This symbol depicts a recyclable item America Recycles Day
(ARD) is celebrated every year on November 15. The whole
point of this day is to recycle things, to buy recycled
products, and to learn more about the recycling process,
especially as it relates to your local area. Participating
in ARD can be a great learning experience and can also help
you clear out some clutter. Here are some suggestions for
getting involved in America Recycles Day.
!! Steps !!
Take the pledge to recycle on the official America Recycles Day
(ARD) website.[1] Do this before you begin. Tell your friends about
the pledge, too, and suggest that they become involved.
Learn more about recycling. There is a wealth of reputable
information about recycling available online, suitable for kids to
adults. Do a little research and spend some time learning about what
can and cannot be recycled (and why), where recycling occurs in the
world, and the items that recycled products end up as.
* The US EPA has an excellent collection of recycling publications
at; http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/inforesources/pubs/recycling.htm.
* CalRecycle has lots of freely available publications on waste and
recycling at: http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/Publications/.
* Many of the industries involved in manufacturing products that can
be recycled will also have recycling information on their
websites. Look especially for manufacturers of metals, paper,
glass, plastic, batteries, and steel.
* Look for posters, books, games, calculators, and quizzes as well
as reading material at online sites. There are many fun,
interactive ways to learn about recycling.
Consider hosting a recycling event in your area. You can register
the event with America Recycles Day and let them know what you're
doing.[2] There are lots of amazing things you can do to get into
the recycling spirit, including:
* Have a garage sale or yard sale, arrange a community swap meet,
ask offices to give away their unwanted furniture to people who
can use it, hold a garden tools swap meet, go shopping at a thrift
store, exchange unwanted household goods and clothing, etc.
* Make crafts from recycled items, sell recycled crafts and artwork,
decorate and improve old clothes and shoes, make bird feeders from
old items, make this year's Christmas cards from last year's
cards, etc.
* Collect and donate items such as eyeglasses, clothes, costumes,
stationery, computers, fire extinguishers, ink cartridges,
construction materials, etc.
* Hold a recycled art and craft exhibition. Encourage all local
residents to enter something they've made from recycled items.
Award recycled prizes for the best entries and try to get the
media interested so that the winners get their names in the paper
or online.
Find out what your own town's policy on recycling is. The easiest
way to get an answer would be either at your town/city hall or at a
local recycling center. Have plenty of time available should you
need to wait. Write down any questions you have beforehand to avoid
any forgetfulness. Be sure to write down a quick answer, too. Ask
about when you can drop off recyclables and what kind of recyclables
your center takes.
* If you're unhappy with the extent of recycling offered in your
area after you've received your information, why not follow it up
with letters to your local authority making suggestions on
possible improvements. Some suggestions might include asking the
local authority to collect more kinds of recyclables, to provide
better recycling facilities and bins, to encourage their own staff
to collect recyclables at work, to compost and mulch garden waste
and Christmas trees, to run programs that show people how to
compost, etc.
Collect recyclables. Collect items such as newspapers, soda cans,
bottles, and whatever else your recycling center allows. Don't just
save up your own. Get your friends, family, and neighbors involved!
You can even offer rewards, if you so choose.
* Recycle the items you've collected. Whether you have recycled a
bottle or 200 bottles, you will have made a difference in the
environment.
* Learn how you can recycle batteries, cell phones, and other
electronic things legally. Most town recycle centers have special
requirements for these kinds of items, so should you get one from
a recycle drive, inquire about the item before dropping it off.
* Download a widget that lets you know whether or not an item can be
recycled. America Recycles Day provides a free widget for download
that takes the guesswork out of it for you.[3]
Tell everyone you know that recycling is useful and fun. If family
members and friends aren't yet convinced of the value of recycling,
pointing out its benefits can help to improve their attitude toward
it. For example, recycling not only clears the clutter out of your
life but it helps to protect the environment by reusing resources
rather than always seeking new resources, it provides jobs for
people in the recycling industry, and on the fun side, recycling can
burn calories as you sort the items and toss them into bins!
* Recycled craft has become more and more popular in recent years
and can be a fun way to express your creativity without having to
spend too much money on materials. For more ideas on crafts with
recyclable items, read How to make recycled crafts.
* If you have Microsoft Excel, download the US EPA's iWarm tool to
calculate how much your current recycling reduces your carbon
footprint. It's available at:
http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/tools/iwarm/.
Write to your local government (senators, governors, etc.) about
increasing the amount of money to promote and sustain recycling.
Unfortunately, most states don't provide enough money for adequate
recycling centers. You can help by asking the right people to
increase funding and give a sound list of reasons as to why this is
a good idea (including benefits to the community as a whole), and
some suggestion on how you think it could be done, if you have any.
* Type your letters for a more professional appearance. If you're
shy about writing to your governor, try writing to your town
manager or mayor.
* Attend your local town meetings soon after you've sent your
letter, or at least try to find a response to it televised.
Make it a habit to recycle things. Just because one day out of 365
is dedicated to recycling doesn't mean that's the only day for
recycling. Make recycling the norm in your household; and if you're
already well into the habit, think of ways you can crank it up some
more and reduce the garbage, and increase the recyclables. Also
think of ways that you can reduce the amount of disposable items you
bring into your home in the first place.
* Buy canvas hampers to sort cans, bottles, etc. and get in the
habit of bringing your full hampers to the recycling center as
needed.
* Take bags to the supermarket instead of accepting plastic bags.
For bulk store purchases, take along your own reusable containers
(well cleaned).
* Read How to ask a store to sell you items in your own containers
for some more ideas.
!! Video !!
!! Tips !!
* If you choose to offer rewards for recycling, try to keep it with
the theme. Try an environmental button, a canvas tote, or
something earth-friendly and... recycled!
* Take pride in what you've done. Pat yourself on the back every
time you add something to your recycle bins.
* Listen to Jack Johnson's song "The 3 Rs". It will help you into
more of a "recycling spirit".
!! Warnings !!
* Take care not to cut yourself on glass jars or bottles.
* Wash hands after handling recyclables and recycling bins.
!! Things You'll Need !!
* Recycling containers
* Internet access
* Email or letter writing items
!! Related WikiHows !!
* How to Recycle
* How to Recycle Plastic Bottles
* How to Help Save the Environment
* How to Address a Letter to a Government Official
* How to Write a Letter
* How to Create Urban Rainforests
!! Sources And Citations !!
!! Article Tools !!
* Read on wikiHow
*
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