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America Recycles Day Engages Communities to Help Protect the Environment

photos of a computer monitor, aluminum can, motor oil container, milk container, and newspapers around the "America Recycles Day" logo

Learn more about the National Recycling CoalitionExit EPA , lead organizer for America Recycles Day.

10 Ways to Mark America Recycles Day!!

  1. Start early on your holiday decorations…recycle old disks, electronics, plastics, and paper to create original holiday ornaments and decorations.
  2. Turn your household into a recycling zone on Nov. 15th. Play a game with your family- give everyone a bag and encourage them to recycle as much as they can. The person with the most recyclable items wins.
  3. Hold a contest with friends, asking each person to make a creative object with only recyclable materials.
  4. Make a poster of items that can be recycled and place it right above the trash can at home and/or at work.
  5. Make your own “I Recycle” patch or button out of recyclable materials. Wear it on your purse, backpack, or coat on Nov. 15th to increase awareness and motivate others to recycle, too!
  6. Turn milk jugs and cartons into vases to hold flowers and plants to brighten up your home.
  7. Pass it on: Share one way you recycle with a co-worker, family member, or neighbor.
  8. Bring home scrap computer paper from work for your kids to use as drawing paper.
  9. Designate your own recycling bin at work and place it at your desk.
  10. Bring your lunch to work or school in a reusable container.

Did You Know?
If we recycled the 48 billion aluminum cans that we throw away each year, we could save the equivalent of 24 million barrels of oil.

Find an event near you and help celebrate America Recycles Day. Exit EPA

In 2006, the United States produced 251 million tons of municipal solid waste, approximately 4.6 pounds of waste per person per day. Most of this material is recyclable. Recycling benefits the environment at every stage in the life cycle of a consumer product, from the raw material used to make the product, to the final method of disposal. Environmental benefits of recycling include:

By using our resources wisely, we strengthen our economy and national security. Literally thousands of products are recyclable, including paper, yard waste, motor oil, tires, plastic, glass, batteries, building materials, and obsolete electronic products.

It's important to recognize used materials as a product or commodity and not simply waste. You can do that on November 15, 2007, by participating in America Recycles Day. Exit EPA America Recycles Day helps people understand how everyday activities - be it reading a newspaper, eating lunch, drinking a bottle of water, or mailing a package - affect our environment. The materials we use and the actions we take in our daily lives each affect the environment in some way. By committing ourselves to producing less waste, reusing and recycling more materials, buying more recycled and recyclable products, and reducing toxic chemicals in products and waste, we conserve energy and preserve natural resources.

We are proud to be part of the 10th annual America Recycles Day Exit EPA as both a participant and a sponsor. America Recycles Day is a partnership between government, industry, and environmental organizations to promote and encourage recycling nationwide. America Recycles Day is an important part of our drive to achieve our goal of a 35 percent national recycling rate.

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