Build with Bags Grants

Build with Bags™ is a program by Iowa grocers to encourage the recycling of plastic bags. It is a cooperative effort of the Iowa Grocery Industry Association, Keep Iowa Beautiful, the Des Moines Area Metro Waste Authority, and Iowa Department of Natural Resources aimed at:

Reduce the consumption of plastic bags,
Encourage the use of reusable bags,
Increase the amount of plastic bags recycled, and
Establish and execute a grant program to aid parks and schools in purchasing products made of recycled plastic bags

The cornerstone of Build with Bags is a grant program, which is administered and funded by the Iowa Grocery Industry Association and provides funds for the purchase of recycled plastic playground equipment, benches and tables, and more.

The Build with Bags program empowers Iowa grocers to affect real change in reducing consumption of plastic bags and in increasing the recycling of those bags that are used. It provides a monetary incentive for communities to develop their plastic bag recycling efforts, and by using grant awards to purchase products made of recycled plastic bags for their schools and parks, they are also increasing the demand for recycled plastic products. Build with Bags also provides regulators and communities a meaningful alternative to the banning of plastic bags, a practice that has been shown to have a number of negative unintended consequences.

The Build with Bags Grant Program is sponsored by the Iowa Grocery Industry Association.