Eco Friendly Beer Drinker

Massachusetts Ramped up Reuse & Recycling Rates of Plastic Beer Can Carriers

By: Eco-Friendly Beer Drinker - PR / Boston, Massachusetts (January, 2022) — Riding momentum from the launch of a formal, state-wide plastic can carrier Reuse & Recycle Initiative in May, Metro Boston and the rest of Massachusetts has seen a measurable uptick in the reuse and recycling rates of the troublesome and not-curbside-recyclable packaging. Support from the Massachusetts Brewers Guild and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s RecycleSmartMA program helped build consensus within the industry on why and how to tackle the issue with a coordinated effort.

Additionally, an awareness campaign and reuse effort conducted by EcoFriendlyBeer.com, along with a successful pilot recycling program sponsored by GreenLabs Recycling and partner breweries AeronautHarpoonLamplighter, and Trillium, resulted in overwhelming consumer response to the initiative. In just eight months, Metro Boston beer drinkers alone rescued more than 75,000 plastic can carriers from the waste stream. Nearly half of them have been sorted, cleaned and reused to package more beer, with the remainder (some 1,000-plus pounds) being hauled away to a local plastics processor for shredding, melting and pelletizing to provide raw material for new plastic products.  

Though no official data was collected for the state as a whole, EcoFriendlyBeer.com founder Rob Vandenabeele estimates that at least a quarter of a million carriers (more than 3 tons) were kept out of landfills, incinerators, and the environment since the initiative’s official launch. Though difficult to calculate precisely, it will prevent more than 20,000 pounds of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere and spare wildlife from harm from entanglement or ingestion of microplastics. 

Among other highlights from the initiative’s 2021 efforts were the creation of an interactive map (already viewed nearly 30,000 times) to help consumers find their nearest take-back location, the addition of more than 50 new drop-off sites throughout the state (including notables such as Jack’s AbbyLord HoboNight Shift and Sam Adams), and a plethora of positive press coverage from media outlets such as The Boston Globe, Craft Brewing Business, and Metro Boston NPR stations WBUR and WGBH.

Impressive collection efforts ranged from mid-sized brewers like Untold Brewing in Scituate and Barrel House Z in Weymouth, which reused tens of thousands of carriers to package their beer, to smaller breweries like Navigation Brewing in Lowell, Bone Up Beer in Everett, Stone Cow Brewery in Barre and Kismet Brewing in Westfield, which all topped 100% of their cans with consumer turn-ins of the reusable packaging. Larger breweries made an impact as well, like Exhibit ‘A’ Brewing in Framingham which collected enough plastic carriers from environmentally conscious customers to fill and ship two gaylord boxes to recycler Stockbridge Plastics in nearby Millbury, and Lamplighter Brewing in Cambridge, whose customer and local account take-back program helped extend the life of more than 17,000 carriers.

Despite the successes of the Can Carrier Reuse & Recycle Initiative’s first eight months, substantial opportunity exists for improvements in 2022, among them the further adoption of the program by more of the state’s 200-plus breweries, not to mention the hundreds of additional retail stores where their beer is sold in cans. Additionally, a need exists for volunteers throughout the state to “adopt” a local brewery or beer retailer to help start or improve an existing informal take-back program. More information on this new component of the initiative will be released soon. 

  • This press release should not be mistaken as an endorsement of plastic can carriers, which manufacturers disingenuously promote as “100% recyclable.” While true in theory, such marketing claims are anything but true in reality. Because they are incompatible with standard curbside recycling programs, the only practical disposal option businesses and consumers have access to, billions of plastic can carriers end up in the waste stream annually. This fact is the motivation for the Can Carrier Reuse & Recycling Initiative, which recognizes the unsustainable nature of plastic packaging within the beverage industry and is trying to mitigate the environmental harm caused by it.

About Eco-Friendly Beer Drinker

Rob Vandenabeele, an avid gardener, biker, nature lover and beer industry blogger, founded the EcoFriendlyBeer.com website in early 2020. Currently enrolled in the Environmental Studies program at Harvard Extension School, his goal is to inspire people to better protect our earth, the only planet with craft beer. You can follow him on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram at @EcoFriendlyBeer.

