KIB and Paper Retriever exceed 5 ton challenge for America Recycles Day

INDIANAPOLIS-(November 16, 2010)—In honor of America Recycles Day, Paper Retriever and Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc. (KIB) joined together to raise awareness about the benefits of recycling and meet a lofty objective—5 tons of recycled paper in 5 hours. Far exceeding their goal, 10 tons of paper were collected on November 13 at the Kroger store at 5810 E. 71st Street.

“This drive far exceeded our expectations, and speaks to the nature of Indy residents and their willingness to keep their city clean and support our efforts to keep it beautiful,” said David Forsell, President of KIB.

The paper drive on Saturday, November 13 from 10 am to 3 pm at the Kroger store at 5810 E. 71st Street (Northeast corner of 71st and Binford Boulevard) to celebrate America Recycles Day lasted 5 hours but, the 5 ton goal was reached by 1:00 p.m., thanks to the help of hundreds of Indianapolis residents and their recyclable paper. KIB received $1,000 per ton up to five tons from Paper Retriever, and Kroger matched this donation bringing the total donation to KIB to $10,000. The funds that are earned through the Paper Retriever partnership with Kroger; and will directly benefit Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc.(KIB) and their efforts with Binford Redevelopment and Growth (BRAG). This recycling “blitz” is an extension of Paper Retriever, Kroger and BRAG’s already strong supporters of KIB.

In total, nearly 6.7 million pounds of paper have been recycled through Paper Retriever’s green-and-yellow bins at Indianapolis Kroger locations in two years, and more than $45,000 has been donated to KIB.

The impact of recycling though Paper Retriever expands beyond the green-and-yellow recycling bins. For instance, through the Kroger locations in Indianapolis alone: more than 10,128 cubic yards of landfill space have saved, more than 13 million kilowatts of electricity have been conserved, and nearly 1.3 million gallons of oil have been preserved.

Community members who would like to donate to Paper Retriever partners can visit www.paperretriever.com to locate the most convenient bin, and to learn more about what types of paper can be recycled through Paper Retriever.

About Paper Retriever
Paper Retriever is a simple paper-recycling program that directly benefits the community as well as the environment. Schools, churches, and other nonprofit organizations house green-and-yellow Paper Retriever bins for members of the community to fill with recyclable paper goods. The nonprofit organizations are then paid for the amount of paper they collect. There are over 18,000 Paper Retriever locations and over 26,000 Paper Retriever bins hosted in 23 major metropolitan areas across the United States. In 2009, materials recycled through Paper Retriever generated more than $3.8 million for over 15,000 nonprofit organizations. Paper Retriever is a subsidiary program of AbitibiBowater. For more information, visit www.paperretriever.com or head to www.facebook.com/paperretriever.

About Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc.
Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc. is a private, nonprofit organization uniting people to build community and transform public spaces through aesthetic and environmental improvement. In 2009, KIB engaged nearly 45,000 volunteers on 500 community improvement projects. To learn more, please visit www.kibi.org.

About Kroger Central Division
The Kroger Central Division has 150 food stores, 124 pharmacies and 60 fuel centers operating under five banners; Kroger, Scott’s, Owen’s, Hilander and Pay Less, with locations primarily in Indiana and Illinois, in addition to five stores in Missouri, one in Michigan and one in Ohio. Kroger Central Division is dedicated to supporting every local community it serves, contributing more than $11.7 million in 2009 to local organizations, primarily focusing on hunger relief, K-12 education, health causes and diversity. At Kroger we value: honesty, respect, inclusion, diversity, safety and integrity.

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