Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Mills River, North Carolina, and American Recycling of Western North Carolina, a recycler based in Candler, North Carolina, have announced the formation of the Western North Carolina (WNC) Brewery Recycling Cooperative and the opening of a new recycling drop-off site in Asheville, North Carolina. According to a news release from Sierra Nevada Brewing, the cooperative and the new drop-off site, which is set to open in the coming months, will create infrastructure for the area’s more than 80 breweries to recycle common industry materials that were going to landfill.
“The cooperative is an effort to pool resources and leverage our shared economy of size to make a real difference in the community,” says Leah Cooper, sustainability program manager at Sierra Nevada.
Sierra Nevada reports that the new recycling cooperative will be available to breweries and small businesses across western North Carolina in order to increase the area’s ability to recycle commercial materials.
“This is a win-win for both the local breweries and American Recycling,” says Ron Moore, owner of American Recycling of Western North Carolina. “We want to thank Sierra Nevada and all of the others that have helped to make this possible.”
Sierra Nevada spearheaded the effort, partnering with American Recycling and local breweries to develop the cooperative and collect matching funds for the construction of the drop-off site. Other participating breweries include Asheville Brewing Co., Bhramari Brewing Co., Buchi, Burial Beer Co., Catawba Brewing Co., Hi-Wire Brewing, New Belgium Brewing Co., Wicked Weed Brewing and Zillicoah Beer Co.
“Many craft breweries use traditional recycling methods where all recyclables are collected together,” Cooper says. “Because of this, they can’t recycle common industry waste like malt bags, shrink wrap and [polyethylene terephthalate] strapping.”
To combat this, Sierra Nevada started allowing local breweries to drop off recyclable materials at its Mills River facility, which has the volume and infrastructure needed to recycle common industry materials. Sierra Nevada reports that it had become overwhelmed by the demand and realized the opportunity for a cooperative in the community. The companies say the WNC Brewery Recycling Cooperative will be unique in its breadth and impact.
“We’ve taken into account the 80+ breweries in our region,” Cooper adds. “And while the cooperative was created with breweries in mind, it will also be open to any business with similar materials interested in participating.”