Topic Title

Landfill Diversion

Every day, the average American generates 4.5 pounds of trash.¹ In a year, that adds up to an estimated 250 million tons.² So where does it all go? Well, approximately 33 percent of that waste is actually recycled or composted, about 13 percent is burned, and the remaining 54 percent gets buried in landfills. But what if we could decrease that landfill piece of the pie by increasing the recycling one? As the makers of Ziploc^® brand products, we are committed to doing just that. Our first step? Landfill diversion.

What does “landfill diversion” mean?

Basically, we’re talking about helping to keep our country’s landfills from growing any bigger as a result of our products. Our goal is to offset the amount of Ziploc^® brand products we produce every year—that could potentially end up in landfills—by making sure the same amount of other recyclable materials actually gets recycled instead of just thrown away. And with the help of our partner in sustainability, RecycleBank^®, plus people like you, we can make it happen.

So how does the program work?

RecycleBank, a company that rewards people for the positive environmental actions they take, works with participating cities and waste haulers to reward citizens for what they recycle at home. The more you recycle, the more RecycleBank points you can earn and use toward great stuff for you (like coupons for things such as Ziploc^® brand products, gift cards and more) and your community (like supporting environmental education). Learn more about RecycleBank in our Recyclability & Earning Rewards section.

Encouraging more people to recycle means more gets recycled and not thrown away. We contribute by helping to support RecycleBank’s expansion into additional communities. By 2013, we will be diverting well over 100 million pounds of waste from our country’s landfills, the same amount we manufacture in Ziploc^® brand products every year. And if we can help divert even more waste, our collective impact on landfills gets even smaller.

So pick up a box of Ziploc^® brand Bags or Containers at your local store, join RecycleBank, and help us help keep landfills from growing.