The American people have heard that American needs to be made great again for a couple years now. Given that November 15th is America Recycles Day, it seems that people need to keep America sustainable and beautiful. One of the best ways to do this is to encourage environmental citizenship, which includes recycling. The goal of America Recycles Day is to promote recycling throughout the year, not just one day out of the year.
In the 1960s, America had a recycling rate of seven percent. While that is a depressing percentage, it is encouraging to know that the current recycling rate is at 35%. According to the EPA, every 10,000 tons of material that are recycled supports 16 jobs and about $760,000 in wages. Furthermore, the EPA conducted a study in 2016 that revealed that a single year of recycling accounted for $36.6 billion in wages and 757,000 jobs.
Some states, towns, and businesses in the country are more progressive than others when it comes to their sustainable practices. Many restaurants have started using recyclable plates, utensils, and bags, and some establishments have eliminated plastic straws and switched to paper straws in order to help protect marine life.
America Recycles Day works to educate people about the importance of recycling and how that simple act can improve the environment. Recycling is not something that should be done when you feel like it. Regularly recycling cardboard, cans, plastic, and glass can reduce the amount of waste that is sent to incinerators and landfills. Recycling can also save energy, prevent environmental pollution, and conserve natural resources like water, minerals, and timber.
How Can You Reduce Waste?
Getting rid of magazine, bottles, and cardboard materials? Recycle them because they are used to create the products you buy. You don’t have to be at home to recycle, either. You can take part in recycling events with your work, in your community, or at your child’s school. There are always opportunities to recycle, and if you take initiative to do so, hopefully that inspires others to start recycling on their own.
Take it upon yourself to reduce, reuse, and recycle today and for the rest of your life. We want to keep this world beautiful so that future generations can appreciate it. Let’s keep recycling!
