Corona beer partners with the Glass Recycling Foundation in upcoming pop-ups on St. Louis patios

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Grab an ice-cold Corona and some friends and do your part to protect the environment while having fun one bottle at a time at an interactive eco-friendly experience.

Leading international producer of the popular Corona beer Constellation Brands and the Glass Recycling Foundation (GRF), a nonprofit organization centered on community glass recycling efforts, is bringing their environmental sustainability efforts to a St. Louis patio near you.

For the past three years, the initiative has educated and brought awareness to beer lovers on recycling and sustainable practices while diverting glass away from landfills so it can be adequately recycled into new products. Beer drinkers may not know that pulverized glass crushed to its finest becomes sand. It is the only raw material that can be recycled infinitely, without losing its quality or purity with no added elements. By the end of the year, the initiative will have traveled to 61 cities.

“There is limitless potential for the reuse of glass,” said Andy Keefner, On-Premise Director of Constellation Brands Beer Division. “We have the material right at our fingertips, so why not put it back into beneficial use, right back into manufacturers. The initiative was not just about Corona’s needs; it was about society’s needs.”

Constellation Brands and GRF work with innovative leaders in the recycling market like North America’s largest glass recycler Strategic Material Inc. (SMI), which has a location in St. Louis, that takes the sand and makes new glass bottles, containers and fiberglass, or gives it a new purpose in landscaping, construction, fillers in paints, highway beads and even coastal restoration.

To make this happen, the Corona Crusher activation machine will be making its rounds to approximately 20 bar and restaurant patios in the St. Louis region from October through early November for pop-up events. For two hours, the Corona Crusher will be active. Patrons can drink a beer, bring their empty clear bottles to the Corona Crusher machine, and witness the grinding process in real-time, watching glass turn into sand.

“Consumers are so engaged in the process, and we really want to give the consumers the recognition of their good efforts. It’s amazing to see a consumer watch a Corona bottle turn into a beach,” said Keefner.

Afterward, patrons can enjoy an arts and crafts activity, pouring sand into vials and take home a planter with seed coasters that grow into wildflowers.

Be on the lookout for the Corona Crusher this fall! Stay connected to social media for location drops.