Paper Retriever and Kroger Present $10,000 Check to Keep Indianapolis Beautiful

INDIANAPOLIS— (December 8, 2010) –Paper Retriever, a community paper-recycling program, and Kroger awarded Keep Indianapolis Beautiful (KIB) a $10,000 check for its recent recycling efforts in honor of America Recycles Day on November 15. Kroger and Paper Retriever challenged KIB to recycle 5 tons of paper in 5 hours on Saturday, November 13, at the Kroger on Binford Blvd.

The event exceeded its initial goal of collecting five tons of paper in five hours and collected more than 10 tons of paper to receive the $10,000. As a direct result of these efforts, the money earned through the Paper Retriever partnership with Kroger will directly benefit KIB.

"KIB is thrilled to have exceeded the goal for his challenge, said David Forsell, president of Keep Indianapolis Beautiful. "It is a true testament to our supporters and the community."

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 Keep Indianapolis Beautiful.

“Paper Retriever’s goal is to educate individuals about recycling and to show how simple and easy it is to benefit the environment and their local communities,” said Melinda Antell, regional manager for Paper Retriever Indianapolis. “We are thrilled with the efforts that were made and are proud to award this money to Keep Indianapolis Beautiful.”

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 has been saved, more than 13 million kilowatts of electricity have been conserved, and nearly 1.3 million gallons of oil.

“We appreciate the opportunity Paper Retriever has created for Kroger associates and customers to give back to the local community and protect our environment,” said John Elliott, manager of public affairs for Kroger. “As promised, Kroger has matched the funds raised in the America Recycles Day Paper Drive Challenge to help further Keep Indianapolis Beautiful’s efforts.”

This America Recycles Day effort was aimed at encouraging community members to be good stewards of the environment while also supporting their community by recycling through Paper Retriever bins. Community members who’d 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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