Join us in diverting 200,000 malt bags from the landfill annually!
Country Malt Group and Great Western Malting have teamed up with local recycling companies to create a simple, effective program to recycle hundreds of thousands of empty malt bags each year. The recycling facilities will process the used malt bags to be upcycled in future plastic items, including new malt bags, reducing environmental impact.
HOW TO MAKE A MALT BAG LOG
To maximize space in the gaylord recycling bins, malt bags need to be rolled into an easy to transport, compact “log” which is made up of about 40 malt bags.
Step 1: Take one bag, cut the string with the double string away from you.
Step 2: Pull both ends of the string to remove from bag. Hold bag open like a sleeve.
Step 3: Fold and push the remaining bags inside the bag sleeve to complete your log.
All #5 Polypropylene plastic malt bags will be accepted from brewers and distillers, regardless of malt brand or customer status.
WHERE TO RECYCLE MALT BAG LOGS
FIND A PROGRAM NEAR YOU
HELP US EXPAND OUR MAP
KNOW OF A FACILITY THAT WILL RECYCLE MALT BAGS? WANT TO START YOUR OWN RECYCLING PROGRAM? LET US KNOW SO WE CAN ADD IT TO THE MAP!
CHAMPLAIN, CHICAGO, AND VANCOUVER:
HOT TRUCK DRIVER PICK UP
For current hot truck customers on their scheduled delivery days.
Contact your CMG sales rep for more information about our hot truck program.
DISTRIBUTION CENTER DROP OFF
View orange pins on map for Country Malt Group Will Call options.
Open Monday – Friday, from 8 AM – 4 PM.
PARTICIPATING BREWERIES
To get added to our list, please email your logo to marketing@countrymalt.com after recycling your first malt bag log.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is the Recycling Program?
This is a recycling program created by Country Malt Group (CMG) and Great Western Malting (GWM) to allow brewers and distillers to easily recycle their empty malt bags, reducing plastic waste.
What are the benefits of this program?
This program reduces the environmental impact of our industry with the potential to divert an estimated 200,000 malt bags out of the landfill annually!
Who can participate in this recycling program?
Any brewer or distiller near a service area can participate in this program.
Do I have to be a customer of GWM or CMG to participate?
No, anyone can participate in this malt bag recycling program! If you’re not a GWM or CMG customer, then you’ll need to drop off your empty malt bags at one of the facilities. View the map for more information.
Who do I contact to schedule a pickup or drop off?
For CMG hot truck customers in Vancouver, Chicago or Champlain only: Pickups of malt bag logs will be done in conjunction with your normal CMG hot truck delivery schedule. If you don’t receive hot truck deliveries, then you can drop off malt bag logs at the warehouses Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. – 4p.m.
Who do I contact with additional questions?
You can reach out to any of our sales or customer service personnel!
What’s a malt bag log?
A “log” is made up of about 40 used malt bags placed inside one bag. Consolidating used malt bags into logs makes it much easier to transport and process. To learn how to roll a log, check out this quick tutorial.
How does the program work?
There are two ways to participate in the program:
- For Vancouver, Chicago, and Champlain hot truck customers: you can give your used malt bags, rolled into logs, to your dedicated hot truck drivers.
- Brewers and distillers outside of the hot truck radius can bring full gaylord bins or drop off malt bag logs to the locations on the map.
What bags are accepted?
We’re currently prepared to accept #5 Polypropylene plastic malt bags from any malt company. All bags must be clean (no malt or liners), clearly marked #5 and rolled into a malt bag log to be accepted.
What do you mean the bag must be “clean?”
All malt bags need to be empty, meaning grain kernel free. Residual grain dust in the bag is fine.
Will you accept bags with liners?
No. Bags with liners are not considered #5 Polyproplyene bags. We’re only able to accept #5 Polyproplyene bags. If a #5 Polyproplyene bag has a liner, then the liner would need to be removed before rolling into a log to be recycled. Strings can be recycled with the #5 Polyproplyene bags, so they can remain on the bag.
Will you take Supersacks?
Our CMG Distribution Center is not equipped to accept Supersacks as part of this recycling program.