Yellowstone Park
Turn a problem into a solution
We find recycling solutions in the most surprising places.
We've created a boardwalk with these bottles to help guide you through the park.
Recycling at work
Ignore the breathtaking scenery of Yellowstone Park for a second and think about how over four million plastic detergent bottles are helping preserve its beauty.
The National Parks' flagship initiative, Recycling at Work, involves recycling plastic containers and then converting them into dimensional plastic "lumber". The lumber is then used to complete infrastructure projects which would otherwise not be possible because of lack of funding.
To date, Unilever's Recycling at Work projects have taken place in more than 180 National Parks, using donated lumber representing nearly 15 million Unilever household, personal care and food product containers. Instead of being sent to landfill sites, the recycled plastic now forms boardwalks, docks, fences and campground benches and picnic tables.
Through our partnership with Yellowstone, the world's first National Park, we have donated more than 750 000 square-feet of sustainable lumber to the park. This recycling effort has helped restore the entire decking system around two of Yellowstone's most popular tourist spots; the Old Faithful Geyser and the Midway Geyser Basin. In 2004, we also donated $1.45 million towards a new visitor education centre at the Old Faithful site.
Every year three million people visit Yellowstone, helping raise the profile of our pledge to preserve and protect America's National Parks.
