The City of Chattanooga has chosen to continue the Hefty ReNew program for a second year after officials reported a successful initial year with the program.
Officials said, "The Hefty ReNew Program is intended to take hard-to-recycle items like food storage bags and foam takeout containers in an effort to turn them into valuable items like park benches, lumber, drainage materials and more.
"In its first year with the program, the City of Chattanooga collected more than 40 tons of hard-to-recycle plastics that would have otherwise been placed into landfills, contributing to pollution and other environmental concerns.
Instead, the items were collected by Hefty and used to create valuable community assets."
“Localism and leadership in the green economy are at the core of the One Chattanooga plan and our climate plan. The Hefty ReNew Program is an example of how we are putting those plans into action,” said Mayor Tim Kelly. “I want to thank Hefty for this partnership that allows us to reduce our waste and improve our cherished parks and public spaces. And I want to give a special thanks to the Chattanoogans who have so enthusiastically participated in this program”
Representatives from Hefty, in its audit of Chattanooga’s contributions, called the program “highly successful.”
“It’s inspiring to see how Chattanooga has embraced the Hefty ReNew program to collect hard-to-recycle plastics,” said Lynnette Hinch, senior marketing director, Reynolds Consumer Products. “It’s such a positive example of the program in action. Your success shows that it’s simple for residents to participate alongside other types of recycling and really make a difference. I want to thank the people of Chattanooga who helped to implement or who actively participate in the program, making it one of the strongest pilots we’ve seen – it’s great to see your results and we hope it will only grow over time.”
Participants in the program should use orange Hefty ReNew bags to collect hard-to-recycle items. Accepted items are listed at
here, and can be brought to one of five drop-off locations:
- 5955 Brainerd Road;
- 1250 E. 3rd St.;
- 3189 Cummings Hwy.;
- 8004 Batters Place Road; or
- 4504 N. Access Road.