News

Recycling kiosks going up in Minneapolis

October 26, 2011

PepsiCo has made an agreement with Freedom Valu Centers convenience stores in Minnesota to make available the Dream Machine recycling program at 19 Freedom Valu locations in metro Minneapolis-St. Paul. The launch positions Freedom Valu Centers among the first convenience store chains to launch the Dream Machine program in Minnesota, according to a company press release.

To commemorate the launch, Freedom Valu Centers hosted an event at its 1535 Beam Avenue location in Maplewood where State Senator Charles W. Wiger, and representatives from PepsiCo, Waste Management, Greenopolis, and the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV) welcomed the Dream Machine recycling initiative.

"I'm thrilled to welcome the Dream Machine recycling program to my hometown and the metro Minneapolis-St. Paul area," Sen. Wiger said at the event. "I applaud Freedom Valu Centers for helping to increase access to recycling for our visitors and residents. Now, we can all benefit from the great rewards offered through this program, and play a role in helping to keep the great state of Minnesota green."

The Dream Machine recycling initiative, created by PepsiCo in collaboration with Waste Management and Keep America Beautiful, is introducing thousands of recycling kiosks and bins at 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.

"From our experience, successful recycling programs are fun, convenient and rewarding," said Paul Ligon, managing director for Greenopolis. "We are proud to extend the Greenopolis program to Freedom Valu, since it means more materials being put to reuse, as well as a more sustainable Twin Cities."

Read more about custom kiosks.