CVS recycled 182 tons of plastic stretch film in 2011, versus 178 tons in 2010; total volume of paperboard recycling down to 44,000 tons in 2011, versus 45,000 tons in 2010 due to packaging improvements

Graziela Medina Shepnick

Graziela Medina Shepnick

WOONSOCKET, Rhode Island , May 28, 2012 () – Industry Intelligence's Editor's Note: This is an excerpt from CVS Caremark's 2011 Corporate Social Responsibility Report published on May 10, 2012.

Reducing Waste and Improving Recycling

At CVS Caremark, we use various measures to reduce our waste, repurpose materials and recycle throughout our operations and along our supply chain.

Recycling Initiatives

In 2011, we continued to improve our company-wide recycling initiatives in our distribution centers, stores and corporate offices, focusing our efforts on the following:

• Recycling cardboard packaging, corrugate plastic and pallets at every distribution center
• Expanding our in-store recycling initiatives, including a plastic bag recycling program in more than 3,000 locations and expanding plastic bottle recycling to more than 2,000 stores
• Piloting a recycling program for employee break rooms in 200 stores across the country
• Engaging with waste haulers to identify single-source recycling
• Using multiple bailers in each distribution center to compress corrugate
• Putting recycling bins in all workspaces and conference rooms
• Ensuring paper and plastic materials are collected and recycled in our onsite cafeterias
• Recycling stretch wrap film at various facilities

These efforts resulted in 182 tons of plastic stretch film being recycled throughout our stores and distribution centers in 2011, an increase from 178 tons in 2010. Although total volume of cardboard recycling actually decreased in 2011 to 44,000 tons, compared to 45,000 tons in 2010, this was primarily due to the packaging improvements made by vendors that used less cardboard material.

In 2012, we plan to identify ways to realign our entire waste process and are currently engaging with waste haulers to better understand and improve our waste stream.

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