Get Involved in America Recycles Day!

Saturday, Nov. 15, marks the 11th annual America Recycles Day, sponsored by the National Recycling Coalition (NRC).

Ed Skernolis, acting executive director of the NRC, said that America Recyles Day (ARD) is a “yearly celebration of the advances we are making toward an environmentally sustainable future. Across America, thousands of communities and businesses are raising awareness at special events and throughout local and national media to drive home the importance of recycling.

“As a nation, we recycle about 34 percent of our municipal solid waste. This does not count the millions of tons recovered from used automobiles and appliances, construction and demolition sites, and myriad industrial wastes. These are good numbers, and we can and will do better.”

Getting Excited?

It’s easy to get involved with ARD. Events around the nation will be held where you can pitch in and make a difference:

• Play in the Park: On Friday, Nov. 14, Coca-Cola is hosting a bottle and can recycling event, as well as a trash pickup, for kids at the Boys and Girls Club of Chicago James R. Jordan Club and Family Life Center in Chicago, Ill. The cleanup will be from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., with an appearance from the Jesse White Tumbling Team and a pizza party to follow.
• Cash In: Get your community involved with RecycleBank, a company that pays you for your everyday, curbside recycling with points redeemable at popular retailers like Bed Bath&Beyond, 1-800-FLOWERS and Rite Aid. To date, RecycleBank households have saved over 559,475 trees, over 37 million gallons of oil, over 200 million gallons of water and diverted more than 59,946 tons of waste from landfills. If the service is not currently offered in your area, let your community leaders know that you’d like them to establish a relationship with RecycleBank.
• Get Kind: Did you forget that Thursday, Nov. 13, was World Kindness Day? It’s ok, we did too. Show the world some kindness on ARD by being environmentally responsible and recycling what you can. There’s no better way to show some love to your fellow man, and the planet, by keeping usable materials out of landfills.
• Ring it In: Keep America Beautiful, along with Sprint and ReCellular, is hosting the 2008 Cell Phone Round-up. Visit the Round-up’s site and print a postage-paid shipping label to safely and conveniently recycle your cell phone. Proceeds will benefit community-based efforts to reduce waste, prevent litter and beautify public spaces.

To learn more about what’s happening near you, ARD has listings for every state. Grab a stack of newspapers, a heap of plastic bags and your stash of plastic bottles and head down to your local recycler. Get excited and get involved!