Recycling is good for the environment and for business, according to a new resource by NACS and the Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI).
“The Value of Can and Bottle Recycling” offers tips for improving current practices and effectively communicating program goals with staff and customers, as well as a checklist to help retailers reduce contamination in recycling bins.
“NACS consumer surveys reveal that 70% of c-store customers say they empty out their vehicles while filling up at the pump, oftentimes placing recyclable materials like beverage cans and bottles in regular trash bins,” said Carolyn Schnare, NACS director of strategic initiatives. “This new resource provides guidance that can help our industry convey to their customers what to recycle and the value of doing so, as well as improve the likelihood that customers will recycle cans and bottles appropriately.”
“Consumers want to be good environmental stewards,” said CMI President Robert Budway, “And having the ability to recycle aluminum beverage packaging away from home is a win-win for can manufacturers, convenience stores and consumers. We believe that increasing away-from-home recycling of aluminum cans will benefit the entire recycling system.”
Convenience stores serve an estimated 165 million customers a day, including the estimated 40 million customers who refuel their vehicles. Per NACS consumer surveys, gas-buying customers (53%) say they’d like to see more recycling bins at their local c-store, providing an opportunity for the industry to enhance current recycling practices.
Waste management and recycling programs at convenience stores also can ensure that trash is collected and/or recycled and does not become litter. Consumers have regularly cited litter as the top reason for opposing new stores in their communities, and cans and bottles account for one-third of items littered outside of convenience stores.
Download “The Value of Can and Bottle Recycling”
Keeping Stores Litter-Free
According to a NACS consumer survey, most c-store customers (84%) agree store cleanliness is an important factor when considering whether to go inside the store and make a food, drink or snack purchase. And more than half of all convenience store customers say that they’d like to see more recycling at their local c-store.
To help manage unsightly litter and trash, NACS has developed online resources for convenience retailers:
- “Convenience Store Industry’s Take on Trash” provides consumer perceptions and retailer observations on trash, litter and recycling at convenience stores.
- Published by Keep America Beautiful and NACS, “Being a Good Neighbor: A Guide to Reducing Litter, Managing Trash and Encourage Recycling at Convenience Stores” provides quick and easy tips for convenience stores to improve customer experiences, help the environment and ultimately enhance their reputations and bottom lines.
Find these two resources and more to help enhance your sustainability goals here.
IN THE COMMUNITY
Pilot Flying J held its inaugural National Hiring Day on May 2, the largest in-person and virtual hiring event in its history. The company plans to hire more than 5,000 team members across its network of 750-plus travel centers in the United States and Canada.
From bake sales to raffle tickets, employees at Big Red Stores raised $150,541 for the retailer’s annual Arkansas Children’s Campaign.
OnCue donated more than $45,000 of nonperishable food and personal care products to local charities in central and western Oklahoma.
Haffner’s donated a total of $63,200 to the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). The retailer has partnered with MDA for 15 years, and the money raised sends kids to MDA Summer Camp and funds research efforts and care for kids and adults living with muscular dystrophy, ALS and related neuromuscular diseases.
Love’s Travel Stops announced it is opening a new travel stop in Williams, California, which will provide 60 new jobs to the area.
General Mills released its 2019 Global Responsibility Report, outlining the company’s approach to creating environmental, social and economic value in the countries where it operates.
Grand Taste, a three-day food-tasting event held during the Meijer LPGA Classic in mid-June, is expected to divert more than 95% of its waste to recycling or compost.