America Recycles Day

November 15th is America Recycles Day. A day we are encouraged to pledge, get involved and recycle everything we possibly can. Even though the blog's focus is e-waste and rare earth materials, I think it’s important to remember that recycling is something that affects our environment and our future everyday.

At americarecyclesday.org you can officially pledge to: “learn, act, and share.” It is said that “the national recycling rate has increased every year for the past 30 years.” "The current recycling rate is only 34.5%." It’s great that this number is always increasing, but I think it should be so much bigger!

Learn. “I will find out what materials are collected for recycling in my community at americarecyclesday.org.”

The first step to recycling is to know what can be recycled. From reading previous blog posts about e-waste and electronics, I’m sure it’s clear that tons of electronics can be recycled, but the list continues! On earth911.com you can type in anything you want to recycle along with your city and state. Once you click search, a list of recycling facilities who are equipped with handling what you're ready to get rid of will appear near the bottom of the page.

Earth911.com also offers a quick search option with all types of recyclable materials. They have a section for automotive, batteries, construction, electronics, garden, glass, hazardous, household, metal, paint, paper, and plastic. Under those, you can find the different types things you can recycle. For example, under glass, you can choose from blue/green/brown/clear glass beverage containers, blue/green/brown/clear glass containers and aluminum lids. Under the plastic option they make it easy for the user to choose exactly what type of plastic they want to recycle. Overall, it’s a good place to start when you’re in need of getting rid of some recyclable waste.

Act. “Reduce my personal waste by recycling. Within the next month, I will recycle more.”

The best way combat e-waste is to get involved with recycling facilities and learning more about how to recycle properly. According to americarecyclesday.org, there are 983 registered recycling events happening across the US. You can type in your location and it will narrow down all the events that are going on near you. From what I’ve seen, it looks like most of these events are going on for several days so everyone is encouraged to recycle even before the 15th!

Find a recycling event here: events.americarecyclesday.org

Share. “In the next month, I will encourage one family member or one friend to take the pledge.”

52,025 people and businesses have taken the pledge to do their part and recycle everything and anything they can. Our future depends on us and what we recycle. Without it, our environment and resources will surely deplete at a much faster rate. Be the change you want to see in the world and remember to do your part in protecting our earth and giving us a more eco-friendly future to look forward to.

Take the pledge!