Putting items for recycling into our green bins and into the back of a Publix truck from our stores is just the beginning!

Green recycling bins have been available at our store entrances for years now. They provide a convenient way to recycle items you can’t put in your home recycling bin, such as single-use bags and foam. These items, along with the recyclables from our stores, are loaded each week into a Publix truck and taken to our return center. From there, they are sorted and sent out to vendors who complete the recycling process. But what happens to this recycled material, and is it ever used again?

Plastics
When plastics are recycled, they can be made into a variety of things depending on their type. Mixed plastics can be made into more plastic bags, our green shopping baskets, outdoor furniture or decking, and even park benches. To make these, the plastics are melted down and cooled into pellets. Once they become pellets, the possibilities are endless!

Cardboard
Our cardboard recycling vendors take the flattened boxes and separate the cardboard fibers. The fibers are then bleached, washed, pressed and rolled into paper. Another vendor converts the paper into boxes for Publix or other companies.

Foam
Foam from egg cartons and other foam materials is sent to a vendor who exposes it to heat and pressure and melts it into paste. The vendor sells the paste to manufacturers who make it into other products, such as insulation board.

Hard-to-recycle materials
Some recyclables from our non-retail locations in Lakeland may be contaminated by chemicals, require special machinery or are difficult to process. So, they are sent to a “2nd chance” recycling company. This facility turns the waste into fuel cubes, used as an alternative to coal. Concrete plants burn the cubes to power their machinery and then mix the ash into cement, so there is no waste.

There’s more to being green than recycling. Learn about our other efforts at the Publix sustainability website.

Get an up-close look at how our return center recycles products.