Celebrating America Recycles Day — November 15

Did you know that November 15 is America Recycles Day? It is — and it’s the only nationally recognized day dedicated to educating and encouraging individuals on how to be more mindful of what they consume, how to properly recycle, and pledge to recycle more and recycle right in their daily lives. America Recycles Day is part of the Keep America Beautiful national initiative, dedicated to promoting and celebrating recycling in the United States.

Held each November since 1994, the goal of this nationwide event is to increase recycling awareness and give individuals resources and opportunities to become involved.

Focusing on individual action

Through America Recycles Day, the hope is that communities and individuals will be inspired to recognize the economic, environmental and social benefits of recycling.

Research shows that the overwhelming majority of Americans support recycling — and that support goes well beyond the act of tossing tin cans and plastic milk jugs into the recycling cart.

Consumers want more products made from recycled materials. Businesses are developing new ways to use recycled materials to meet consumer demand. And municipalities want to recycle more, reducing the need for landfills.

The key benefits of recycling

According to the America Recycles Day website, there are several ways that recycling has a positive benefit on our everyday life.

1. It saves energy and resources. By recycling things like newspaper, cardboard and aluminum cans, we use fewer natural resources — like trees, water and minerals. Recycling existing materials also uses less energy than creating them from new raw materials.
2. It reduces greenhouse gases. Recycling helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions and pollution by using fewer natural resources and less energy.
3. It preserves the environment. Recycling helps reduce the amount of solid waste sent to landfills, conserves natural resources and prevents pollution by reducing the need to collect new raw materials. This, in turn, helps preserve natural ecosystems and wildlife.
4. It creates jobs. A variety of critical jobs are related to the recycling industry —everything from curbside collection to the sorters, mechanics and technicians working at material recovery facilities.
5. It gives garbage new life. When you recycle used items, you help create something new.

Working together to keep America beautiful

The nonprofit Keep America Beautiful organization works with millions of volunteers on beautification and greening programs, impacting more than 20,000 communities across the country every year.

In the most recent program year, volunteers logged an incredible 2.94 million hours. How did they spend that time? They planted more than 3.2 million plants, shrubs and trees. They cleaned up and created over 3,000 green spaces and gardens. And they beautified nearly 900 public spaces with murals and artwork. Here are more statistics that show the impactful power of dedicated volunteers:

• 69,689,184 pounds of litter, debris and recyclable materials collected
• 146,647 acres cleaned of litter
• 59,874 miles of streets, roads and highways cleaned and beautified
• 7,461 miles of rivers, lakes, wetlands and shores cleaned
• 31,899 trees planted, helping to restore community green spaces

A huge THANK YOU to everyone in the area who uses curbside recycling and makes an effort to do it right! By keeping the recycling stream clean — and only putting materials in the red-lid roll cart that belong there — you’re making it possible for more things to be recycled. And as you can see by the information here on America Recycles Day, recycling really does make a difference — for all of us.

If you’d like more information on America Recycles Day, their website is packed with information on community events, recycling resources, educational materials and more. Check it out!