Retailer rolls-out new efforts to support year-round commitment to maximize recycling initiatives throughout its business and at homes across Texas
During Earth Month this April, H-E-B is introducing additional measures that will boost its year-round commitment to reduce waste, and maximize recycling efforts, across its business and throughout communities across Texas.
Throughout the year, H-E-B is committed to reduce its impact on the environment through waste diversion efforts along with several other programs to help conserve and protect our great state, now and for generations to come. Through the company’s Our Texas, Our Future commitment, H-E-B’s mission is to increase awareness and education around sustainability efforts that help preserve land, water, and air in Texas.
In time for Earth Month, H-E-B launched multiple ventures aimed at supporting plastic waste reduction among its customers, providing a sustainable option for Texans, so bags don’t end up in the landfill. Since municipal recycling programs don’t accept plastic bags and plastic film, H-E-B provides sustainable options for Texans looking for an alternative to the landfill.
H-E-B is now accepting retail plastic bags and other eligible plastic items from customers when picking up their Curbside orders. Customers simply need to bundle eligible plastic items and bring them during their scheduled Curbside pickup time, and the H-E-B Partner loading the car will collect them from the trunk to be recycled at H-E-B’s recycling center. Customers also can bring their bundled plastic items with them when shopping in store. At the entrance of every H-E-B store, there are collection bins that customers can access to recycle plastic bags and other eligible plastic items. The retailer recently refreshed the look of its bins to make them more visible to customers when entering stores.
For both Curbside pickup and in-store drop-off, plastic items H-E-B accepts include retail shopping bags, produce bags, bread bags, dry cleaning bags, newspaper bags, and plastic over wrap such as the plastic packaging for toilet paper.
As an added reminder, H-E-B updated the look of its plastic bags and made more prominent important recycling language to help encourage customers to bring their bags and other plastic items to the store for recycling. Each bag now includes a How2Recycle label and language that reminds customers the bags are recyclable through H-E-B. H-E-B also displays sustainability messaging on signage in store and at the shopping cart bays in the parking lots to encourage use of reusable shopping bags and adoption of recycling efforts among its customers.
In 2022, H-E-B recycled 19 million pounds of plastics throughout its operation, including plastic from its collection bins. From the plastic collected from H-E-B stores and facilities, H-E-B makes products such as Field & Future by H-E-B trash bags and bags for recyclables, which are made from up to 65 percent and 30 percent post-consumer recycled plastic, respectively.
To further encourage recycling in communities, nearly 600 elementary schools in Texas are participating in H-E-B’s annual School Plastic Bag Recycling Challenge. Each year, students from hundreds of classrooms across Texas collect thousands of pounds of plastic bags for the contest. On Earth Day, H-E-B will announce the schools that collected the most plastic bags, with top schools in each region receiving H-E-B gift cards as prizes.
In support of community recycling efforts, H-E-B, in partnership with Keep Texas Beautiful, has selected six projects across the state, which will benefit from the 2023
H-E-B Community Recycling Grants. These grants support projects that focus on increasing access to recycling by funding infrastructure improvements, material resources, and access to educational recycling materials. Grant funds totaling $157,000 will fund projects in Pharr, Ingleside, Cuero, Texas City, Burleson County, and San Angelo, improving recycling access for nearly 350,000 Texans.
Across its business, H-E-B continues to look for ways to reduce waste and plastic use. The company is working to help improve training protocols for baggers, so they use fewer plastic bags at checkout. Plus, at its stores, restaurants, and corporate locations, H-E-B uses biodegradable cutlery and straws, which are made from agave and other plant-based materials, instead of plastic. And the company continues to search for and experiment with sustainable packaging materials to help reduce plastic use and waste and increase recyclability for its H-E-B brand products.
To celebrate this Earth Month, H-E-B has partnered with organizations across Texas in ways that provide opportunities and raise awareness around sustainable practices.
To celebrate this Earth Month,
H-E-B has partnered with organizations across Texas in ways that provide opportunities and raise awareness around sustainable practices.
H-E-B also has rolled out a product line and joined a product labeling program to support customers in their sustainability and recycling practices. Field & Future by H-E-B is an environmentally minded brand of household, personal care and baby products designed to be clean and green. These products, which include bath tissue, body wash and diapers, are made with recycled or recyclable content, biodegradable formulas or plant-based ingredients, and without over 165 harsh chemicals. Currently, H-E-B carries 120 Field & Future by H-E-B products and continues to grow the brand’s product line.
Also, H-E-B is part of How2Recycle, a program that places clear, easy-to-read labels on products to let customers know if the packaging can be recycled, which parts are recyclable, and importantly, how to prepare material for recycling to reduce contamination. The How2Recycle labels are already on more than 2,700 H-E-B branded items, which include H-E-B, Hill Country Fare, H-E-B Select Ingredients, H-E-B Organics, and Central Market products.
To further embrace its continuing commitment to sourcing from Texas businesses, select H-E-B stores in Austin will host Austin Community Markets, giving customers a unique experience that supports the environment and local community. Championed by the company’s Our Texas, Our Future commitment, these community markets will feature some of our local suppliers as well as H-E-B brand such as Field & Future by H-E-B and Texas Roots. There will be live music, children’s activities, product samples, and educational tents with information about Texas State Parks, bat conservation and more. The first community market was held in early March at the H-E-B Mueller store. Additional community markets are scheduled to roll out quarterly throughout the year, with the next event set for May 6 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Oaks at Slaughter H-E-B in Austin.
