STAMFORD, Conn. – National nonprofit Keep America Beautiful and The Coca-Cola Foundation today – on America Recycles Day – announced the opening of the application period for the 2018 Keep America Beautiful/Coca-Cola Public Spaces Recycling Bin Grant Program. In its 12th year, the initiative is designed to increase access to recycling in community public spaces across America. Grant applications will be available online through Dec. 20 (11:59 p.m. EST), 2018. Applicants may visit BinGrant.org to apply.

For the past 11 years, The Coca-Cola Foundation has supported the program, which has donated recycling bins to more than 1,000 communities in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Over the history of the program, more than 36,000 public space recycling bins have been awarded, providing opportunities for recycling on the go to more than 2 million people daily.

The 2018 program will distribute 4,500 recycling bins in public space locations ranging from athletic fields to fairs and festivals to downtown streetscapes and playgrounds and other on-the-go settings. The program is funded through a $350,000 grant from The Coca-Cola Foundation to Keep America Beautiful, which in turn awards recycling bins through a competitive, merit-based application process.

“Since its inception in 2007, the grant program has made impressive strides toward expanding recycling in public spaces,” said Randy Hartmann, senior director of affiliate operations for Keep America Beautiful. “Through these grants, The Coca-Cola Foundation is reducing two of the primary barriers for on-the-go recycling – accessibility and convenience.”

Eligible recipients for the 2018 Public Spaces Recycling Bin Grant Program include government agencies, colleges and universities, civic organizations, public and local nonprofit groups throughout the United States. Keep America Beautiful will award the grants in mid-January 2019 and make arrangements with suppliers to deliver recycling bins directly to the recipients in the first quarter of 2019.

“Community recycling is one of the key ways The Coca-Cola Foundation is helping communities address litter and support the environment. In partnership with Keep America Beautiful, we can help communities reduce litter by offering grants for recycling bins in parks, recreation areas, campuses and city streets,” said Helen Smith Price, President of The Coca-Cola Foundation.

In addition to the Foundation’s support, earlier this year, The Coca-Cola Company announced a global goal to collect and recycle the equivalent of 100 percent of the bottles and cans it places in the market by 2030. To accomplish this goal, Coca-Cola and its bottling partners, are working to make better bottles with more recycled and renewable content, collaborating with industry peers, community organizations and customers to help ensure that communities have access to curbside and public space recycling, and supporting waterway clean ups to ensure that its packaging does not end up where it does not belong.

About The Coca-Cola Foundation

The Coca-Cola Foundation is the global philanthropic arm of The Coca-Cola Company. Through more than 30 years of giving back, The Coca-Cola Foundation has granted $1 billion to help protect the environment, promote recycling, empower women and enhance the overall well-being of communities. For more information about The Coca-Cola Foundation, please visit www.coca-colagivingback.com.

About Keep America Beautiful

Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s iconic community improvement nonprofit organization, inspires and educates people to take action every day to improve and beautify their community environment. Celebrating its 65th Anniversary in 2018, Keep America Beautiful strives to End Littering, Improve Recycling and Beautify America’s Communities. We believe everyone has a right to live in a clean, green and beautiful community, and shares a responsibility to contribute to that vision.

Behavior change – steeped in education, research and behavioral science – is the cornerstone of Keep America Beautiful. We empower generations of community and environmental stewards with volunteer programs, hands-on experiences, educational curricula, practical advice and other resources. The organization is driven by the work and passion of more than 600 Keep America Beautiful affiliates, millions of volunteers, and the collaborative support of corporate partners, social and civic service organizations, academia, municipalities, elected officials, and individuals. Join us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. Donate and take action at kab.org.