Orange County, Fla. – Orange County Public Schools (OCPS) has been awarded a $3,500 grant from the Florida Beverage Association and the American Beverage Foundation for a Healthy America to improve recycling access in their high schools.
Funds will go towards the installation of “bottles only” recycling bins at several high school cafeterias across OCPS, scaling to all 22 high schools to reach 61,000 students. OCPS will also develop educational materials such as posters, signs and videos to raise awareness of the new opportunity to recycle.
“Our industry is working hard to improve recycling of our valuable containers, including our PET plastic bottles.” said Elizabeth DeWitt, president & CEO of the Florida Beverage Association. “Supporting our local community, and particularly our youth, is a critical part of that effort and we’re thrilled to play a role.”
These bins are estimated to capture 70,000 plastic bottles annually, keeping them out of the environment or the local landfill, and will encourage better recycling habits in the county.
“We’re incredibly grateful for this grant,” said David Klawitter, sustainability manager at OCPS. “This grant will allow us to bring recycling into cafeterias, capture more plastic bottles and get closer to our goal of diverting 75% of our solid waste from landfill by 2030.”
Contact: liz.dewitt@flabev.org
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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, isotonic drinks, kombuchas, energy drinks and ready-to-drink teas. Learn more at www.flabev.com.
About the American Beverage Foundation for a Healthy America
The American Beverage Foundation for a Healthy America (ABFHA) is dedicated to strengthening communities from coast to coast to create positive change for our nation. Since the Foundation’s inception, we’ve provided millions of dollars in grants directly to organizations and cities that are making a real impact on the lives of real people. To learn more about ABFHA, visit beveragefoundation.org.