Many Hamilton County residents are receiving bright orange bags in the mail from the Hefty EnergyBag program, which asks recipients to collect hard-to-recycle plastics in the bags and drop them off at local recycling facilities to be converted into “valued resources,” according to information mailed with the bags.
“The city is excited to pilot the Hefty EnergyBag program as a way to pursue the mayor’s goal of promoting a more sustainable community,” Kirsten Yates, senior adviser for communications and digital strategy for the city of Chattanooga, said in an email. “It can take many months to assemble a full shipment of recyclable material for processing, so we are encouraging residents to start filling their bags today.”
The EnergyBag program is a collaboration between Dow Chemical and Reynolds Consumer Products, according to Dow’s website.
The first permanent EnergyBag program was launched in Omaha, Nebraska, in 2016. The program has since expanded into Atlanta; Lincoln, Nebraska; and Boise and Ada County, Idaho, in addition to Chattanooga.
Items accepted through the program include plastic packaging such as yogurt tubs and cereal box liners, plastic bags and wraps, foam products such as to-go boxes and egg cartons, and plastic dinnerware.