About GreenLabs Recycling

GreenLabs Recycling collects and recycles empty pipette tip boxes, refillable wafers and other plastic items from research facilities in Greater Boston, providing locally-based, cost effective plastic recycling solutions to help make science sustainable. In late April, it will launch a pilot program to help select breweries in Metro Boston properly recycle plastic can carriers that aren’t accepted for municipal curbside recycling programs.

About RecycleSmartMA 

An initiative of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), RecycleSmartMA provides educational resources for residents, customers, students, tenants, co-workers or mothers-in-law to help get the word out about Smart Recycling. Its Recyclopedia widget allows anyone to search hundreds of common items (from paper bags to pizza boxes) to find out if they belong in the recycling bin or elsewhere.

About the Massachusetts Brewers Guild 

In 2007, Massachusetts brewers came together to form the Massachusetts Brewers Guild (MBG) for the purposes of promoting craft brewing and protecting the interests of craft brewers in the Commonwealth. The membership-based association is open to all Massachusetts breweries licensed by the federal Tax and Trade Bureau and the Commonwealth’s Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission, and is a 501(c)(6) non-profit corporation.

Massachusetts Breweries Mark Milestone With Can Carrier Reuse & Recycle Initiative

PR / Metro Boston (July, 2021) — An initiative aimed at decreasing the millions of plastic can carriers that end up going to landfill or incineration each year in Massachusetts reached its first milestone last week with the successful completion of a Metro Boston pilot program. Since launching in early May at Lamplighter Brewing in Cambridge, Aeronaut Brewing in Somerville, Harpoon Brewery’s harbor side beer hall, and Trillium Brewing’s two Boston locations, environmentally conscious consumers have turned in nearly 20,000 of the not-curbside-recyclable carriers for reuse and proper recycling.

During the 8-week pilot some 8,000 carriers were donated to smaller Boston area breweries such as Portico Brewing, Bone Up Brewing, Remnant Brewing and others for reuse in packaging their beer. The remaining 335 pounds of HDPE #2 plastic carriers have been hauled away by the program’s sponsor, GreenLabs Recycling, which will deliver it to a local plastics processor to be shredded, melted and then pelletized into raw material for new plastic products. The first-of-its-kind collection and delivery model is now set to begin a steady pickup schedule at the aforementioned participating breweries.

As reported in a previous release, the amount of plastic beer packaging waste ending up in landfills each year is enough to fill any of the state’s largest breweries with discarded carriers rather than beer. Prior to the awareness campaign launched by Eco-Friendly Beer and the Mass. Brew Bros., just 10% were being collected and reused, and less than 2% recycled. Backed by the Massachusetts Brewers Guild as well as environmental groups like RecyclingWorks, RecycleSmart, Mass Recycle and others, the tide appears to be shifting.

It’s not just Metro Boston that has seen a surge in collections. Statewide, a notable uptick has occurred in consumer turn-ins of used carriers at practically every brewery or beer store willing to accept them. Inspired by success stories such as Stone Cow Brewing in Barre, which has packaged some 200,000 cans in sanitized and re-used carriers since initiating its reuse operation, or Scituate’s Untold Brewing, which has reused more carriers than any brewery in the state during the last year, many in the industry are realizing the benefits of such efforts. As a result, numerous breweries have revamped their collections efforts while dozens more have joined the movement. Both Navigation Brewing in Lowell and Bone Up Brewing in Everett

have met with such success that they no longer need to buy new carriers and are instead pocketing the savings in packaging cost.

The number of verified can carrier collections programs now stands at nearly 100, and the Mass. Brew Bros. website has even created a state-wide map so consumers can find their nearest location. Not only are breweries benefitting from their own collections programs, but those willing to reuse have access to hundreds of additional carriers from larger breweries like Exhibit ‘A’ in Framingham and True North Ales in Ipswich. High volume production makes it impractical for such breweries to reuse carriers, but hasn’t stopped them from demonstrating corporate social responsibility (CSR) by collecting and then donating or properly recycling them.

Craft beverage producers in other industries have also taken notice. Artifact Cider Project is planning to initiate collections programs at both its Northampton production facility and its Cambridge taproom. Additionally, cannabis dispensary Theory Wellness, which packages its popular THC-infused Hi5 seltzer in plastic can carriers, will soon announce the launch of a take-back program at all three of its Massachusetts locations, with the potential to expand it to some 30 more dispensaries that it distributes to across the state.

