PepsiCo Rallies Schools Across The Nation To Join K-12 Recycling Program

Education-based 'Recycle Rally' empowers students to recycle for the environment and win cash prizes

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Oct 02, 2014, 10:30 ET

PURCHASE, N.Y., Oct. 2, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- How do you get students excited about recycling? Start a rally. To get more students recycling, PepsiCo announced it is now opening its popular K-12 school Recycle Rally program to schools across the U.S. The program is one of the ways PepsiCo is working to increase recycling to help drive the U.S. beverage container recycling rate to 50 percent by 2018.

Recycle Rally, one of PepsiCo Recycling's longest running recycling initiatives, assists schools in equipping students and staff with incentives and tools to lead the way in promoting recycling in their communities. The program incorporates the thrill of competition through an online leaderboard and progress tracking tool, grants participants access to a network of other schools and enables them to share related educational lessons and helpful resources to recognize and reward recycling achievements. PepsiCo is customizing the program in the 2014-2015 school year to provide opportunities for school and community involvement, giving schools across the nation the chance to earn rewards, gain access to educational tools and connect to an organized recycling effort.

Starting with the 2014-2015 school year, the program is open for enrollment and participating schools will have a chance to win thousands of dollars in cash prizes and other perks, including lunch bags, school supplies, gym equipment and gift cards, just by logging how much they've recycled. New schools can join throughout the year by visiting www.PepsiCoRecycling.com/Programs/RecycleRally, and schools that register by October 31 will be entered to win more chances for rewards. Since launching the program in 2010, PepsiCo has rewarded participants for their recycling activity and engagement in the program. By the close of the current school year, PepsiCo is on track to deliver a total of $1 million in prizes and rewards to Recycle Rally schools.

"Recycle Rally enables students at schools of all sizes to build a sense of teamwork and recognition in their hometowns," said Tom Mooradian, Sustainability Manager for PepsiCo. "We are thrilled to take this program to new heights by offering more recycling opportunities for new students and communities than ever before. Our belief is that simple acts can have a big impact. Programs like Recycle Rally and the efforts of communities and companies around the nation have led to an 8 point increase in the recycling rates for beverages containers since PepsiCo announced its goal in 2010."

Every bottle and can recycled supports PepsiCo's initiative with The Nature Conservancy to protect drinking water resources. Additionally, PepsiCo provides dedicated support to further the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities' mission to provide training in entrepreneurship and small business management to post-9/11 veterans with disabilities.

Since Recycle Rally launched in 2010, more than 900 schools and 500,000 students across 35 states have recycled more than 45 million beverage containers. The U.S. beverage container recycling rate is currently at 42 percent according to the American Beverage Association. PepsiCo continues to work on bringing broader, more efficient recycling to communities nationwide. Find out more about PepsiCo Recycling at www.PepsiCoRecycling.com.

PepsiCo's Commitment to Recycling
As a part of Performance with Purpose, PepsiCo's goal to deliver sustained value to shareholders and stakeholders, the company is committed to increasing the recyclability of its packaging. Since 2010, PepsiCo has added more than 5,000 recycling systems across North America through recycling programs in more than 41 states. In 2013, PepsiCo invested in support for the operation and delivery of our recycling programs, increasing the total amount of material recycled to more than 18 million pounds and 324 million containers since 2010.

The company has also undertaken several other initiatives, including:

Closed Loop Fund
PepsiCo recently collaborated with Walmart and a number of other companies to establish a Closed Loop Fund that will help finance recycling programs to divert valuable raw materials from landfill. The Fund aims to invest $100 million in recycling infrastructure projects and spur private and public funding for transforming the recycling system in the United States. The Fund will provide loans to municipalities and other organizations to fund innovative ideas to reach the goal of providing 100 percent of U.S. households with access to recycling where and when they need it.

Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans
Since 2010, PepsiCo has donated $1.5 million dollars to support the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans (EBV) through 2013. Through its partnership with the Institute for Veterans and Military Families, PepsiCo has helped many veterans receive valuable training in entrepreneurship and small business management so they can build their own business and pursue their dreams. Every bottle and can recycled in a PepsiCo bin makes it possible for the company to donate funds to the EBV. Over 4.3 million pounds of recycled bottles and cans have been collected via PepsiCo Recycling to support the EBV.

About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $66 billion in net revenue in 2013, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose – our goal to deliver top-tier financial performance while creating sustainable growth in shareholder value. In practice, Performance with Purpose means providing a wide range of foods and beverages from treats to healthy eats; finding innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment and reduce our operating costs; providing a safe and inclusive workplace for our employees globally; and respecting, supporting and investing in the local communities where we operate. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.

SOURCE PepsiCo