Dive Brief:

Target will be joining The Recycling Partnership as its first retail company member. The nonprofit says that with this addition it now has members from all sides of the consumer recycling system: manufacturers, brands, retailers and the recycling industry.

Funding from Target will help expand local curbside recycling options through grants, tools and specialized marketing.

Since the beginning of 2015, the nonprofit has spurred $21 million of new recycling infrastructure for more than two million households.

Dive Insight:

The Recycling Partnership now has more than 20 major corporate members and has been rolling out new initiatives at a rapid pace this year. The nonprofit recently announced a new initiative with the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC) to perform a comprehensive analysis of the recovery landscape, teamed up with the Environmental Protection Agency on a curbside study and released free online open source tools for communities. In addition, they also plan to place more than 300,000 recycling carts in the coming months.

"Target joining signals a new era for our organization, as we are officially supported by the whole system," said Keefe Harrison, executive director of The Recycling Partnership, in a press release. "More than that, Target brings specific expertise in meeting the needs of the many guests to their stores, and through our work together that insight will translate into better recycling programs for more consumers across the country."

This announcement is part of an ongoing sustainability push by Target which includes redesigning packaging of store-brand items, reducing emissions and reducing waste. The retailer set a goal of reducing waste 15% by 2015 though did not achieve it. In addition to this new membership, Target is also part of the SPC and recently worked with TerraCycle on a take back program for car seats.