Earth Day: Pet Supplies Plus, Wag N’ Wash Celebrate Pet Product Recycling Milestone with TerraCycle

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Pet Supplies Plus, the largest pet retail franchise in the United States, and Wag N’ Wash, the emerging self-wash, grooming and natural pet food franchise, are celebrating a recycling milestone in light of Earth Day. Since announcing a commitment to sustainability in October 2023, the brands have collected and recycled three and a half tons of pet product packaging waste through a partnership with TerraCycle, the international leader in recycling hard-to-recycle materials. The launch of the partnership marked another milestone as Pet Supplies Plus and Wag N’ Wash were the first pet retailers to join forces with TerraCycle, with recycling stations launching in retail locations across the country.

The pet industry produces 300 million pounds of plastic waste yearly, and 99 percent of all pet food packaging is thrown away rather than recycled, impacting various ecosystems. When it comes to pet product packaging waste, it’s vital that pet parents are educated on whether the packaging belongs in the recycling bin or the trash can, or if it’s contaminated and will be rejected by recycling facilities. To prevent further harm to the environment, Pet Supplies Plus and Wag N’ Wash remain committed to sustainability and educating neighbors on responsible waste management.

Now with in-store recycling programs that offer a free and convenient solution to give pet food, treat and litter bags a second life, Pet Supplies Plus and Wag N’ Wash enable neighbors to practice sustainable habits. Pet Supplies Plus and Wag N’ Wash stores nationwide have collection bins where neighbors can drop off empty flexible plastic pet food, treat and litter bags from any brand for any species of pet. All collected waste is sent to TerraCycle to be cleaned, separated by material type and recycled into raw formats that manufacturers use to make new products.

“Most pet food and treat bags are not accepted by curbside recycling services due to their complex, multilayer packaging, which is often too expensive for local recycling facilities to process,” said Tom Szaky, TerraCycle founder and CEO. “As the first major pet retailers in the United States to offer a free recycling program for all brands of pet food packaging, Pet Supplies Plus and Wag N’ Wash are setting a great example for the rest of the pet retail industry.”

The in-store recycling program was created to educate neighbors while making an impact on reducing plastic waste. Pet parents can learn more about which products can be recycled on the Pet Supplies Plus and the Wag N’ Wash websites.

“We are blown away by how many neighbors came into our stores and contributed to saving three and a half tons of plastic from being poured into landfills over the past six months,” said Chris Rowland, CEO of Pet Supplies Plus and Wag N’ Wash. “The partnership with TerraCycle is our commitment to reducing waste so that our neighbors and pets can all live in a better world.”