Further potential exists for increasing collections at high-volume retail outlets like larger liquor and grocery stores, and consideration is being given to expanding collection services offered by GreenLabs Recycling beyond just Metro Boston. There are even exploratory discussions under way about starting similar initiatives in neighboring states such as Connecticut, Rhode Island and Vermont. For more information contact Rob at ecofriendlybeerdrinker@gmail.com or serena@greenlabsrecycling.com.

About Eco-Friendly Beer

Rob Vandenabeele, an avid gardener, biker, nature lover and beer industry blogger, founded
the EcoFriendlybeer.com website in early 2020. Currently enrolled in the Environmental Studies program at the Harvard Extension School, his goal is to inspire people to better protect our earth, the only planet with craft beer. He offers sustainability consulting for the craft beverage industry. You can contact him at ecofriendlybeerdrinker@gmail.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram at @EcoFriendlyBeer.

About GreenLabs Recycling

GreenLabs Recycling collects and recycles empty pipette tip boxes, refillable wafers and other plastic items from research facilities in Greater Boston, providing locally-based, cost effective plastic recycling solutions to help make science sustainable. Its recent successful pilot program helped select breweries in Metro Boston properly recycle plastic can carriers not accepted by municipal curbside recycling programs.

*Additional materials including the prior press release announcing the launch of the initiative, a Recycling Facts infographic, a Best Practices document for breweries, and various collection signage and other images are available upon request by contacting Rob at ecofriendlybeerdrinker@gmail.com.

Just One Tenth of Plastic Can Carriers Get Re-Used Or Recycled in Massachusetts

A Team of Eco-Minded Breweries and
Environmental Groups Want to Change That

Can carrier collection sign.png

PR / Massachusetts (April, 2021) — It’s estimated* that at least 10 million new plastic can carriers are used annually by breweries in Massachusetts, with just 10% of them being collected and re-used, and less than 2% of them ever getting recycled. As a result, the amount of plastic beer packaging waste ending up in landfills each year is enough to fill any of the state’s largest breweries with discarded carriers rather than beer. 

A number of factors have combined to create a perfect storm in which carriers end up in the hands of consumers who pitch them into their curbside recycling bins because manufacturers market them as “100% recyclable.” But the state’s RecycleSmart website, an initiative of the Massachusetts department of Environmental Protection (DEP), and its three largest waste disposal companies (Casella, Republic, and Waste Management) all say that plastic carriers and six-pack rings are incompatible with sorting equipment. As a result, they get rejected and sent to landfill or incineration, both of which have negative impacts on the environment. 

The problem is exacerbated if brewery owners or taproom employees aren’t aware of the issue either. Even when informed of the fate of plastic can carriers, breweries and their customers have often had no practical way to dispose of them. For a deep dive on the conundrum of trying to recycle plastic can carriers, read noted national beer writer Dave Infante’s recent story for Vine Pair, “The Plastic PakTech Paradox.”

Starting in late April, the founder of EcoFriendlyBeer.com is launching an initiative to raise awareness about the problem, provide a variety of solutions that consumers and breweries can utilize, and significantly increase the state-wide rate of re-use and proper recycling of plastic carriers and rings. The Mass Brewers Guild (MBG) supports the idea, which it believes has the potential to make a real difference while sending a powerful message that the craft brewing industry wants to do business sustainably and do right by the environment. And the Mass. Brew Bros. are taking their support a step further, kicking off a social media campaign to challenge the state’s craft beer drinkers to rescue a million or more beer carriers by the end of 2021.

To help consumers meet the challenge, Eco-Friendly Beer and the Mass. Brew Bros. have partnered with GreenLabs Recycling on an innovative collection and recycling program that will start up in Metro Boston in early May. GreenLabs currently provides the only plastic recycling collection service of its kind for labs in academia and industry, and will soon make it available to four of Greater Boston’s popular breweries: the Harpoon Beer Hall in South Boston, Lamplighter Brewing in Cambridge, Mighty Squirrel Brewing in Waltham, and at Trillium Brewing’s Seaport and Fenway locations. The pilot program will ensure that collected can carriers actually get to a plastics processor, something that’s yet to be done in Massachusetts. Once there, they will go through a grinder and eventually get used as raw material for other plastic products.

