Anheuser-Busch Foundation and Keep America Beautiful Support 76 Community Recycling Programs through Lend-A-Bin Grants

(3BL Media / theCSRfeed) Stamford, CT - September 23, 2011 - Recycling programs in 76 towns and cities throughout the country are receiving a significant boost to their local recycling efforts as national nonprofit Keep America Beautiful (KAB) and the Anheuser-Busch Foundation announce the recipients of the 2011 Lend-A-Bin Grant program. 

In its first year, the Lend-A-Bin Grant program is providing more than 3,500 recycling bins designed for use at special events such as concerts, festivals and athletic events. The Grant program is sponsored by the Anheuser-Busch Foundation and is designed to support local community recycling programs by providing the collapsible bins to selected organizations for them to lend or rent for the collection of recyclable beverage containers. “This grant program makes financial sense, has great reach and creates a win-win for recyclers,” said Matthew M. McKenna, president and CEO, Keep America Beautiful, Inc. “Local recycling organizations will now have a cache of recycling bins that can be lent out – over and over again – to multiple special event organizers. These event organizers won’t have to purchase and store bins throughout the year, and we know this will result in expanded recycling access for the public.” Chosen from nearly 200 applications submitted, the 76 grant recipients represent a cross-section of local government agencies, Keep America Beautiful affiliates and members of state recycling organizations. “We have a long history of encouraging the expansion of community recycling programs,” said Shana Ruffus, director of environmental outreach for Anheuser-Busch.  “The Foundation’s support of the Lend-A-Bin program is just the latest example of Anheuser-Busch’s overall commitment to promote consumer recycling.  After all, this is our world and we all share a collective responsibility to help protect it for future generations.” Recipients, representing communities in 32 states, were chosen by KAB based on a number of criteria including efficiency, planning, recycling experience, promotion, sustainability, amount of recyclables anticipated to be collected, and reach. For a list of grant recipients, visit http://kab.org/lend-a-bin.   About Keep America Beautiful, Inc. Keep America Beautiful, Inc., established in 1953, is the nation's largest volunteer-based community action and education organization. With a network of over 1,200 affiliate and participating organizations, Keep America Beautiful forms public-private partnerships and programs that engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community's environment. To learn more, visit www.kab.org.   About Anheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch and its employees build on a legacy of corporate social responsibility by focusing on three key areas: promoting alcohol responsibility, preserving and protecting the environment and supporting local communities.  In the past three decades, Anheuser-Busch and its wholesalers have committed more than $875 million in national advertising campaigns and community-based programs to encourage responsible drinking and prevent underage drinking and drunk driving.  Anheuser-Busch reduced total water use at its breweries by 34 percent in the last three years and the company has been a leading aluminum recycler for more than 30 years.  Since 1997, Anheuser-Busch and its Foundation have invested in local communities through donations of nearly $475 million to charitable organizations.  The company also has provided more than 70 million cans of drinking water to people impacted by natural and other disasters since 1988.  Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch, the leading American brewer, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev, the leading global brewer, and continues to operate under the Anheuser-Busch name and logo.  For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com.   KAB17093