Confession – We’re big fans of reducing waste and recycling. We like to say that every day is recycle day at Earth911.
Every year, our friends at Keep America Beautiful (KAB) host America Recycles Day. If you’re not familiar with America Recycles Day (no judgement here if you’re not familiar), it is ‘the only nationally recognized day dedicated to promoting and celebrating recycling in the U.S.’
This year’s America Recycles Day being held Sunday, November 15, 2015, will include plenty of interactive opportunities including;
- The “I Will Recycle” social media campaign and sweepstakes (more on the prizes below) and
- Plenty of support and tips for hosting your very own ARD event.
The theme for 2015 is “Bathrooms, Bags & Gadgets”. From KAB…
“Bathrooms, Bags & Gadgets” – shines a light on some of the everyday but not “top of mind” consumer products, which can and should be given another life through recycling. These include personal care items commonly found in the bathroom, like haircare and mouthwash bottles; plastic bags, such as those used at retail stores, and plastic wrap used in packaging paper towels, toilet paper or dry cleaning; and consumer electronics and gadgets, such as mobile phones, tablets, game consoles, televisions and more.
To make recycling these specific items as easy as possible, Earth911 has developed a customized recycling locator for America Recycles Day.
“I Will Recycle” Sweepstakes
During America Recycles Day 2015, individuals are encouraged to take the “I Will Recycle” Pledge. Between Oct. 15 and Nov. 20, the America Recycles Day “I Will Recycle” Sweepstakes will provide four people the chance to win an Apple Certified Refurbished iPad mini 3.
Individuals are encouraged to demonstrate their recycling spirit and automatically be entered in the sweepstakes by posting a photo on Twitter at@KABTweet or @RecyclesDay or@KeepAmericaBeautiful on Instagram holding a recyclable product that they pledge to recycle with the hashtags #IWillRecycle and #Sweepstakes.
Individuals must enable public viewing of Twitter and Instagram photos. Keep America Beautiful may share tagged social media posts with its fans and four individuals will be selected at random to win an Apple Certified Refurbished iPad mini 3.
For more details on how to enter, read the Official Rules. From KAB…
“America Recycles Day provides key moments in time to educate and encourage individuals to better understand how, why and where they can recycle to divert relevant products from the waste stream and give their garbage another life,” said Brenda Pulley, senior vice president, recycling, Keep America Beautiful. “For 2015, we want to encourage people to think beyond bottles and cans to other products that may not be as top of mind but are also recyclable. We look forward to having more people take the ‘I Will Recycle’ pledge this year and to seeing and sharing their photographs for America Recycles Day.”
More than 200,000 people have taken the “I Will Recycle” Pledge online and in paper form at America Recycles Day events, joining a growing movement of caring citizens committed to increase the recycling rate in America.
Host an Event
Recycling is a great first step in reducing waste in and around your community. In 2014, more than 2,000 America Recycles Day events were registered online, engaging more than 2 million estimated participants nationwide. Ready to take it to the next level?
Consider hosting an event in your area. Every year America Recycles Day event organizers just like you, educate neighbors, friends and colleagues through thousands of events. KAB has created guides, tools, templates and tips to make it easy to organize your local event. Included in these turnkey materials are;
- customizable templates including posters, media materials, proclamations and
- activities you can use to promote recycling awareness, commitment and action in your community.
While this year’s focus is on “Bathrooms, Bags & Gadgets”, don’t forget the other areas of your house as well. Here are the Top 10 Things to Recycle In Your Home, courtesy of Keep America Beautiful.
America Recycles Day is made possible through the generous support of partners such as Amcor, American Chemistry Council, CyclePoint® from Source America®; Johnson & Johnson Family of Consumer Companies, Northrop Grumman Corporation and Pilot Corporation of America (Pilot Pen).
Feature image courtesy of Matthew Rogers