Organize an America Recycles Day Event

America Recycles Day offers Americans an annual opportunity to celebrate, educate and motivate the masses when it comes to recycling.

A national initiative by Keep America Beautiful, ARD is held Nov. 15 to promote recycling awareness, commitment and action in communities nationwide.

Recycling enthusiasts are encouraged to organize their own local events to boost community awareness and participation.

Have no fear! Event organizers don’t have to be recycling gurus or professional party planners.

Here are some helpful tools for how to host an event for anyone looking to support recycling in their community.

1. First thing’s first: when and where

To get started, an event organizer must select a location, date and time. Plan an event on or around Nov. 15, or one that reoccurs throughout the month of November.

Ideally, a prime location would be a visible, high-traffic area. If nothing comes to mind, feel free to ask local stores, hospitals, schools or public venues if you can stage an event at their facility. This can also help you establish valuable partnerships with community members that are interested in supporting America Recycles Day.

Next, recruit volunteers to help run your event by reaching out to members of your personal networks.

You might be surprised how many people will help out when a free T-shirt is on the line.

2. Register your event

Now that you have the basics established, it’s time to register your event at www.americarecyclesday.org. Connecting to the national campaign offers multiple benefits that allow you to host with ease.

By registering, you will have access to ideas and resources, including promotional materials and a forum for sharing pictures and results. You can also use this tool to boost foot-traffic at your event by publicizing it on the site’s searchable city list of activities.

3. Set up for success

In order to have a successful event, some basic materials will be needed.

Among the benefits of registering your event is the access it gives you to free and discounted promotional materials that will help get your event noticed.

Upon registration, you can request free America Recycles Day pencils, stickers, buttons and bookmarks to use as giveaways at your event. The ARD site also offers a free banner when you register, as well as discounted banners you can purchase, or a print-ready file version if you would prefer to produce one locally.

Consider handouts as an easy tool for getting information into community members’ hands at the event. It is important that the information being provided offers community-specific recycling information since many areas differ on recycling options and availability. Contact your city or county recycling office for details, or even pre-made handouts.

Besides the promotional materials, you will want to make sure the essentials are covered. Plan on having plenty of tables and chairs, as well as supplies such as pens, scissors, staplers, markers and tape. Don’t forget to have a camera handy, so your event can be documented and shared!

4. Spread the word

America Recycles Day offers a lot of help to a local event host with publicity and promotion, not only with physical materials such as banners and flyers, but also with templates that can be adjusted for different promotional opportunities.

Reaching out to your personal connections via email and social media sites is a great way to promote your event, and asking your volunteers and partners to do the same can multiply the effect. ARD offers a customizable email template that can be shared to help you get the word out.

ARD also offers templates for news releases and public service announcements for hosts looking to reach out to the local media for publicity.

5. Create activities

Make your event fun and interactive by planning some activities that will help encourage visitors to take part. Promoting the pledge drive or playing some recycling themed games can help draw attention to your display, and therefore the cause.

ARD suggests simple activities such as guessing games about items that can or cannot be recycled, or rewarding people you randomly catch recycling with giveaway items can keep visitors engaged and provide opportunities for them to learn about their local recycling options.

Get more creative activity ideas at www.americarecyclesday.org.