» Message in a Bottle Program

• The Recycling Association of Minnesota, the Hutchinson Adult Training and Habilitation Center (ADTH) partnered with the Minnesota Beverage Association to conduct an away from home recycling program. The focus is to recycle bottles, cans, and plastic bags from “away from home” locations and to provide meaningful work for local adults with disabilities. The program offers participating businesses free, bottle-shaped recycling bins. Pick up service from the ADTH is free for the first year.
• Sponsored with numerous partners the expansion of the program into: the St. Cloud area, Mankato area, Duluth area, Pine City/Hinckley area and now a small pilot with Holiday Stores in the Twin Cities area. Through October 2009 -MIB recycled more than 500,000 pounds of beverage containers and other plastics.
• During 2010 eight more locations will be added with the assistance of a USDA Rural Development  grant and matching funds by Minnesota Beverage Association.  The tentative sites are: Rochester, Owatonna, Brainerd, Bemidji, Moorhead, Austin, Alexandria and Marshall.

The program provides jobs for adults with disabilities who collect, sort and bale the recycleables for shipping. The locations include gas stations, car washes, golf courses, parks, and laundromats – sites that typically are difficult for recycling programs. For more information, please email ellen@recycleminnesota.org.