Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastic and Keep America Beautiful have awarded two $50,000 grants to organizations in Cobb County, Ga., and Boise, Idaho, to establish the Hefty EnergyBag grant program in their respective communities. The program, which aligns with Dow’s 2025 Sustainability Goals, offers an innovative approach to diverting plastics that are not currently recycled–such as chip bags and juice pouches–from landfills and converting the materials into valuable energy resources.

“The Hefty EnergyBag program will complement existing plastic recycling systems in each community,” said Diego Donoso, business president for Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics, in a statement. “By investing in resource recovery, Boise and Cobb County will be able to divert more non-recycled plastics from landfills by turning these valuable materials into new energy resources.”

In July 2017, Dow and Keep America Beautiful collaborated to announce the Hefty EnergyBag grant program and to invite communities across the U.S. to submit applications. The two winning communities, Cobb County and Boise, rated highest on key selection criteria, which included host city or municipality; materials recovery facility (MRF) and hauler participation; number of targeted households; availability of existing recycling carts for curbside collection; and accessibility of a suitable end market outlet that will turn the plastics collected into an alternative energy resource.

The two winning communities will provide collected materials to facilities utilizing advanced non-combustion conversion technologies that can generate a liquid fuel, such as diesel. These technologies also have the longer-term potential to generate feedstocks in a closed loop system and can be used to produce new plastics, keeping resources in use and at their highest value and thereby helping create a more circular economy.

"The city of Boise is committed to sustainability. This program provides an important tool in managing our post-consumer plastics responsibly," said Catherine Chertudi, environmental program manager with the city of Boise, in a statement. "The opportunity to keep more plastics out of the landfill through this innovative recovery program is very exciting."

Keep Cobb Beautiful Inc., a local affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, submitted the application on behalf of Cobb County. Keep Cobb Beautiful and the city of Boise will be collaborating with key local groups, including a MRF, hauler, end market user and a local brand owner/sponsor, each of which will be vital to the Hefty EnergyBag programs’ success.

“Keep Cobb Beautiful Inc. is excited about this innovative program and is looking forward to bringing plastic recovery options and technology to Cobb County residents,” said Kimberly White, executive director for Keep Cobb Beautiful Inc., in a statement.

Dow will provide guidelines for these communities and others to implement the program, and oversee the initial planning, implementation and measurement phases. Grant recipients are ultimately responsible for managing the program and identifying and engaging key community stakeholders.