In collaboration with RecyclingWorks, an assistance program funded by Mass DEP that helps businesses and institutions reduce waste and maximize recycling, breweries outside of the Metro Boston area will also have a recycling option if they’re willing to consolidate larger quantities and do the hauling themselves. Stockbridge Plastics will accept a full gaylord box (which holds about 12,000 carriers), but it must be delivered to their facility in West Boylston through a prior arrangement.

For the can carrier re-use and recycling initiative to have the most impact, breweries and beer stores will need to embrace corporate social responsibility (CSR) and replicate best practices developed by breweries such as Stone Cow in Barre, which began its full-scale re-use program in 2018 and has since packaged some 200,000 cans in sanitized and re-used carriers. Another is Untold Brewing in Scituate, which in 2020 re-used more carriers than any brewery in the state, some 29,000 (resulting in a savings of nearly $3,000 in annual packaging costs).

Cooperation will also need to come from the state’s larger breweries, for which re-use programs may not be practical due to automated application equipment and significantly higher production volume. Exhibit ‘A’ Brewing in Framingham doesn’t re-use, but has collected enough carriers through its take-back program to start offering them to smaller breweries who do. Such donation models could become common practice, especially for breweries with busy taprooms where high collection volumes are possible. Such an effort could significantly increase the percentage of beer currently being packaged with re-used carriers, saving small breweries money in the process.

If collections exceed donation demand, or when carriers are damaged and no longer usable, breweries should then turn to recycling. Greater Good Imperial Brewing in Worcester has an arrangement with its packaging provider to send specified quantities of collected and broken carriers back to the provider’s warehouse. When enough are gathered there, they can eventually be sent off to a recycling processor.

Informal can carrier take-back programs currently exist at more than a third of the state’s 200 breweries, but most only collect enough to package a portion of their beer with them. The most successful programs have actively promoted their efforts through social media and provided specific details to customers on which type or color they can re-use. Beer stores, too, can join the re-use and recycling efforts. Craft Beer Cellar in Belmont, one of the first to allow four and six-packs to be separated for sales of single cans and mix-packs, allows customers to return carriers to its store and has collaborated with breweries like Untold that are willing to re-use them.

When informed, and given the opportunity, many in the craft beer community do the right thing with their used can carriers. More work must be done, however, to raise awareness on how the craft beer community can improve the current re-use and recycling rate of just 10%. Use the map below to see where plastic can carriers can be turned in and given a second life in your area.

For more information regarding proper can carrier and ring recycling, refer to EcoFriendlyBeer.com’s Can Carrier Recycling Fact Sheet. For guidance on starting or improving a re-use or recycling program, reference the Can Carrier Re-Use and Recycling Best Practices document. For any other questions, or for help navigating any of the program logistics contact Rob at ecofriendlybeerdrinker@gmail.com or MassBrewBros@gmail.com.

*Estimates for can carrier use, re-use and recycling were calculated using data collected by the Mass. Brew Bros. through correspondences with Massachusetts breweries, officials from recycling groups, and the state’s largest waste management companies. The 10 million figure doesn’t include beer purchased in Massachusetts from out-of-state breweries. When those figures are included the total number of can carriers entering the waste stream is significantly higher.

About Eco-Friendly Beer Drinker

Rob Vandenabeele, an avid gardener, biker, nature lover and beer industry blogger, founded the EcoFriendlyBeer.com website in early 2020. Currently enrolled in the Environmental Studies program at the Harvard Extension School, his goal is to inspire people to better protect our earth, the only planet with craft beer. You can follow him on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram at @EcoFriendlyBeer.

About GreenLabs Recycling

GreenLabs Recycling collects and recycles empty pipette tip boxes, refillable wafers and other plastic items from research facilities in Greater Boston, providing locally-based, cost effective plastic recycling solutions to help make science sustainable. In late April, it will launch a pilot program to help select breweries in Metro Boston properly recycle plastic can carriers that aren’t accepted for municipal curbside recycling programs.

About RecycleSmartMA

An initiative of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), RecycleSmartMA provides educational resources for residents, customers, students, tenants, co-workers or mothers-in-law to help get the word out about Smart Recycling. Its Recyclopedia widget allows anyone to search hundreds of common items (from paper bags to pizza boxes) to find out if they belong in the recycling bin or elsewhere.

About RecyclingWorks

RecyclingWorks in Massachusetts is a recycling assistance program funded by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and delivered under contract by the Center for EcoTechnology that helps businesses and institutions reduce waste and maximize recycling, re-use, and food recovery opportunities.