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STAMFORD, Conn. — Less than 30% of plastic bottles are currently recycled in the U.S. And less than half of recyclables in U.S. homes get recycled by consumers. Poland Spring Brand 100% Natural Spring Water is teaming up with The Recycling Partnership to tackle one of the core reasons for low recycling rates: consumer confusion.
Starting this month, Poland Spring and The Recycling Partnership, a nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming recycling for good in communities across the country, are launching their first Instagram recycling hotline to help to answer the common question, “Can I recycle this?” Consumers can post a photo of the item in question on their Instagram feed or in their stories tagging #NotTrash and @PolandSpringWtr to ask for help. Poland Spring and The Recycling Partnership will get back to them with an answer.
“Consumers are at the heart of everything we do and that means we are constantly listening to them to understand their needs and preferences,” said Yumiko Clevenger-Lee, vice president and chief marketing officer of Nestlé Waters North America. “What we’re hearing is that consumers are concerned and confused about plastic bottles. So, we’re working on innovations like our recently launched and nationally available Poland Spring ORIGIN in a 100% recycled plastic bottle. And we’re taking it a step further by working with organizations like The Recycling Partnership to help remove some of the confusion about recycling.”
Poland Spring is donating $150,000 to The Recycling Partnership to help improve curbside access to recycling and inspire more Americans to recycle more, better. From August 12 to August 23, in partnership with Z100’s nationally-syndicated “Elvis Duran and the Morning Show,” every time listeners post a photo on Instagram stories or their feed of them recycling an emptied bottle with the cap on or post a question relating to what can be recycled, and tag #NotTrash and @PolandSpringWtr, Nestlé Waters North America will donate an additional dollar per post to The Recycling Partnership up to $25,000. The promotion will air across the radio show’s network of 75 affiliate stations nationwide.
“We are thrilled Poland Spring is joining The Recycling Partnership, and we’re excited about our collaboration on the #NotTrash campaign,” said Keefe Harrison, CEO of The Recycling Partnership. “Consumers play a critical role in reducing waste and improving markets for recyclable materials by recycling properly. Debunking common recycling myths empowers residents to do their part to recycle better, which improves their local recycling programs, helps create a healthier U.S. recycling system, and is good for the planet.”
Using recycled plastic helps keep plastic out of landfills, oceans, and waterways, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions compared to using virgin plastic[3]. Poland Spring and parent company Nestlé Waters North America are committed to leading the industry in the use of recycled plastic. Poland Spring’s current packaging, which is made from PET plastic, is already 100% recyclable. In June, the brand made the industry-leading commitment to convert all its individual-sized still water bottles to 100% recycled plastic by 2022. The conversion has started already, with their 1 Liter and 1.5 Liter still water sizes being made with 100% recycled plastic. The brand is also expanding How2Recycle labels across all of its packaging, to remind consumers to empty the bottle, replace the cap, and recycle when they’re done. This is another way Poland Spring has been helping to alleviate confusion, and help make recycling easier.
In addition to packaging innovations, Nestlé Waters North America also supports recycling infrastructure through investments with organizations like the Closed Loop Fund to help increase recycling capabilities throughout the U.S.
“We’re on a mission to eliminate the ‘single’ from ‘single-use’ plastics,” said David Tulauskas, vice president and chief sustainability officer at Nestlé Waters North America. “When valuable plastic like PET is not recycled, it can’t be broken down and reused to make new products, which is a waste of money and resources. On the other hand, as more consumers recycle their PET bottles, they increase the number of bottles that can be made with bottles and reduce the need for virgin plastic. Working with partners like The Recycling Partnership helps to make recycling as convenient as possible for consumers.”
