Muskegon Community College has received 30 recycling bins for use in the Student Union and campus academic facilities through a competitive grant from The Coca Cola Foundation and Keep America Beautiful .
Nationwide, 41 colleges and 114 communities were chosen from 479 applicants. Nearly three-quarters of the 5,000 bins awarded are designed specifically for permanent, ongoing use in heavily trafficked public spaces and events. The remaining bins are for student use in college residence halls.
Now in its eighth year, the Coca-Cola/Keep America Beautiful Recycling Bin Grant Program saw a 22 percent increase in applications from 2012.
“One of the main barriers to recycling is convenience,” said Matthew M. McKenna, president and CEO, Keep America Beautiful. “Providing a recycling bin helps communities overcome that barrier. We are truly grateful for Coca-Cola’s support and commitment to recycling, and for its support and commitment of the Bin Grant Program.”
As public space recycling becomes more common, communities are asking for recycling bins to be made available at athletic fields and local libraries, while walking down the street or at their hometown art or music festival. While some grant recipients are seeking to expand established recycling programs, others such as MCC are using indoor recycling bins to initiate recycling efforts on campus.
“Through our support of the Bin Grant program and our long-standing partnership with Keep America Beautiful, we are helping to bring sustainability to life in local communities across the country,” said Lori George Billingsley, vice president, community relations, Coca-Cola North America Group. “By increasing access to recycling today, we build sustainable communities for the future.”
Recipients were chosen by Keep America Beautiful based on criteria including level of need, recycling experience and the ability of applicants to sustain their program in the future. Special outreach was made to colleges and universities through a partnership with the College and University Recycling Coalition (CURC), a membership organization serving campus recycling managers.
The Coca-Cola/KAB Bin Grant Program awards recycling bins directly to recipients and leverages volume buying discounts. Since 2007, the Bin Grant Program has placed more than 29,000 recycling bins in over 300 communities in 48 states and the District of Columbia.