As a leader in sustainable waste reduction, Subaru saw an opportunity to share its zero-landfill expertise with the national parks. In 2015, the Don't Feed the Landfills Initiative was created in partnership with NPCA, NPS, and NPF with the goal of developing scalable best practices that will ensure sustainable and resilient park operations for years to come. Since then, the initiative has expanded to more parks and helped the national parks recycle or compost over 22 million pounds of waste.
Improved recycling and composting infrastructure, including over 1,000 new bear-proof containers and standardized bin labeling, have made an enormous impact on reducing waste at the three pilot parks. The additional containers make it easier for park visitors to correctly sort and recycle while encouraging the use of reusable items to help reduce single-use plastics.
Water refill stations have helped significantly reduce single-use plastic waste. Since the Don’t Feed the Landfills Initiative launched in 2015, the amount of single-use plastic kept out of landfills more than doubled at the three pilot parks—Denali, Grand Teton, and Yosemite.
For nearly 10 years, Subaru of America, the National Parks Conservation Association, and partners have kept more than 22 million pounds of waste out of national parks like Denali, Grand Teton, and Yosemite through the Don’t Feed the Landfills Initiative. In coordination with the National Park Service, National Park Foundation, and community partners, the program’s success was achieved through waste reduction, recycling, composting, and educational initiatives to engage park visitors on ways to lessen their environmental footprint.
