Many ECOS members observed America Recycles Day on November 15 by encouraging the public to reduce, reuse, and recycle.
America Recycles Day, created by the National Recycling Coalition in 1997, is a nationwide community-driven campaign dedicated to promoting and celebrating recycling. This year’s theme was “I want to be recycled!”
According to U.S. EPA, only about 35 percent of what Americans throw away is recycled, meaning that more than half of all waste is still going to landfills and incinerators. That’s why the Indiana Department of Environmental Management encourages Hoosiers to sign the #BeRecycled Pledge, a promise to be a part of the national solution by being more mindful of how to properly recycle used products.
In Connecticut, Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Robert Klee kicked off the #whatsINwhatsOUT campaign using the state’s new universal recycling list for residential programs. The list, called the RecycleCT Wizard, helps citizens identify what items can be recycled and how to recycle them.
The Maryland Department of the Environment debuted a new commercial on e-cycling. Watch here to learn more about proper disposal of old electronics.
Embracing the America Recycles Day theme, the District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment advertised its new Zero Waste website to teach citizens about what and how to recycle.
Other state environmental agencies, like those in Oklahoma, Missouri, and Michigan, used social media to promote recycling habits and guide people to their solid waste webpages.
