RAA launches recycling education campaign

In response to what it calls the U.S. recycling crisis, 501(c)(3) nonprofit Recycle Across America (RAA), Minneapolis, has launched the celebrity-led “Let’s recycle right!” campaign. The nonprofit claims “Let’s recycle right!” is the largest recycling education campaign in U.S. history.

Many of the TV, billboard, print and social media ads features tips for proper recycling and introduce RAA’s standardized labeling solution for recycling bins, which the group says makes it possible for people everywhere to recycle right. The campaign features influencers and celebrities who have donated their time, likeness and influence to help resolve the recycling crisis, RAA says.

The ads include actress Kristen Bell, 2018 Olympic gold medal snowboarder Red Gerard, seven-time Grammy Award-winning musician Alanis Morissette, Emmy Award-winning comedian/commentator Bill Maher, Global Sustainability Executive for Whole Foods Market Kathy Loftus as well as CEOs, NFL players and political officials, including Mayor Buddy Dyer of Orlando, Florida, and Rhode Island Lt. Gov. Daniel McKee and Secretary of State Nellie M. Gorbea.

Photographer Timothy White and award-winning filmmaker Candida Brady have donated their talents to the campaign as well.

“We are beyond grateful to have an ever-growing collective group of influencers, media companies, municipalities, political leaders, brand leaders and bin manufacturers unite around this critical education campaign and recycling solution at a time when it is most needed,” says Mitch Hedlund, founder of Recycle Across America. “Just as standardized road signs make it easy for people to drive safely, standardized labels on bins make it easy for people to recycle right.”

Hedlund continues, “This isn’t an awareness campaign; this is a ‘solutions’ campaign. Together we will solve the crisis.”

The ads are currently playing on many ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC stations in 40 of the largest U.S. cities as well as appearing on Lamar Advertising Co.’s digital billboards across the U.S. The messages also are being displayed in international airports and other public spaces throughout the country in addition to being featured in national and regional magazines and newspapers.

RAA says it launched the campaign in response to the U.S. recycling crisis, citing the shutting down of 1,000 recycling centers in the state of California alone. “The chronic confusion at the bin has led people to throw millions of tons of garbage in recycling bins, and that contamination cripples the economics of recycling,” RAA says in a news release announcing the ad campaign.

The organization says public confusion and apathy about recycling originates from a lack of national education about proper recycling and a lack of standardized labels on recycling bins, carts and containers. Therefore, in addition to creating the recycling campaign, RAA created standardized labels for use on recycling bins that are designed to make it easy for the public to begin recycling right wherever they might be. To date, nearly 9 million standardized labels displayed on bins throughout the U.S. that have proven to double or triple recycling levels and significantly reduce or eliminate contamination, RAA says. Less contamination helps to reduce the cost of processing recyclables and allows many manufacturers to have access to high-quality recycled commodities at competitive prices, thereby preventing the depletion of finite natural resources, the organization adds.