Florida Beverage Association Provides Community Grant to the City of Coral Gables

ST. AUGUSTINE, FLA. ─ The Florida Beverage Association (FBA) is pleased to announce the City of Coral Gables and Keep Coral Gables Beautiful received the 2022 FBA Community Grant for their “Reverse Vending Machine Recycling Incentive Program.”

New Reverse Vending Machine to be Unveiled

In partnership with the American Beverage Foundation for a Healthy America, the $25,000 grant is supporting the program’s efforts to improve recycling and reduce litter in Coral Gables, including establishing a new method for recycling beverage containers. The Flex Reverse Vending Machine and mobile recycling rewards software encourages consumers to return their recyclable bottles and cans and receive prizes through healthy competition.

Funds went toward installing a machine at the War Memorial Youth Center in Coral Gables with the goal of collecting over 25,000 bottles and cans within an initial pilot period, all to be recycled and remade. The machine will be unveiled on Wednesday, Nov. 16, at 4 p.m.

“The Florida Beverage Association and its member companies are committed to working with those who share our goal of getting every bottle back through increased recycling and improving the communities where we live, work and play,” said Elizabeth Castro DeWitt, president of FBA, the trade association for Florida’s non-alcoholic beverage industry. “The Reverse Vending Incentive program will increase collections of valuable commodities, lower contamination rates and improve business participation in recycling initiatives, ensuring that valuable recyclable materials, like plastic bottles, do not end up in places where they shouldn’t. We are excited to collaborate with Coral Gables to create a more sustainable future for generations to come.”

“This grant allows us to continue expanding our recycling programs and services. The Reverse Vending Machine aligns well with our ongoing sustainability and innovation initiatives to help utilize technology to create a more sustainable and resilient community for current and future generations,” said Matthew Anderson, Resiliency and Sustainability Manager/Co-Executive Director of Keep Coral Gables Beautiful.

The city partnered with Cycle Technology, which launched a prototype of its Reverse Vending Machine at the University of Miami in September 2020. Cycle’s incentive-based recycling rewards have proven to increase collections by over 31% and provide an effective educational tool to families committed to improving recycling.

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About the Florida Beverage Association

The Florida Beverage Association is the state trade association of non-alcoholic beverage producers, marketers, bottlers, and distributors. Our companies make and sell some of the most popular non-alcoholic beverages, including regular and diet soft drinks, bottled water and water beverages, 100 percent juice and juice drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks and ready-to-drink teas. Visit flabev.org for more information.

About the American Beverage Foundation for a Healthy America

The American Beverage Foundation for a Healthy America is a 5031c organization that strives to make a significant contribution to the health of local communities by providing grants to support community organizations that work to advance both the physical health of their local citizens and the environmental health of their communities. For more information on ABFHA, please visit www.beveragefoundation.org.

About Coral Gables

Founded in 1925, Coral Gables is a city of over 50,000 residents centrally located in the Greater Miami area. “The City Beautiful” is home to over 10 properties and one district on the National Register of Historic Places. Coral Gables was Florida’s first planned community and was designed to be an international city. Today, it is home to over 20 consulates and foreign government offices and over 100 multinational corporations. It serves as a major employment center with almost as many people working as residing in the city.

The economy is a mixture of local and international businesses and is home to the nationally ranked University of Miami, the city's largest employer. It is renowned for its excellent municipal services, including accredited Police, Fire and Community Recreation departments, as well as a Class 1 Fire Department and Building Division. Additionally, it has received Triple-A ratings from Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s Investors Service and Fitch Ratings. Exceptional municipal services, strong finances, high quality of life, convenient travel access, responsible growth, and a diversified economy make Coral Gables a highly desirable place to live, work, learn, and play.