The Atrium Mall - James R. Thompson Center Welcomes PepsiCo's Dream Machine Recycling Program

(3BL Media / theCSRfeed) Chicago, IL - March 6, 2012 - PepsiCo, Inc. (NYSE: PEP) today announced a partnership with the Atrium Mall - James R. Thompson Center that will make the Dream Machine recycling program available to Chicago-area commuters, visitors and residents. With 2,500 Dream Machine-sponsored Free Green Cans already deployed throughout the Chicago Park District, the Thompson Center is among the first to welcome a Dream Machine recycling kiosk to the heart of downtown Chicago.

To commemorate the launch, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn joined representatives from PepsiCo, Waste Management (NYSE: WM), and the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV), at a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Thompson Center.

"This is a creative way to increase recycling while helping our veterans receive the entrepreneurial training they need to fulfill their dreams," Governor Quinn said. "By giving people in the heart of downtown Chicago the chance to conveniently recycle at work or on the go, PepsiCo is showing how innovation can help everyday people honor service members and help keep their community green."

The Dream Machine recycling initiative, created by PepsiCo in collaboration with Waste Management and Keep America Beautiful, Inc., is introducing thousands of recycling kiosks and bins at popular public locations across North America. The kiosks are computerized receptacles that include a personal reward system, powered by Greenopolis, which allows consumers to earn points for every bottle or can they recycle in the kiosk.  Those points can then be redeemed for local discounts on entertainment, dining and travel by visiting www.greenopolis.com. In addition, the more bottles and cans people recycle in Dream Machines, the more support PepsiCo will provide to the EBV, a national program offering free, experiential training in entrepreneurship and small business management to post-9/11 U.S. veterans with disabilities. 

"PepsiCo is excited to welcome the James R. Thompson Center to the Dream Machine recycling program," said Tim Carey, director for sustainability and technology, PepsiCo Beverages Americas. "By recycling in a Dream Machine in downtown Chicago, residents and visitors can earn rewards and will help make a real difference for our planet and in the lives of disabled U.S. veterans."

With approximately 4,000 Dream Machines located in 40 states to-date, the program aims to create strategic partnerships to help increase the U.S. beverage container recycling rate to 50 percent by 2018.

"Experience tells us that people are much more likely to recycle if it's convenient, and they are rewarded for doing so," said Paul Wolff, operations manager at Greenopolis. "We look forward to working with the Thompson Center to enable a recycling experience that is convenient and rewarding on many levels."

To learn more about the Dream Machine, visit Facebook.com/DreamMachine. To find a Dream Machine near you, visit DreamMachineLocator.com.