America Recycles Day History
America Recycles Day dates back to 1994 where it began as Texas Recycles Day. It was created by Kevin Tuerff and Valerie Davis at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Their goal was to promote recycling and to help boost recycling rates in the United States.
In 1999, President Bill Clinton helped make it more official by signing a proclamation to make America Recycles Day a national day. In his proclamation, the President promoted the benefits of recycling, emphasizing the need for Americans to continue to recycle and buy recycled products.
The theme for the 1999 national recycling day was —”For Our Children’s Future . . . Buy Recycled Today”—something we here at Everyday Recycler strongly believe in.
Buying products made with recycled material helps to create new markets for the products and material, building a robust recycling industry while reducing America’s overall waste.
America Recycled Day is still the only nationally recognized day for building awareness and celebrating recycling in the United States.
Learn more about the history of recycling in the USA and globally in History of Recycling: Find out how long ago we really started recycling.
Below are some great ways you can get involved this year. But first, let’s take a look at why recycling is so important.
Why is recycling important?
Recycling is the process where waste materials are collected or recovered and reprocessed into materials that can be used again.
There are many benefits of recycling, including:
- Reduces how much waste is sent to landfill
- Saves energy and other resources
- Protects the environment
- Conserves natural resources such as timber, water, and minerals
- Creates a more sustainable industry
- Supports the circular economy
A great deal of energy and resources go into making all of the objects in our lives. Recycling makes use of these materials when they are no longer useful in their current form.
When you have exhausted the possibility for reuse, repair, or repurpose, it’s time for recycling to step in.
What can you do?
So what can we do? Reduce, reuse, and recycle. It may seem like a fun catchphrase, but it has real merit.
Look after what you have
We need to start reducing the amount of resources we use and the amount of waste we create. There are many things we can do as individuals.
We can learn to respect the items around us and appreciate the effort taken to create them. We can keep them in good condition and make sure we keep these materials in circulation as long as possible.
We can do this by:
- looking after the items we own, repairing them, reusing them, upcycling them, and finally recycling them.
- being an everyday recycler and learning how to recycle the right way.
- and buying products made with recycled materials to support the companies trying to keep these materials in circulation.
Here are some articles to help you become the best Everyday Recycler you can be:
- How does recycling help the environment?
- Recycling Tips: Top 10 Mistakes to Avoid When Recycling
- How to recycle: The Quick Reference Guide for Curbside Recycling
Think about what you buy
We usually say reduce first, then reuse, then recycle but maybe it should be “rethink” first”!
What does rethink mean? It means considering your purchase before you make it and rethinking it. Questions you can ask yourself are:
- do you really need it?
- Is there a better option? Perhaps a reusable alternative.
- Can you buy it second-hand? Is it made from recyclable materials?
These are just some of the questions you can ask yourself before hitting the “Buy Now” button or getting your credit card out.
Find ways to reduce and reuse
There are lots of ways to reduce your waste or reuse what we already have.
Here are some fantastic ideas :
- Refuse single-use plastics.
- Buy reusable products like straws, coffee mugs, and your own takeaway cutlery.
- Use recycled products like toilet paper and tissues.
- Minimize how much food you buy in packaging. If you can make things from scratch, you can save a lot of plastic.
- If you are not so good in the kitchen see if you have a bulk food store nearby.
- Always take your own carry bags to the supermarket and other stores.
- Look for good quality products that will last.
- Buy second hand or rent if possible.
You can get loads more great tips in Reduce reuse recycle. Ways to get you thinking.
Buy recycled
Using recycled materials in products reduces the need for virgin materials, like minerals, trees, water, energy, and other resources. It saves energy, minimizes the impact on the environment, and saves a lot of energy.
Here at Everyday Recycler, we search out unique products made from recycled materials to share with you. Check out our BRAND DIRECTORY focusing on companies that use recycled materials, including plastic, glass, metals, wool, food waste, and other materials.
Be sure to join our subscription to be one of the first to know.
Start by doing just one thing
It can seem a bit daunting sometimes, but one of the best ways to approach this is to start by simply changing just one thing. It might be to recycle your plastics, or it might be to start using the bulk food store near your home. Every little thing that you do makes a difference.
Then once you have mastered that one thing, you can look for another small step towards being a better Everyday Recycler.
How to get involved in America Recycles Day
Take a Pledge
Take the #BERECYCLED Pledge with Keep America Beautiful to:
- Learn – what can and cannot be recycled in your community
- Act – Reduce the amount of waste you produce and recycle more
- Share – Share what you have learned with your family and friends.
So far, 86,947 people have signed the pledge. Why not join them:
TAKE THE #BERECYCLED PLEDGE HERE
For those of you living in Washington, you can win a $300 gift certificate by taking the Washington Region America Recycles Day Pledge.
Join an event
There will be plenty of events that you can join, from clean-up events to educational events. Head over to the volunteer website and search to see what events are in your local area.
Joining a clean-up event can be very rewarding. Not only do you get to help clean your local area, but it is a great way to learn more about the types of waste that are polluting our environment.
If you can’t find a local event, then why not start your own. You can register for one here.
Educate Yourself
If you can’t get out to an event, why not take some time and learn something about recycling.
An excellent place to start is with the basics. Most curbside recycling programs only accept all or some of the following materials. So understanding these for and checking what your local authority accepts is a great first step.
- How to recycle Paper and cardboard
- How to recycle Glass
- How to make sense of the Plastic Numbers
- How to recycle Metals
- Recycling Tips: Top 10 Mistakes to Avoid When Recycling
Become an Everyday Recycler by subscribing to our newsletter. You’ll get easy-to-follow recycling tips and regular news of brands making recycled products. Plus, you will get our free recycling guide, a quick reference for learning the different types of plastics that you encounter in your life.
Join TerraCycle
What is TerraCycle? TerraCycle and its zero-waste program loop are creating the future for recycling. Created in 2003, TerraCycle has recycling processes for many hard-to-recycle materials, “Recycling the unrecyclable” is their motto. Plus, they have made it easy for everyday recyclers like you and me to access the system for free.
Many of their programs are supported by brands, therefore making it free for us to join. All you do is sign up, check their list of programs, collect the waste and then send it to TerraCycle. Or there are even drop-off locations for some of the items, check their website.
Join Loop
TerraCycle has also created a program called Loop. Through Loop, they have created a new way to shop all your favorite products except without the waste.
How does Loop work? You place a temporary 100% refundable deposit to borrow the packaging of your favorite products, they deliver it to you. When you are finished with the product, they pick up the empty packaging and then professionally clean and reuse it. Even their deliveries are waste-free with reusable tote bags.
Support great American companies
Another way to support recycling is to support the circular economy and buy back products already made from your waste.
Below are some great American brands that are already turning waste into fantastic new products.
- Noble Carriage – childrens wear brand using recycling fabrics
- Coalatree – lifestyle, outdoor apparel and accessories brand making products from coffee grounds to recycled plastic bottles
- Day Owl – backpacks made from the sturdy First MileTM waxed canvas made from recycled plastic bottles.
- Rothy’s – elegant and everyday-use products including shoes and handbags made using recycled rPET from plastic bottles.
- Fair Harbor – the best boardshorts on the planet made from plastic waste.
You can find more in our
Have a great America Recycles Day!
