America Recycles Day is the only nationally recognized day dedicated to encouraging Americans to recycle and buy recycled products. It is celebrated each year on November 15.
Why is recycling so important?
Recycling helps extend the life and usefulness of something that has already served its initial purpose by returning it to its raw materials and then using those materials to produce something that is useable. It’s part of the three golden rules of sustainability (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle) and has a lot of benefits both to us humans and to the environment. Virtually all the planet is impacted by how much we recycle.
Set New Green Goals on America Recycles Day
Even though America Recycles Day is just a day, think of it as a day to start new recycling goals for the upcoming year. Here are some ideas to consider for America Recycles Day.
- Find out if carton recycling is available in your area. If it’s not, talk to the local recycling center about recycling cartons. The Carton Council has some great resources.
- Stop throwing away clothing and household textiles. Find a local clothing recycler or contact Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association (SMART) to find out where to donate.
- Avoid plastic bags by bringing your own bag, or simply declining the bag when you can. When you have excess plastic bags, dry cleaner bags, or newspaper bags, bring them to your local retailer to recycle.
- Talk to your kids about recycling. Beyond the typical paper, plastic, and aluminum, how can they recycle their clothes, toys, or electronics? How can they use recycled items into art projects or gifts?
- Get familiar with what you CAN and CAN’T recycle. Here is a great refrigerator list, and a few more items you probably forgot. Recyclable items can also vary by where you live, so check with your local recycling center too.
- Buy recycled when you can! When you purchase items that are made from recycled materials, you help eliminate the need for virgin materials. Buying art made of recycled materials can be even more meaningful.
Find out what you can do to help make a difference in our environment every day. Whether you’re at home, on the go, in the office or at school, there are many opportunities to go green by reducing, reusing and recycling. Visit the links below to see how, and check out our Think Green Before You Shop poster for questions you can ask yourself before shopping to reduce, reuse and recycle more.
Looking for more sustainability? Check out the newly redesigned EvCC Sustainability web pages!