November is National Recycling Month, so it’s the perfect opportunity to look at your daily habits and try to reduce, reuse and recycle better! At Publix, we are committed to environmental stewardship through our recycling efforts and our Get Into a Green Routine program.

Imagine labels offering clear guidance, helping you distinguish between recyclable materials and those that aren’t. This vision is becoming a reality as we implement How2Recycle labels across our range of Publix-brand products. You may have already seen some of these informative labels on national-brand products while shopping at our stores.

What is How2Recycle?

How2Recycle is a widely recognized labeling system in the U.S. and Canada. These labels help take the guesswork out of recycling for customers by providing easy-to-follow recycling and disposal instructions along with information about packaging materials.

In the program, the 4 main label categories are

• Widely Recyclable
• Store Drop-off
• Check Locally and
• Not Yet Recyclable.

The labels include recycling instructions, such as “Empty & Discard Lid.”

Raise your ‘bin-fluence’

Customers can place specific materials, such as soft plastic, paper and foam, in the green bins located outside of the front of our stores. After being taken to our return centers, these items are sorted, baled and then sent to our recycler. For plastics, once they arrive at the recycling mill, they are melted down and shaped into pellets. These pellets are sold to manufacturers who use them to make new products like plastic bags and outdoor furniture.

Millions of pounds recycled

In 2023, we prevented over 738 million pounds of material from ending up in landfills. This includes

• almost 598 million pounds of cardboard and waxed cardboard
• more than 25 million pounds of mixed plastics
• over 10.5 million pounds of mixed paper and
• over 105 million pounds of various other materials.

How2Recycle with purpose

All it takes is a simple act to bring about positive change. Let’s do good together by raising awareness and getting more materials into recycling bins and out of landfills. The next time you go to your Publix, look for the How2Recycle label on the products you purchase. Bring items with a Store Drop-off label, such as plastic bags, to your store for recycling, and don’t forget that we can recycle your foam and paper items, too. Let’s make sustainability a way of life.

For more information about our sustainability efforts, visit our corporate social responsibility website.