Iowa Grocery Industry Association

IOWA GROCERY INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION 2540 106th Street, Suite 102 ◆ Des Moines, Iowa 50322 ◆ 515-270-2628 ◆ Fax: 515-270-0316 Over 100 years of service www.iowagrocers.com For Immediate Release Tuesday, April 23, 2013 Press Contact: Ann Seuferer, Communications Specialist Iowa Grocery Industry Association 515-270-2628 | [email protected] Iowa Communities Bag the Benefits of Recycling More than $20,000 awarded to 15 Iowa schools, parks through initiative led by Iowa grocers

DES MOINES, Iowa – Park benches, picnic tables, planters and playground equipment made from recycled plastic bags are on their way to help beautify 15 Iowa parks and schools this spring courtesy of the Build with Bags Program.

The plastic bag recycling program being led by Iowa grocers announces 15 recipients of Build with Bags grant awards in 2013. The winners span the state from Bloomfield to Mason City and Waverly, with each receiving a maximum grant of $2,000.

“We are excited to announce the winners of the Build with Bags Grant Program,” says Michelle Hurd, president of the Iowa Grocery Industry Association. “Now in its fourth year, the Build with Bags program has exceeded our expectations in encouraging individuals to recycle their plastic bags so those bags can be turned into products that beautify our communities. This year’s grant winners are reaping the rewards of their recycling efforts, and we hope other communities will follow suit and expand their recycling efforts in the future.”

A total of 24 applications were submitted from which 15 winners were selected by a committee of five representatives in support of the Build with Bags program. Each committee member individually scored applications prior to meeting as a group to combine the scores for an overall point total. The top 15 applicants with the most points received grants totaling $22,963.08.

Applications were evaluated based on set criteria that included a statement of need for the grant and the community’s own plastic bag recycling efforts. Grant applicants were also asked to verify the recycled plastic content in the products they were looking to purchase and obtain an endorsement letter from a local grocer that is supportive of the community’s project and recycling plans. Geographic location also played a factor as the committee wanted to disperse the grant awards throughout the state of Iowa.

“While the endorsement letter was not the most weighted category in the selection process, it is one of the most vital to the Build with Bags program,” Hurd explains. “In the program committee’s eyes, it reflects how the applying community is working with its local grocers to establish long-term projects and goals that help increase the awareness of plastic bag recycling.”

Encouraging purchases of furniture and equipment made from recycled plastic for parks and schools through its grant program is one of four goals established by Build with Bags. The other three include increasing the amount of plastic bags recycled, reducing consumption of plastic bags and increasing use of reusable bags. – more – IOWA GROCERY INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION 2540 106th Street, Suite 102 ◆ Des Moines, Iowa 50322 ◆ 515-270-2628 ◆ Fax: 515-270-0316 Over 100 years of service www.iowagrocers.com Participating retailers include all Dahl’s Foods, Fareway Stores and Hy-Vee locations statewide.

Build with Bags, a cooperative effort of the Iowa Grocery Industry Association, Keep Iowa Beautiful, Metro Waste Authority in Des Moines, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, City Carton Recycling and The Des Moines Register, was originally launched in August 2009.

For more information on Build with Bags or its grant program opportunities, please visit www.itseasytorecycle.org or www.iowagrocers.com. ###

Complete List of Winners Bloomfield Main Street Bloomfield $2,000.00 slats for 16 benches Brian Burnam, Keith’s Foods Central Iowa Fair Marshalltown $2,000.00 5 - 8 ft. picnic tables Harold Youngblood, Fareway Clear Lake Parks & Recreation Clear Lake $1,806.00 7 park benches Rod Bernard, Fareway Fonda Hometown Pride Committee Fonda $1,383.42 6 benches Kent Wood, Woods Supermarket Granger Parks and Recreation Board Granger $2,000.00 6 trash receptacles Kurt LeFebvre, Fareway Grimes City of Kamrar Kamrar $2,000.00 2 picnic tables/3 trash cans Craig Anderson, Anderson’s Meat & Grocery Laurens Hometown Pride Committee Laurens $1,663.00 6 benches Kent Wegner, Laurens Food Pride New Hampton Rotary Club New Hampton $1,000.00 1 walk-through picnic table Randy Frisch, Fareway Hampton North Iowa Fair Assn. Mason City $1,914.66 6 benches Brad Walters, Hy-Vee East, Palmer Hometown Pride Committee Palmer $516.00 2 benches Kent Wood, Woods Supermarket Plover Hometown Pride Committee Plover $874.00 3 benches Kent Wood, Woods Supermarket Pocahontas Hometown Pride Committee Pocahontas $1,032.00 4 benches Kent Wood, Woods Supermarket Shuler Elementary School Waukee $2,000.00 3 benches and 2 planters Jim Carney, Hy-Vee WDM (Jordan Creek Parkway) City of Varina Hometown Pride Committee Varina $774.00 3 benches Kent Wood, Woods Supermarket City of Waverly Waverly $2,000.00 6 benches Brian Larson, Hy-Vee

About Build with Bags The Build with Bags Program is a cooperative effort of the Iowa Grocery Industry Association, Keep Iowa Beautiful, Metro Waste Authority in Des Moines, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, City Carton and The Des Moines Register. Over the course of several months, representatives of each of these organizations witnessed focus groups convened to discuss plastic bag issues and then met to develop a program aimed at demonstrating how Iowa grocers could help to reduce the environmental impact of plastic bags. In addition to reducing the environmental footprint of plastic bags, the goal of the group was also to provide an effective alternative to plastic bag bans and the unintended consequences that often result from bans and other related regulatory efforts.

About the Iowa Grocery Industry Association The Iowa Grocery Industry Association is a state trade association that represents the food industry, including chain and independent supermarkets, convenience stores, mass merchandisers, wholesalers, brokers, manufacturers and distributors. Founded in 1899, the IGIA has long served as a resource to its members, the food industry and the general public providing education, legislative support, networking and philanthropic programs. IGIA headquarter are located in Urbandale, Iowa. More information can be found online at www.iowagrocers.com. ###