Preserve(R) Gimme 5 Program Breathes New Life into Everyday Items Made from Polypropylene #5 Plastics

WALTHAM, Mass., March 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Spring has sprung, and with it comes a renewed commitment by five innovative companies to deal with infrequently recycled #5 plastics and reduce waste in our nation's landfills by creating a closed loop solution for polypropylene.

As the first day of spring nears, Preserve®, the leading recycled products company, has announced the second year of its innovative Gimme 5 Program with new and returning partners: natural personal care leader Tom's of Maine, natural and organic foods retailer Whole Foods Market, organic yogurt maker Stonyfield Farm,  water filtering company Brita and its FilterForGood campaign.

The program started in January 2009 and, in its first year, collected more than 45,000 pounds of materials, the equivalent of more than 2.9 million 6 oz. yogurt cups. This year, the program expects to collect three to four times that volume of #5 plastic thanks to an expanded number of Gimme 5 drop-off locations at Whole Foods Market stores across the nation and even higher levels of participation at existing locations.

Consumers are encouraged to bring their #5 recyclables to select Whole Foods Market stores or mail their clean plastic directly to Preserve.  The program makes life a little simpler for people who want to 'do the right thing' and deal with their #5 recyclables, yet do not have access to facilities accepting these polypropylene #5 items.

"These strong, lightweight plastics are often redirected to landfills, but the Gimme 5 program ensures these recyclable materials find new life as Preserve products," says Preserve Founder and CEO, Eric Hudson.

Tom's of Maine deodorant packaging, Stonyfield yogurt containers, used Brita  water pitcher filters and a number of other products made from #5 plastic, including dairy and take-out containers, are transformed into performance-driven, stylish and 100% recycled Preserve household products. The breadth of recycled products includes Preserve toothbrushes, razors, tableware and the award-winning kitchen line.  

The partnership between Preserve, Tom's of Maine, Stonyfield, Brita and Whole Foods Market reflects the five companies' shared commitment to protecting the environment. It also empowers consumers with a simple and effective recycling program that cuts down on the use of virgin materials in products.

"Preserve receives dozens of calls, emails and online posts every day thanking us and our partners for making #5 recycling possible," says Hudson. "We're pleased to offer this solution and to show people the power of their recycling efforts. We turn items such as yogurt cups, take-out containers and water filters into new Preserve products—and we do it all here in the United States. It's proof of the power of reusing resources in smart and creative ways."

"Through Gimme 5, our deodorant customers will be able to participate in a recycling movement that takes their old deodorant packaging and creates useful and beautiful products by Preserve," said Fiona Russell of Tom's of Maine. "Our natural personal care products are healthy for people and healthy for the planet.  By finding a recycling stream for our #5 plastic packaging, Tom's of Maine and its customers are collectively lessening the waste burden on landfills and our overall carbon footprint. "

"This program reinforces the mantra 'reduce-reuse-recycle,'" says Stonyfield President and CE-Yo Gary Hirshberg." Most people want to do the right thing by the environment and Gimme 5 makes that easier. We're pleased to be a part of this great program."

"Using a Brita pitcher and reusable bottle instead of drinking bottled water is a simple step people can take to reduce their impact on the environment," said Jennifer Brown of Brita. "Brita's participation in the Gimme 5 program helps people take another green step by recycling their filter and turning it into something they can use again and again."

"Gimme 5 fits perfectly into our mission of caring about our communities and the environment," said Errol  Schweizer, Whole Foods Market Global Grocery Coordinator. "We welcome this partnership and thank our shoppers and Team Members for such a successful year of recycling."

The Preserve Gimme 5 program is currently available in over 200 Whole Foods Market stores in the United States. For a complete list, visit www.preserveproducts.com.

Common #5 plastics include packaging for yogurt, cottage cheese, cream cheese, ricotta cheese, margarine and some hummus containers; some plastic ice cream containers; and food storage and take-out containers. The number 5 should be plainly marked on the bottom of the container.  

Additionally, the Preserve Gimme 5 program accepts Brita® water pitcher filters for

recycling. Brita® pitcher filters can be deposited in Gimme 5 bins along with other #5 plastic. Instructions for drying and submitting these filters can be found at www.preserveproducts.com.

To learn more, visit www.preserveproducts.com.

About Preserve

Preserve is the leading producer of performance-driven and stylish 100% recycled household products. Preserve turns yogurt cups into toothbrushes and take-out containers into cutting boards. Preserve has been putting big ideas into small packages and finding smarter ways to make everyday products for the kitchen, table, and bathroom since 1996. The company is powered by the recycling efforts of individuals and companies via its Preserve Gimme 5 program. This program accepts #5 plastics that many municipalities do not currently recycle—such as yogurt cups and other common household containers—transforming them into new Preserve products. All recycling and manufacturing is done in the USA. Preserve empowers people to make everyday choices that are better for the earth while offering real solutions without compromise. Preserve products can be found at forward-thinking retailers like Whole Foods Market, Target, and a variety of grocery and natural food stores. www.preserveproducts.com

About Tom's of Maine

Tom's of Maine is a leader in natural personal care with a long-standing commitment to supporting people, communities and the living planet. For 40 years, the company has sponsored hundreds of non-profit efforts by giving 10% of its profits back to the community and encouraging employees to volunteer by giving 5% paid time off. Each day, Tom's of Maine employees contribute to high sustainability standards and their ideas from wind power to recycled and recyclable packaging are critical to the company's sensitive way of doing business. Tom's of Maine enjoys partnering with its consumers, vendors and many community organizations to support lasting, positive change that is good for the earth and us all. Visit us online at http://www.tomsofmaine.com.

About Stonyfield Farm

Stonyfield Farm, celebrating its 27th year, is the world's leading organic yogurt company. Its all natural and certified organic yogurt, smoothies, milk, cultured soy, frozen yogurt and ice cream are distributed nationally. The company advocates that healthy food can only come from a healthy planet. Its organic ingredient purchases keep over 100,000 farm acres free of toxic, persistent pesticides and chemical fertilizers that can contaminate soil, rivers and drinking water. To help reduce global warming, Stonyfield offsets all of the C02 emissions generated from its facility energy use. The company also started a nonprofit called Climate Counts (climatecounts.org) which shows people how they can help fight climate change by the way they shop and invest. Stonyfield also donates 10% of its profits to efforts that help protect and restore the Earth. For more information about Stonyfield Farm, its products and initiatives, visit www.stonyfield.com.

About Brita

Each year, Americans purchase billions of plastic water bottles. Aside from the environmental impact of all that waste, Americans are spending a great deal on bottled water. Brita partnered with Nalgene to launch the FilterForGood campaign, which encourages people to reduce their bottled water waste by switching to reusable bottles filled with filtered water. Since the campaign launched in 2007, more than 186,000 people have taken the pledge to reduce their bottled water waste, keeping an estimated 184 million disposable bottles out of landfills. Visit filterforgood.com to learn how you can make a difference.

About Whole Foods Market®

Founded in 1980 in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market (wholefoodsmarket.com, Nasdaq: WFMI), is the leading natural and organic food retailer. As America's first national certified organic grocer, Whole Foods Market was named "America's Healthiest Grocery Store" by Health magazine. The company's motto, "Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet"™ captures its mission to ensure customer satisfaction and health, Team Member excellence and happiness, enhanced shareholder value, community support and environmental improvement. Thanks to the company's more than 53,000 Team Members, Whole Foods Market has been ranked as one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" in America by FORTUNE magazine for 13 consecutive years. In fiscal year 2009, the company had sales of $8 billion and currently has more than 280 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

SOURCE Tom's of Maine