Bacardi Launches Glass Recycling Programme In Puerto Rico

Family-owned spirits company Bacardi has partnered with recycling company, Reciclaje del Norte, and the Municipality of Cataño, to launch a glass recycling program for businesses in the area surrounding its BACARDĺ rum distillery in Puerto Rico.

The new initiative which launched in May, sees the weekly collection of spirits bottles from participating bars and restaurants in the Cataño Bay area. The collected glass is then crushed and reused to produce building blocks.

To date, more than 1.3 tons of glass has been collected through the scheme, making an important contribution to reducing glass waste in landfill, and at the same time helping raise awareness of the importance of recycling in Puerto Rico.

Magaly Feliciano, Global Sustainability Director at Bacardi, who is based in Puerto Rico adds "As a family-owned business, we believe strongly in doing the right thing by giving back to our local community and helping protect the environment in Cataño."

"We’re so proud of this project as it’s a perfect example of how we can work together to make a meaningful difference.”

Julio Alicea Vasallo, mayor of Cataño continues: This fantastic glass recycling program is not just another initiative; it is an innovative effort that involves and includes our businesses in Cataño Bay in the construction of an economy where waste is not waste, but an opportunity for something more."

"Every bottle we recycle today contributes to building a stronger Cataño tomorrow. This program shows that, with perseverance and strategic partnerships, we can help protect our environment for generations to come.”

This initiative is just one way in which Bacardi is giving back to the local community and reducing the impact of its production on the environment, with other actions including switching from oil to gas at its distillery to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reusing water to cool stills which saves millions of gallons of water every year.

Recognizing its efforts to protect the local bat population in Puerto Rico, the Bacardi site also holds Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) Certification – the only organization to do so on the island.

For more on the Good Spirited actions Bacardi is taking to protect People & Planet, visit their website here