SpartanNash 'Ramps Up' Plastic Bag Recycling for Earth Day

Company Partners with Trex^® and Home Repair Services to Convert Plastic Grocery Bags into Accessible Ramps for Veterans' Homes

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., April 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Food solutions company SpartanNash (the "Company") (Nasdaq: SPTN) is joining forces with Home Repair Services and Trex^® Company to transform recycled plastic grocery bags from its stores into five accessible home ramps for local veterans with disabilities in honor of Earth Day. 

"The upcycling of plastic bags into accessible ramps for veterans with disabilities is a People First program that gives our nation's heroes the gift of mobility and the opportunity to more easily enjoy life outside of their homes," said SpartanNash Senior Vice President of Communications Adrienne Chance. "We are grateful to the Associates and shoppers in our stores who recycle their plastic grocery bags so that SpartanNash can make these kinds of donations possible."

The collaboration with Home Repair Services, a local organization providing income-based home repair for those in need, and Trex, an eco-friendly decking company, utilizes plastic bags collected at SpartanNash-operated stores ? including Family Fare, D&W Fresh Market, Forest Hills Foods and others ? to produce decking for ramps. Each ramp requires approximately 157,500 recycled bags. This effort recycles plastics not typically accepted in standard recycling programs to create low-maintenance and durable composite decking projected to last years longer than traditional wood.

"We are proud to partner with SpartanNash on this important and worthwhile project," said Trex Company Senior Director of Supply Chain Excellence Dave Heglas. "With the help of dedicated retail partners like SpartanNash, and their eco-minded store guests, we can divert millions of pounds of plastic waste from landfills and give it new life as beautiful and sustainable Trex decking. Making this project even more meaningful is the fact that those deck boards are being used to provide support that helps our veterans live more comfortably."

Plastic bag recycling bins are available year-round at SpartanNash-operated retail stores. Since the program started in 2023, over 1,000 pounds of plastic bags have been recycled. More information on SpartanNash's environmental initiatives can be found in the company's annual ESG report. 

About SpartanNash
SpartanNash (Nasdaq: SPTN) is a food solutions company that delivers the ingredients for a better life. Committed to fostering a People First culture, the SpartanNash family of Associates is 17,000 strong. SpartanNash operates two complementary business segments ? food wholesale and grocery retail. Its global supply chain network serves wholesale customers that include independent and chain grocers, national retail brands, e-commerce platforms, and U.S. military commissaries and exchanges. The Company distributes products for every aisle in the grocery store, from fresh produce to household goods to its OwnBrands, which include the Our Family^® portfolio of products. On the retail side, SpartanNash operates 144 brick-and-mortar grocery stores, primarily under the banners of Family Fare, Martin's Super Markets and D&W Fresh Market, in addition to dozens of pharmacies and fuel centers. Leveraging insights and solutions across its segments, SpartanNash offers a full suite of support services for independent grocers. For more information, visit spartannash.com.

Trex^® is a registered trademark of Trex Company, Inc.

CONTACT: 
Adrienne Chance
SVP, Communications
SpartanNash
[email protected]  

SOURCE SpartanNash