Dow accepts applications for plastics recovery grant program

The Dow Chemical Co., Midland, Michigan, has teamed up with national nonprofit Keep America Beautiful, Stamford, Connecticut, to award $100,000 in grants for organizations to establish Hefty EnergyBag programs in their communities.

The program is an approach to diverting traditionally nonrecycled plastics, such as chip bags and juice pouches, from landfills and converting the materials into energy sources, says Dow.

The 2018 grant program builds upon that of the previous year, when Dow awarded two $50,000 grants to organizations in Cobb County, Georgia (Keep Cobb Beautiful Inc.) and the city of Boise, Idaho, to establish the program in their respective communities. This year, Dow will offer a total of $100,000 in grants to multiple communities across the nation.

“We’re looking forward to working with Keep America Beautiful again to deliver the 2018 Hefty EnergyBag grant program,” says Jon Pyper, associate director of sustainability and advocacy for Dow. “By collaborating with organizations and communities nationwide, we are increasing plastics recovery, reducing the amount of waste going into landfills and advancing the vision of a circular economy.”

The grant application is open to municipalities, nonprofits, material recovery facilities (MRFs) and other qualifying organizations through June 15, 2018. Dow will provide grant recipients with the blueprint to develop successful Hefty EnergyBag programs, and will facilitate planning and implementation. Recipients will manage their local programs and solicit involvement from key community stakeholders.

“The Hefty EnergyBag grant program builds on our long-standing relationship with Dow to find innovative ways to divert waste from landfills and offer communities an option for those plastics that cannot currently be recycled,” says Helen Lowman, president and CEO of Keep America Beautiful. “We look forward to providing information to communities who believe the program may suit their community’s waste management strategy and goals.”

At the intersection of innovation, sustainability and citizenship, Dow says its long-standing relationship with Keep America Beautiful is built on more than 10 years of collaboration through the Great American Cleanup, the largest community improvement program in the U.S., which provides an opportunity to engage employees, customers and communities for impact.

Dow says the Hefty EnergyBag grant program demonstrates its commitment to advancing a circular economy as part of its 2025 Sustainability Goals. As of February 2018, Hefty EnergyBag curbside and noncurbside programs, which began with a 2014 EnergyBag pilot in Citrus Heights, California, have collected more than 44,500 orange bags and diverted more than 24 tons of plastics from landfills, the equivalent of approximately 19 million snack-sized chip bags or 117 barrels of diesel fuel.

To apply for the grant, visit www.kab.org/hefty-energy-bag-program. To learn more about the Hefty EnergyBag program, visit www.heftyenergybag.com.