Meijer is a family-owned American super chain headquartered in Michigan, United States. It has a widespread presence in the Midwest. Founded in 1934, it is recognized as the pioneer of the supercentre model. Let us know about “Meijer Recycle Policy”
Meijer Recycle Policy
With 253 stores, the company was ranked 10 on Forbes magazine’s list of “America’s Largest Private Companies” in 2015. It offers a wide range of products like grocery, clothing, health and beauty products, electronics, pet supplies, etc. Meijer is committed to bringing down its waste generation, and recycling programs, and reducing its pollution levels. Meijer recycles plastic bags, bottles, ink cartridges, batteries, and more. Their foremost goal is to reduce waste, and when it can’t be done hundred percent, then the waste materials are sent for more constructive use like recycling, converting it into natural gas or animal feed, etc.
Eliminating Single-Use Plastic Bags
The use of single-use plastic is widespread in the retail business but it brings a lot of damage to the environment and it isn’t the wisest choice to make.Meijer does not encourage the use of plastic bags. It has proved to be a more convenient way for shoppers, as well as reducing the harmful impact on the planet.
Meijer found a way to switch to alternative sustainable choices by introducing a policy to decrease the use of single-use plastic at its Woodward Corner Market in 2020. These were small-format stores that encouraged people to bring their bags or buy reusable bags from the store. These were 100% recyclable and had to be used more than 125 times before needing to be replaced. Meijer was one of the first to offer environmentally friendly options in the Midwest to its customers.
They also have the facility of recycling bins in the front vestibules where customers can drop in their single-use plastic bags or film material for recycling. It has provided this facility for customers who continue to use single-use plastic bags. Meijer encourages these customers to opt for recycling. Customers can discard various kinds of plastics in these bins;
- Grocery bags
- Case overwrap
- Ice bags
- Dry cleaning bags
- Bread bags
- Food storage bags
- Product bags
It is worthwhile to note that most municipal recycling facilities and local recycling programs don’t end up recycling plastic so Meijer provides people with a viable alternative for recycling. They also accept products labeled with How2Recycle “Store Drop-off”. It is interesting to note that the parking lots of Holland’s supercentre are constructed using recycled plastic bags.
Beyond The Bag
They have collaborated with Beyond the Bag Consortium to find innovative new design solutions that serve the purpose of single-use plastics without damaging the environment. It is hoped that this multi-year collaboration will bring a change and help reinvent the common-use retail bag.
Food Waste Reduction And Recycling
Their website claims that Meijer keeps 200,000 tons of waste from ending up in landfills annually.Cardboard and organic waste form the bulk of the recycling materials. The company has been able to achieve a 95% waste diversion rate in its five food manufacturing facilities, which means that only 5% of the waste generated at its facilities end up in the landfill. They have allied with a wide range of partners to convert the food waste into renewable natural gas and nutrient-rich soil amendment by compost and anaerobic digestion. Generally, food scraps, products damaged from shipment, or products that don’t meet the company’s high-quality standards.
Meijer claims to have a strategic approach to reducing food waste at its facilities and acknowledges the importance of saving food. They have an active food rescue program that plays a significant role in their efforts to eradicate hunger. As part of their food rescue program, they have cultivated relationships with food banks that shoulder responsibility diligently to make sure that unsold food products from Meijer’s stores are distributed to people in need.
They try to minimize their waste at the manufacturing level but if that cannot be achieved 100%, then the next important step to take is to make sure that the food does not go to waste. They can reduce their carbon footprint, carbon emissions, and other environmental damage by diverting waste from the landfills and instead of using it up for its food rescue programs.
Collaboration With DOW
Meijer Recycle Policy Meijer and Dow recently collaborated on a pilot project to create a durable parking lot in Holland, Michigan. They leveraged the use of a paving technique. The technology used is called RPMA (Recycled Polymer Modified Asphalt). It is a three-phase project that uses 12,500 pounds of PCR, which is equivalent to 944,000 plastic grocery bags. They brought to use the plastic bags deposited by Meijer customers in the bins kept at the front of the stores.
FlashFood
It is an app-based food waste reduction program, one of its many initiatives. This program was launched in a handful of Meijer superstores in Metro Detroit in 2019. Customers can get up to 50% off on products like meat, seafood, and bakery products that are nearing their “sell by” date. Meijer decided to expand the reach of this program after it succeeded in reducing food waste by 10%.
Food Loss And Waste Champions Program
To align with sustainable goals set by the United Nations, Meijer joined the Food loss and waste 2030 champions program to reduce food wastage per store by 50% percent by 2030.
Conclusion
Now we have learnt “Meijer Recycle Policy”, Meijer is a company that is vocal about being sustainable. It takes various initiatives to lessen its impact on the environment while simultaneously offering the best services to its customers. It strives to manage harmful waste through its various recycling programs for all kinds of products/wastes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Que. Does Meijer recyles batteries?
Ans. Meijer has a car battery recycling program. It ensures that the chemical and metal byproducts end up as new products.
Que. Does Meijer recycle bottles?
Ans. Yes, and it also encourages its customers to return bottle cans purchased at the store.
Que. What can be recycled through Store Drop-Off?
Ans. Most plastic bags, grocery bags, produce bags, and cereal bags can be recycled through Store Drop-off.
Que. Who is the President of Meijer?
Ans. Rick Keyes is the President of Meijer.
