City of Laurel Takes Major Step to Protect Environment

On April 22, the City of Laurel took a major step to improve and protect the environment by making recycling easy.

Laurel Mayor Craig Moe joined with elected officials, city leaders and the beverage industry, and environmental organizations to unveil a program for weekly collection of recycling, trash, and compost, called “One and Done.”

As a representative of the Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Beverage Association, the region’s trade association of non-alcoholic beverage bottlers and distributors, we couldn’t have been prouder to support this effort.

Our organizations invested $112,465 to provide 7,150 households with free, lidded curbside carts. The investment is estimated to yield 7.32 million new pounds of recyclable materials over 10 years, of which 285,480 pounds will be polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and 109,800 pounds will be aluminum, both of which are used to make 100% recyclable cans and bottles.

This partnership is part of the beverage industry’s Every Bottle Back initiative, a breakthrough strategy to reduce the industry’s plastic footprint by creating a more circular economy for our 100% recyclable plastic bottles.

Beverages companies play a significant role in PG County’s economy. We employ more than 1,000 people and operate three facilities that manufacture and distribute products ranging from lemonade and juices to waters and soft drinks.

We are making significant investments to support the circular plastics economy and improve the collection of our plastic bottles, so they don’t end up in oceans or rivers, or wasted in landfills. Quite simply, we want Every Bottle Back.

Ellen Valentino
Executive Vice President
MD-DE-DC Beverage Association