Celebrating recycling

DeAnne Toto

Production on the issue you’re currently reading took place during the month of November, which also saw the celebration of America Recycles Day. This national program from Keep America Beautiful (KAB), Stamford, Connecticut, takes place annually on and around Nov. 15. America Recycles Day has been recognizing the benefits of recycling while providing a platform to raise awareness about the value of reducing, reusing and recycling since 1997, KAB says.

This year, our newest editor, Megan Workman, helped to celebrate America Recycles Day by taking part in the #RecyclingSelfie campaign, which urged people to share photos of themselves that are “thematically relevant to recycling” using the hashtag #RecyclingSelfie. Photos that were posted from Oct. 22 to Nov. 20 to Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or Instagram using the hashtag were eligible to receive one of many prizes.

KAB also used America Recycles Day to release its “Top 10 in the Bin” campaign. According to KAB, these infographics help to answer the question, “What can I recycle,” in a “clear, concise and positive way by listing the most widely and easily recycled items.” The infographics can be downloaded at http://americarecyclesday.org/toolkit and list the 10 items that are accepted in most curbside recycling programs throughout the United States: cardboard, paper, food boxes, mail, beverage cans, food cans, glass bottles, glass and plastic jars, jugs and plastic bottles and caps.

The campaign is the result of a partnership among the KAB, the National Waste & Recycling Association (NW&RA), the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that aims to make recycling less confusing for people.

Jennifer Jehn, president and CEO, Keep America Beautiful, says, “This initiative is about making the recycling of basic items easy to understand and to help make it second nature to recycle. As a result, more material will get recycled and will be used to become new products.”

At the recent Paper & Plastics Recycling Conference, organized by the Recycling Today Media Group, a number of panelists lamented the state of public education surrounding recycling, acknowledging that communities have more pressing concerns for their limited funds than recycling education. The KAB “Top 10 in the Bin” campaign, however, can help dollar-strapped communities educate their residents by giving them free and easily accessible resources.

The organizations say they plan to partner on additional recycling communications efforts going forward. This likely is welcome news to communities that wish to improve their recycling efforts though their coffers may not allow for customized education.