Albertsons Companies Stores Celebrate Earth Day with Plastics Recycling Partner

This April 22^nd marks the 46^th anniversary of Earth Day. While this is a key day to celebrate environmental achievements, it’s also important to recognize our role as environmental stewards each and every day. This is something that Albertsons Companies and our family of stores (including ACME, Albertsons, Safeway, Shaw’s, Star, United, and others) takes seriously all year round through the conscientious reduction, reuse, and recycling of all our materials. Plastic is a great example. Last year alone our stores and other facilities recycled more than 22 million pounds of plastic film into new materials! Thanks to our partners at Trex Company, Inc. (Trex), this plastic film not only avoided going to landfill, but it was turned into new long-lasting resources and products.

Trex is a manufacturer of composite lumber that is commonly used for decking, railings, and other commercial purposes.  Trex products are primarily made from two main materials, the first of which is recycled plastic film. In fact, there are approximately 1,000 pounds of plastic bags, film, and overwrap in a 500 square foot Trex composite deck. The second main material is sawdust from reclaimed wood. Thanks to Trex’s responsible sourcing practices, no new trees are cut down for these products. Check out this video to learn more about the transformation process of recycling items into final products. Trex not only recycles our plastic waste into new products but also provides detailed reports on the amount of plastic film we recycle company-wide (across all our stores).

Last year, Albertsons Companies plastic recycling volume helped create more than 11,000+ composite decks (at 500 square feet each) and is the equivalent weight of more than 3,300 elephants. According to David Heglas, the Senior Director of Materials at Trex, “Albertsons Companies is a valuable partner for Trex not only for the large amount of plastic film material they collect and send, but for their long-lasting commitment to the recycling program”.

Did you know that many curbside recycling programs can’t properly dispose of your plastic items? In some regions (like Vancouver, Washington and Portland, Oregon) we’ve even partnered with Trex to start pilot programs at our stores for our customers to properly dispose of their plastic film, bags, and wraps. Check-out PlasticFilmRecycling.org for more details on how YOU should recycle different types of plastics. Make Earth Day every day!