JACKSON, WYO.—Visitors and staff at Grand Teton National Park now have more ways to recycle—and an easy way to reduce litter, thanks to a collaboration between nonprofit Keep America Beautiful, sustainability solutions innovator TerraCycle, and hospitality provider Grand Teton Lodge Company. With a grant from the National Park Foundation, the group is introducing new recycling infrastructure at the park to make waste disposal simpler, smarter, and more accessible.
The centerpiece is a newly installed 20-foot recycling station at the busy Colter Bay Campground, which welcomes up to 4,000 overnight guests a night during peak season. This bear-resistant structure features 12 clearly marked slots and easy-to-read signage, making it simple for campers to sort traditional recyclables like aluminum cans, glass bottles, and cardboard—materials that will be recycled through Grand Teton National Park’s municipal recycling service. It also includes designated spaces for hard-to-recycle items such as snack and candy wrappers, rigid plastic, and flexible plastic packaging, which will be collected and recycled by TerraCycle through its specialized recycling solutions.
The upgrades don’t stop there. Anglers will now find three dedicated bins near fishing access points to safely dispose of used fishing line—a small change that helps protect the park’s waterways and wildlife. And 30 new cigarette butt recycling receptacles have been added to help tackle one of the park’s most common sources of litter.
Making Recycling More Intuitive & Accessible
“This collaboration with Grand Teton National Park, Grand Teton Lodge Company, and Keep America Beautiful brings real-world recycling solutions to one of the most iconic natural settings in the U.S.,” said Tom Szaky, Founder and CEO of TerraCycle. “Together, with the support of the National Park Foundation, we’re demonstrating how well-designed infrastructure can make recycling more intuitive and accessible—even in remote, natural settings like Grand Teton.”
“Recycling in a national park shouldn’t stop at bottles and cans,” said David Wheeler, Vice President, National Partnerships at Keep America Beautiful. “With the new recycling station, plus separate receptacles for fishing line and cigarette butts, it’s easier than ever for visitors to properly dispose of items like flexible plastics, snack and candy wrappers, and other litter that might otherwise end up in landfills—or in the park itself. We’re proud to support this effort to help keep Grand Teton beautiful for visitors and safe for wildlife.”
This effort brings together the complementary goals of each partner. The project serves as a tangible step toward achieving Grand Teton Lodge Company’s stringent sustainability targets, as part of its broader commitment as a subsidiary of Vail Resorts. For the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation, it reflects a long-term strategy to protect natural and cultural resources by reducing waste and engaging park visitors in responsible stewardship. By aligning public, nonprofit, and private sector goals, this collaboration serves as a model for sustainability in shared natural spaces.
For more information about the organizations involved and their sustainability efforts, visit www.terracycle.com, www.kab.org, www.gtlc.com, www.nps.gov/grte, and www.nationalparks.org.
