SpartanNash is joining forces with Home Repair Services and Trex Co. to transform recycled plastic grocery bags from its stores into five accessible home ramps for local veterans with disabilities in honor of Earth Day.
“The upcycling of plastic bags into accessible ramps for veterans with disabilities is a ‘People First’ program that gives our nation’s heroes the gift of mobility and the opportunity to more easily enjoy life outside of their homes,” said Adrienne Chance, SpartanNash’s SVP of communications.
“We are grateful to the associates and shoppers in our stores who recycle their plastic grocery bags so that SpartanNash can make these kinds of donations possible.”
The collaboration with Home Repair Services, a local organization providing income-based home repair for those in need, and Trex, an eco-friendly decking company, utilizes plastic bags collected at SpartanNash-operated stores to produce decking for ramps. Each ramp requires about 157,500 recycled bags. This effort recycles plastics not typically accepted in standard recycling programs to create low-maintenance and durable composite decking projected to last years longer than traditional wood.
“We are proud to partner with SpartanNash on this important and worthwhile project,” said Dave Heglas, Trex Company’s senior director of supply chain excellence.
“With the help of dedicated retail partners like SpartanNash, and their eco-minded store guests, we can divert millions of pounds of plastic waste from landfills and give it new life as beautiful and sustainable Trex decking. Making this project even more meaningful is the fact that those deck boards are being used to provide support that helps our veterans live more comfortably.”
Plastic bag recycling bins are available year-round at SpartanNash-operated retail stores. Since the program started in 2023, more than 1,000 pounds of plastic bags have been recycled. More information on SpartanNash’s environmental initiatives can be found in the company’s annual ESG report.
About SpartanNash
Grand Rapids, Michigan-based SpartanNash operates two business segments – food wholesale and grocery retail. Its global supply chain network serves wholesale customers that include independent and chain grocers, national retail brands, e-commerce platforms and U.S. military commissaries and exchanges.
The company distributes products for every aisle in the grocery store, as well as its private label OwnBrands, which include the Our Family portfolio of products.
On the retail side, SpartanNash operates 144 grocery stores, primarily under the banners of Family Fare, Martin’s Super Markets and D&W Fresh Market, in addition to dozens of pharmacies and fuel centers.
Read more wholesaler and distributor news from The Shelby Report.
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