Eagle Times Staff
CONCORD, N.H. — The New Hampshire Liquor Commission (NHLC) and Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey surpassed a record of nearly 34,500 pounds of glass recycled through this year’s “Bring Back Jack” program. Throughout April and May, select NH Liquor & Wine Outlets allowed consumers to return and recycle empty glass wine and spirits bottles for exclusive product incentives. Hundreds of customers and on-premises licensees participated in this year’s program, which launched in 2023 in celebration of Earth Month. The bottles collected throughout the program were recycled into new bottles for beverages.
“We are extremely proud to announce the outstanding success in our mission to recycle empty glass wine and spirits bottles,” said NHLC Chairman Joseph Mollica. “As we continue to implement environmentally friendly practices throughout our outlets, we are grateful to team up with Jack Daniel’s, the best-selling whiskey brand in the world, to encourage customers to ‘Bring Back Jack’ during Earth Month. Together, we are able to provide NH Liquor & Wine Outlet customers with a unique way to receive exclusive product incentives while also supporting the planet.”
The first “Bring Back Jack” initiative was launched in April 2023 to encourage New Hampshire citizens, customers and the traveling public to make an impact during Earth Month by recycling their empty glass wine or spirits bottles at select NH Liquor & Wine Outlets. Individuals who recycled at least 12 empty glass bottles received $25 off a purchase of $150 or more at NH Liquor & Wine Outlets. Additionally, New Hampshire bar and restaurant owners who recycled at least 107 empty glass bottles, an ode to Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7, received 10% off an in-store purchase up to $10,000.
This year, NHLC and Jack Daniel’s modified the Earth Month celebration to include fewer, more strategically located and longer events, attracting a larger audience and resulting in nearly 500 pounds of additional glass collected compared to the previous year.
“Following the launch of our ‘Bring Back Jack’ recycling program last year, we were able to thoroughly observe customer feedback and overall program statistics to improve our 2024 initiative,” said Jack Daniel’s Marketing Manager Robin Thompson. “We are proud to work alongside the New Hampshire Liquor Commission and look forward to building on our partnership as well as the ‘Bring Back Jack’ program for years to come.”
A recent study from the U.S. Environment Protection Agency revealed the glass recycling percentage in the United States is only 31%, although glass can be recycled endlessly. Since the program’s inception in April 2023, nearly 70,000 pounds of glass has been collected and converted into new beverage bottles by Recycleworks, a state-of-the-art processing facility dedicated to a zero-waste future for the food and beverage industry.
