Last updated on September 8th, 2023
During Earth Month, H-E-B is introducing additional measures to reduce waste and maximize recycling efforts across its business and throughout communities across Texas.
The retailer has launched multiple ventures aimed at supporting plastic waste reduction among its customers, so bags don’t end up in the landfill. Since municipal recycling programs don’t accept plastic bags and plastic film, H-E-B is providing sustainable options for consumers looking for an alternative to the landfill.
H-E-B is accepting retail plastic bags and other eligible plastic items from customers when picking up their curbside orders. Customers need to bundle eligible plastic items and bring them during a scheduled curbside pickup time, and employees loading cars will collect them from the trunk to be recycled at H-E-B’s recycling center.
Customers also can bring their bundled plastic items 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 its bins to make them more visible to customers when entering stores.
For 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 overwrap, such as the plastic packaging for toilet paper.
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 includes a How2Recycle label and language that reminds customers the bags are recyclable.
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.
About 600 elementary schools in Texas are participating in H-E-B’s annual School Plastic Bag Recycling Challenge. Each year, students from 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 Recycling, 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.
The company is also working to help improve training protocols for baggers, so they use fewer plastic bags at checkout. 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.
For more information about the company’s sustainability efforts, click here.
