Planting Projects will Help Restore, Rehabilitate and Return Damaged Areas Back to their Natural State
BANNOCKBURN, Ill. – April 28, 2023 - Stericycle, Inc. (Nasdaq: SRCL), a leading provider of regulated medical waste management and secure information destruction solutions, has completed its year-long project with the Arbor Day Foundation to plant over 74,000 trees in the United States and Canada and will plant a further 6,000 trees in the United Kingdom this Spring. The reforestation efforts of a total of approximately 80,000 trees will help restore habitat, improve air and water quality, and sequester carbon in areas damaged by human activity and natural disasters.
“Stericycle is proud of our replanting efforts knowing these trees will have a long-term, positive environmental impact in the places we live and work for years to come,” commented Cindy J. Miller, president and chief executive officer at Stericycle. “By partnering with organizations like the Arbor Day Foundation that share our passion and purpose, we can continue to put our promise in action to protect what matters.”
According to estimates provided by the Arbor Day Foundation, Stericycle’s reforestation efforts during the first year of the partnership will result in the following positive impacts to the environment over the next 40 years:
- Sequestering 76,548 metric tons of CO2 (equivalent to 16,641 fewer cars on the road)*
- Avoiding 17,950,811 gallons of water runoff (equivalent to 203,986 people with cleaner water)*
- Removing 270 tons of air pollutants (equivalent to enough oxygen for 20,106 people)*
*Estimates calculated using iTree, a state-of-the-art, peer-reviewed software suite from the USDA Forest Service that provides urban and rural forestry analysis and benefits assessment tools.
In Florida, Stericycle’s efforts help to restore native sandhill ecosystems and protect endangered wildlife like the gopher tortoise. In Indiana, the reforestation of Wallier Woods helps restore several bat habitats, including the federally endangered Indiana bat. In Ontario, Canada, Stericycle’s contribution will help control soil erosion and expand the forest cover within the Simcoe County Greenlands System. In the United Kingdom, Stericycle will plant 6,000 trees as part of the country's largest environmental regeneration initiative, which includes 12 community forests.
“Partners like Stericycle help the Arbor Day Foundation achieve the global scale necessary to drive meaningful impact,” said Dan Lambe, CEO of the Arbor Day Foundation, “We are proud of what we’ve accomplished so far through this partnership and look forward to continuing to build on our success. The world needs trees now more than ever, and the Foundation is uniquely positioned to meet that need thanks to our members, supporters and corporate partners.”
For the past 50 years, the Arbor Day Foundation has worked to plant nearly 500 million trees around the world. Through a vast network of partnerships, the Foundation facilitates projects that empower organizations of all sizes to reach their environmental and sustainability goals through measurable, impactful work. Healthy forests are key to the health of some of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world. Trees support wildlife and aquatic life by providing habitat and helping to keep waterways healthy. This ensures that ecosystem balance can be maintained, and biodiversity can thrive. This directly coincides with Stericycle’s mission to protect health and well-being in a safe, responsible and sustainable way.
To learn more about the Arbor Day Foundation, visit www.arborday.org. To learn more about Stericycle's environmental efforts, visit www.stericycle.com/sustainability.
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About Stericycle
Stericycle, Inc., is a U.S. based business-to-business services company and leading provider of compliance-based solutions that protects people and brands, promotes health and well-being and safeguards the environment. Stericycle serves customers in the U.S. and 16 countries with solutions for regulated waste and compliance services and secure information destruction. For more information about Stericycle, please visit www.stericycle.com.
About the Arbor Day Foundation
Founded in 1972, the Arbor Day Foundation has grown to become the largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees, with more than one million members, supporters and valued partners. Since 1972, almost 500 million Arbor Day Foundation trees have been planted in neighborhoods, communities, cities and forests throughout the world. Our vision is to lead toward a world where trees are used to solve issues critical to survival.
As one of the world's largest operating conservation foundations, the Arbor Day Foundation, through its members, partners and programs, educates and engages stakeholders and communities across the globe to involve themselves in its mission of planting, nurturing and celebrating trees. More information is available at www.arborday.org.
