be evaluated.
“The Hefty EnergyBag program is an exciting opportunity that directly
supports Keep America Beautiful’s commitment to reducing waste in
communities across the country,” said Helen Lowman, president and CEO of
Keep America Beautiful. “We look forward to continuing our relationship
with Dow and other organizations that see the value in reducing landfill
waste and advancing the collection of hard-to-recycle plastics.”
From inception through March 2019, the Hefty® EnergyBag® program has
collected more than 536,700 bags and diverted over 357 tons of
hard-to-recycle plastics from landfills – the equivalent of producing
approximately 1,700 barrels of diesel fuel from collected materials and
eliminating approximately 51 full trash trucks. The Hefty® EnergyBag®
grant program demonstrates Dow’s commitment to advancing a circular
economy as part of its 2025
Sustainability Goals.
To apply for the Hefty® EnergyBag® grant, visit www.kab.org/hefty-energy-bag-program.
To learn more about the Hefty® EnergyBag® program, visit www.heftyenergybag.com.
Dow’s long-standing relationship with Keep America Beautiful is built on
more than 10 years of collaboration through the Great
American Cleanup. This annual event is the largest community
improvement program in the U.S., which provides an opportunity to engage
employees, customers and communities for environmental impact.
About Dow
Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines one of the broadest technology sets in the
industry with asset integration, focused innovation and global scale to
achieve profitable growth and become the most innovative, customer
centric, inclusive and sustainable materials science company. Dow’s
portfolio of performance materials, industrial intermediates and
plastics businesses delivers a broad range of differentiated
science-based products and solutions for our customers in high-growth
segments, such as packaging, infrastructure and consumer care. Dow
operates 113 manufacturing sites in 31 countries and employs
approximately 37,000 people. Dow delivered pro forma sales of
approximately $50 billion in 2018. References to Dow or the Company mean
Dow Inc. and its subsidiaries. For more information, please visit www.dow.com
or follow @DowNewsroom
on Twitter.
About Keep America Beautiful
Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s iconic community improvement
nonprofit organization, inspires and educates people to take action
every day to improve and beautify their community environment.
Established in 1953, Keep America Beautiful strives to End Littering,
Improve Recycling and Beautify America’s Communities. We believe
everyone has a right to live in a clean, green and beautiful community,
and shares a responsibility to contribute to that vision. Behavior
change – steeped in education, research and behavioral science – is the
cornerstone of Keep America Beautiful. We empower generations of
community stewards with volunteer programs, hands-on experiences,
curricula, practical advice and other resources to deliver measurable
environmental, economic and social benefits. The organization is driven
by more than 600 state and local affiliates, millions of volunteers, and
the support of corporate partners, social and civic service
organizations, academia, municipalities and government officials. Join
us on Facebook,
Instagram,
Twitter
and YouTube.
Donate and take action at kab.org.
About Reynolds Consumer Products
Reynolds Consumer Products is a leading provider of quality household
essentials that have been trusted for generations. Our Reynolds® and
Hefty® brand products help with preparation, cooking, cleanup, and
storage. The Hefty® brand is best known for strong, dependable waste
bags, available in the U.S. at mass merchants, grocers, and other retail
stores nationwide. For more information, visit Hefty.com.
View source version on businesswire.com:
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Ashley Mendoza
AEMendoza@dow.com
+1
(225) 353-1806
Emma Sheer
ESheer@golin.com
+1
(312) 729-4073
Source: The Dow Chemical Company