Letter: Every Bottle Back – beverage industry commitment to recycling and sustainability

To the Editor:

Illinois’ non-alcoholic beverage industry provides consumers with every type of non-alcoholic beverage imaginable, from bottled water to gallons of milk and nearly everything in between. That’s why we also have a strong commitment to sustainability and recycling programs, ensuring we play our part in building a sustainable future.

Our innovative Every Bottle Back initiative aims to increase awareness as to the value of our 100% recyclable bottles, and we have introduced a new, voluntary on-pack message to promote the recyclability of our plastic bottles and caps.

Our commitment goes beyond mere education efforts. We are working with the World Wildlife Fund through their ReSource: Plastic program to reduce our plastic footprint and are partnering with The Recycling Partnership and Closed Loop Partners to modernize recycling infrastructure in communities nationwide.

More importantly, all components of our plastic bottles – even the caps – are now fully 100% recyclable, ensuring our bottles become a new bottle and not end up in oceans, rivers, beaches, and landfills. And that means we are using less new plastic.

Rob Nash, Executive Director, Illinois Beverage Association