Nov. 13, 2026 — As we celebrate America Recycles Day on Nov. 15, we recognize the important part we play in supporting the environment by reducing waste and recycling responsibly. Our mission statement calls us to be intolerant of waste and responsible citizens in the communities we serve. Through our recycling programs and other sustainability efforts, we’re working to make a positive impact in our communities. Across our operations, we continue to look for opportunities to recycle, reuse and recover materials that might otherwise end up in landfills.

Measuring our recycling impact

In 2025, we diverted nearly 800 million pounds of material from landfills, including more than 616 million pounds of cardboard, over 26 million pounds of mixed plastics and almost 14 million pounds of mixed paper. In addition to keeping these materials out of landfills and giving them a new purpose, our recycling practices also help conserve natural resources.

Retail Organic Waste Diversion program

One of our newest initiatives, the Retail Organic Waste Diversion program, supports our landfill diversion efforts and our mission to be intolerant of waste. Through this program, we collect packaged and unpackaged food items that are not suitable for human consumption or donation. The material is sent to a third party that converts it into renewable resources, keeping it out of landfills. 

We began piloting this program in 2024 at 10 stores in the Raleigh, North Carolina, area. In early 2025, we expanded the pilot to an additional 29 stores in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Charleston, South Carolina. We are excited to share that the pilot will be expanded to more than 150 stores across Virginia, North Carolina and select locations in South Carolina and Tennessee. 

Making recycling easier and looking ahead

We make it easy for our customers to recycle by providing storefront bins that accept many types of soft plastic, paper and foam. Items like plastic bags that can be more challenging to recycle can be used to make products, such as new plastic bags, composite decking, outdoor furniture and fencing. We are also working to add recycling instructions to our private-label packaging to help our customers make informed decisions on how to properly recycle or dispose of these materials.  

As we continue to expand our efforts, we’re finding new ways to reduce waste, conserve resources and support the communities we proudly serve. Together, these actions help build a more sustainable future.