Oklahoma State University partners with PepsiCo to make recycling Dream Machines available on campus
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Oklahoma State University today announced that Dream Machine recycling kiosks are
now available on campus, providing its nearly 30,000 students and employees with a
convenient and rewarding way to recycle their bottles and cans while on-the-go.
With the start of the 2010-2011 school year, seven Dream Machine kiosks and 100 static
bins have been placed in various locations across the Stillwater campus. Oklahoma
State University is the first Big 12 Conference university to partner with PepsiCo
(NYSE: PEP) and install Dream Machines, as well as the first public university in
Oklahoma.
The Dream Machine recycling initiative, created by PepsiCo in partnership with Waste
Management (NYSE: WM), is introducing thousands of recycling kiosks at popular public
locations across North America. The kiosks are computerized receptacles that include
a personal reward system, operated by Greenopolis, which allows consumers to earn
points for every bottle or can they recycle in the kiosk and redeem those points for
discounts on entertainment, dining and travel. The more bottles and cans people recycle
in Dream Machines, the more support PepsiCo will provide to the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp
for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV), a national program offering free, experiential
training in entrepreneurship and small business management to post-9/11 veterans with
disabilities.
“Providing access to recycling bins is a critical first step in increasing the beverage
container recycling rate, and we are so pleased that Oklahoma State University has
decided to partner with PepsiCo to make Dream Machines available on its campus,”
said Jeremy Cage, PepsiCo’s head of the Dream Machine recycling initiative. “By recycling
in Dream Machines, students and faculty can be proud that their efforts are helping
make a real difference for our planet and in the lives of U.S. veterans.”
“Oklahoma State University is delighted to be one of the first universities in the
nation to join the Dream Machine team and applauds PepsiCo and Waste Management for
an innovative and appealing program that allows our campus to support the environment
and veterans,” said Oklahoma State President Burns Hargis.
“Experience tells us that people are much more likely to recycle if it’s convenient,
and they are rewarded for doing so,” said Paul Ligon, managing director for Greenopolis,
a Waste Management subsidiary. “We look forward to working with Oklahoma State University
to provide their community with a recycling experience that is fun and rewarding on
many levels.”
PepsiCo has also entered into a partnership with Keep America Beautiful, Inc. (KAB)
to encourage community involvement in the program by engaging nearly 600 local KAB
affiliate organizations in communities nationwide, including three in the state of
Oklahoma.
Hargis praised the Oklahoma State University physical plant department for implementing
the program quickly and for its work to coordinate the initiative. He also commended
the Student Government Association’s sustainability committee for its enthusiastic
support.
To learn more about the Dream Machine, please visit www.facebook.com/DreamMachine.
To view more photos, go to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ostatenews/sets/72157624673137397/