RECYCLING PROGRAMS: Kroger Co.

JEFF WELLS

For most businesses, recycling is a hassle. That's not the case with Kroger, which has taken the initiative and developed a comprehensive, chainwide recycling system that helps find new life for everything from plastic bags to corrugated cardboard.

Plastic recycling is a key feature of Kroger's efforts. Customers can drop their unwanted plastic bags, shrink wrap, dry-cleaning covers and like materials into special bins that can be found at any Kroger banner, including Fred Meyer, King Soopers and Ralphs. Company stores and distribution centers also offer recycling for commonly used items like glass, aluminum and office paper.

The efforts are paying off. Last year, Kroger recycled 9.1 million pounds of plastic and more than a billion pounds of cardboard. At one King Soopers' store in Denver, customers recycle 2,500 pounds of office paper per month. According to Lynn Marmer, Kroger's group vice president of consumer affairs, the recycling program is part of an effort to practice sustainability across all the company's operations. In a statement, she said that Kroger seeks to “partner with our customers and our associates to provide choices so that they can impact their local and global environment in a meaningful way.”

Kroger is also taking steps to limit the amount of materials customers will have to pitch in. The company's private-label bottled water now utilizes a thinner plastic — a move that will eliminate an estimated 1.3 million pounds of plastic resin from the environment each year. Kroger also offers reusable bags for purchase at all their stores, and just this spring launched a bag design contest.