A pilot program intended to divert plastic packaging prevalent in the craft beer and cider industries from ending up in the waste stream has proven to be a success in Metro Burlington, Vermont.
Initiative aims to increase reuse of plastic can carriers at breweries throughout Vermont vermontbiz.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from vermontbiz.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Massachusetts – An initiative aimed at decreasing the millions of plastic can carriers that end up going to landfill or incineration each year in Massachusetts reached its first milestone last week with the successful completion of a Metro Boston pilot program. Since launching in early May at Lamplighter Brewing in Cambridge, Aeronaut Brewing in Somerville, Harpoon Brewery’s harbor side beer hall, and Trillium Brewing’s two Boston locations, environmentally conscious consumers have turned in nearly 20,000 of the not-curbside-recyclable carriers for reuse and proper recycling.
During the 8-week pilot some 8,000 carriers were donated to smaller Boston area breweries such as Portico Brewing, Bone Up Brewing, Remnant Brewing and others for reuse in packaging their beer. The remaining 335 pounds of HDPE #2 plastic carriers have been hauled away by the program’s sponsor, GreenLabs Recycling, which will deliver it to a local plastics processor to be shredded, melted and then pelle