Pet Supplies Plus and its subsidiary Wag N’ Wash have jointly announced that they kept 27,000 pounds of pet product packaging from ending up in landfills and incinerators during the last 12 months.
According to certain reports, the feature arrives on the back of their partnership with TerraCycle, an international leader in innovative sustainability solutions, a partnership which made them first pet retailers in the United States to make such a move.
To understand the real significance of this partnership, thou8gh, we first need to acknowledge that the world currently produces 57 million tons of plastic pollution every year, a volume which has unsurprisingly come to threaten ecosystems, wildfires, and human health alike. On top of that, with 66% U.S. households now having a pet, there is an immediate need to take action to ensure plastic packaging from various pet items does not end up in landfills.
Having said so, most items are still not accepted through standard curbside recycling services because of their complex material composition and lingering food residue, something which makes it difficult and unprofitable for local recyclers to process. In response, Pet Supplies Plus and Wag N’ Wash would introduce a free and convenient in-store recycling solution for pet food, treat, and litter packaging, as well as for delivery bags,
“This partnership between Pet Supplies Plus, Wag N’ Wash and TerraCycle has already played an important role in keeping pet food packaging out of landfills and incinerators across the United States,” said Tom Szaky, CEO and Founder of TerraCycle. “By voluntarily taking responsibility for all brands of empty pet food packaging, Pet Supplies Plus and Wag N’ Wash are redefining standards for sustainability in the pet industry.”
Taking a deeper view of this in-store recycling program, it basically allows neighbors to drop off empty flexible plastic pet food, treat, and litter bags from any brand, and for any species of pet, to designated collection bins located across participating stores across the country. Neighbors can further bring in any delivery bags from their Pet Supplies Plus and Wag N’ Wash online orders.
As per the established arrangement, all pet product packaging and delivery bags collected in-store are to be returned to TerraCycle’s facilities, where they are shredded, cleaned and recycled into raw materials used to make new products.
Founded in, Pet Supplies Plus’ rise up the ranks stems from offering a wide array of natural pet foods and a variety of US-made pet consumables, including food, treats, rawhide, and chews etc. Offering these products at a reasonable price, the company even gives you the facility to pick between shopping in store or online using free curbside pickup, same-day delivery, or Autoship. Not just that, Pet Supplies Plus helps you fill pet prescriptions online and then get it delivered right at your doorstep. The company’s excellence in what it does can also be understood once you consider it is currently the nation’s largest pet retail franchise with more than 730 locations across 44 states and counting.
“The first year of our partnership with TerraCycle has been an overwhelming success,” said Chris Rowland, Chief Executive Officer of Pet Supplies Plus and Wag N’ Wash. “We are beyond proud of our neighbors nationwide who recycled 13.5 tons of plastic that would have otherwise been thrown out. This is just the beginning of our commitment to sustainability and helping create a cleaner world for our neighbors and pets.”
