ShopRite and Wakefern Mark Earth Day

Keasbey, NJ (April 11, 2017) – ShopRite operates more efficiently, donates more fresh food and composts and recycles more than ever today.  Select ShopRite stores will mark Earth Day April 22 by talking about those sustainability achievements while offering a variety of Earth Day events and surprises for customers – everything from tree giveaways to a contest for customers who use resusable bags when they shop on Earth Day.

ShopRite’s more than 270 stores share a commitment to the environment that focuses on increasing food donations, recycling and composting efforts and energy efficiency at stores. Many stores will celebrate that commitment with special events on Earth Day, and customers are encouraged to inquire at their local store to learn more about Earth Day events. Several stores are giving out seeds for planting and some are offering free trees to customers and special activities for children.

The following are just some of ShopRite’s impressive Sustainability Stats:

• ShopRite and Wakefern operate a recycling center in Elizabeth, NJ, and provide plastic bag recycling bins at the front of each store to encourage customers to return bags. Over the past 40 years, ShopRite stores have recycled two million tons of material.
• ShopRite composts an average 20,000 tons of food waste each year.

ShopRite’s Earth Day Challenge
ShopRite conducts an “Earth Day Challenge” each April, providing complimentary cleanup kits to volunteers interested in beautifying their communities. Since the program’s inception, over 50,000 people have taken part in the challenge. Those interested in receiving a kit can call 1-800-ShopRite for more information.

ShopRite’s Locally Grown Program 
As part of its sustainability efforts, ShopRite is meeting increased customer demand for locally grown and sourced products — everything from fresh fruits and vegetables, to baked goods, craft beer and roasted coffees. To accomplish this, ShopRite works hand-in-hand with local entrepreneurs, family farms and businesses to procure and sell local products.

ShopRite’s Reduce-Reuse-Recycle Formula
ShopRite’s passion for the environment begins from the ground up, with stores designed to help reduce energy and water consumption through the use of energy-efficient glass doors on its refrigerated and freezer cases, conservation lighting and low-flow faucets. ShopRite also works hard to eliminate food waste by composting and donating to local food banks as part of its food recovery efforts.

ShopRite Associate Green Teams 
Over 100 in-store “Green Teams” — groups of associates who voluntarily work together to make ShopRite stores more sustainable — also dedicate time to finding the best ways to conserve the environment. Green Teams also cultivate partnerships with environmental organizations to come together to improve the environment.

ShopRite’s Award Winning Programs
ShopRite supermarkets have been recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency for their sustainability efforts by receiving the EPA’s Food Recovery Challenge awards for reducing food waste and increasing fresh food donations. Many ShopRite stores have received a Grocery Stewardship Certification (GSC), the nation’s first and only grocery sustainability certification program, which increases employee engagement and provides store Green Teams with ideas to become more eco-friendly

To learn more about ShopRite’s environmental efforts and other ways to help, visit www.shoprite.com/sustainability.

About ShopRite 
ShopRite is the registered trademark of Wakefern Food Corp., a retailer-owned cooperative based in Keasbey, NJ, and the largest supermarket cooperative in the United States. With more than 270 ShopRite supermarkets located throughout New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware and Maryland, ShopRite serves more than six million customers each week. A long-time supporter of key community efforts, ShopRite is dedicated to fighting hunger in the communities it serves. Through its ShopRite Partners In Caring program, ShopRite has donated more than $43 million to 1,700 worthy charities and food banks since the program began in 1999. For more information, please visit www.ShopRite.com.
###