LIVONIA, MICH. — In the first year of a nationwide sustainability project, Pet Supplies Plus and Wag N’ Wash announced that the brands have helped keep 27,000 lbs of pet product packaging from ending up in landfills and incinerators. Last year, the franchise brands became the first pet retailers in the United States to partner with TerraCycle® on in-store recycling.
Most pet packaging items are not accepted through standard curbside recycling services due to their complex material composition and lingering food residue, which makes it difficult and unprofitable for local recyclers to process. To help remedy this, Pet Supplies Plus and Wag N’ Wash’s partnership with TerraCycle offers a free in-store recycling solution for pet food, treat and litter packaging, as well as delivery bags.
“The first year of our partnership with TerraCycle has been an overwhelming success,” said Chris Rowland, chief executive officer of Pet Supplies Plus and Wag N’ Wash. “We are beyond proud of our neighbors nationwide who recycled 13.5 tons of plastic that would have otherwise been thrown out. This is just the beginning of our commitment to sustainability and helping create a cleaner world for our neighbors and pets.”
According to the brands, the in-store recycling program was created to make recycling easy for pet owners while playing a role in reducing plastic waste. All pet product packaging and delivery bags collected in-store are then returned to TerraCycle to be shredded, cleaned and recycled into raw materials used to make new products.
“This partnership between Pet Supplies Plus, Wag N’ Wash and TerraCycle has already played an important role in keeping pet food packaging out of landfills and incinerators across the United States,” said Tom Szaky, CEO and founder of TerraCycle. “By voluntarily taking responsibility for all brands of empty pet food packaging, Pet Supplies Plus and Wag N’ Wash are redefining standards for sustainability in the pet industry.”
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