NACS Partners on Recycling Guide for Convenience Retailers

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — NACS, the Association for Convenience & Fuel Retailing, teamed up with the Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) to publish a new recycling guide that highlights how recycling is good for both the environment and for business.

"The Value of Can and Bottle Recycling" offers tips and suggestions for improving current practices; how to effectively communicate the goals of the program with staff and customers; and a checklist to help retailers reduce contamination in their recycling bins.

"NACS consumer surveys reveal that 70 percent of c-store customers say they empty out their vehicles while filling up at the pump, oftentimes placing recyclable materials like beverage cans and bottles in regular trash bins," said Carolyn Schnare, NACS director of strategic initiatives. "This new resource provides guidance that can help our industry convey to their customers what to recycle and the value of doing so, as well as improve the likelihood that customers will recycle cans and bottles appropriately."

More than half of c-store customers (53 percent) say they would like to see more recycling bins at their local c-store, according to NACS consumer surveys.

"Consumers want to be good environmental stewards," said CMI President Robert Budway. "And, having the ability to recycle aluminum beverage packaging away from home is a win-win for can manufacturers, convenience stores and consumers. We believe that increasing away-from-home recycling of aluminum cans will benefit the entire recycling system."

Along with providing information and plans for improvement, the new recycling guide offers additional tools and resources available through NACS and CMI. "The Value of Can and Bottle Recycling" is available for download at convenience.org/cansandbottles.