by Meagan Smith
As a lifelong Chicago-area resident, avid recycler, and Dream Machine recycling program director, I’m excited to let you know that PepsiCo has announced a first-of-its-kind extension of the Dream Machine recycling initiative.
PepsiCo Announces Free Green Cans in the Chicago Park District
The Dream Machine is now the official sponsor of 2,500 Free Green Cans that will be placed throughout the Chicago Park District, including 16 miles of downtown lakefront.
This extension of the Dream Machine program is near and dear to me. I love spending time at the lakefront –whether I’m training for a marathon, biking or just relaxing in the park –I’m thrilled that there will now be more opportunities to recycle.
It’s also meaningful to me that this is a win-win-win initiative. The placement of Dream Machine-sponsored Free Green Cans not only helps to significantly increase public access to recycling, it makes a real difference for our environment, and helps support the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with disabilities (EBV). The more cans and bottles recycled in a Dream Machine-sponsored Free Green Can, and in Dream Machine kiosks and bins nationwide, the more PepsiCo will donate to the EBV to support career training, education and job creation for post-9/11 U.S. veterans with disabilities.
So what is a Free Green Can? Free Green Cans are dual purpose recycle/trash bins that provide residents and visitors with a convenient way to recycle their plastic bottles and aluminum cans while on-the-go. This sponsorship is another way we are working to create strategic partnerships to help increase the U.S. beverage container recycle rate to 50 percent by 2018.
I know I’m particularly excited to be able to bring Dream Machine-sponsored Free Green Cans to Chicago, as one of our headquarter locations, and I encourage you all to look for a Dream Machine-sponsored Free Green Can the next time you find yourself in the Park District carrying an empty bottle or can! Not in Chicago? Check out DreamMachineLocator.com to find where there’s a Dream Machine in your area.
