A new year presents a time to reflect on past successes and future opportunities. For members of Pennsylvania’s nonalcoholic beverage industry, a major milestone of 2023 was an investment in the transition to bin-based recycling made possible by the beverage industry’s Every Bottle Back initiative. This investment provides 50,000 new recycling bins in Pittsburgh and supports the final stage of the city’s transition to a fully bin-based recycling program.
The modern bins are a major step in increasing recycling rates, but our work is far from finished. Recycling plays a vital role in the health and sustainability of the Steel City. By embracing the best recycling practices in Pittsburgh, we will get more of our carefully designed 100% recyclable bottles and cans back so they can be remade as intended. Over the next decade, this investment is projected to yield more than 24 million pounds of new recyclable materials, including nearly 1 million pounds of recycled PET plastic that we can use to make new bottles, reducing our use of new plastic.
By continuing to work together, we can make recycling work for everyone.
Tony Crisci
Harrisburg
The writer is executive director of the Pennsylvania Beverage Association.