4 Easy Ways to Celebrate America Recycles Day

This November 15 is the nationwide America Recycles Day, in an effort to recognize the importance of recycling! An initiative by the Keep America Beautiful organization, this day can help all of us improve our recycling efforts at home. Here are 4 easy ways to celebrate America Recycles Day.

1. Retrofit your home for a better recycling stream. If you already have recycling set up at home, great! But there are many ways to improve your recycling set up. For example, having multiple bins to separate glass, paper, and plastic can make recycling day easier for your family. In addition, you can add a “donations” bin for items you want to simply donate or recycle, but cannot be put in curbside recycling. Or, you might want small “reuse” bins around the house: it could be a bin to collect glass jars and lids by the sink for washing and repurposing, or a one-sided printed paper bin that can be reused for shopping lists or note taking.

2. Reuse recyclables in simple projects. Today is a great day to take recyclables and turn them into new things, especially as a teaching tool for younger kids learning about reuse. We have many DIY upcycling projects that use the materials in your recycling bin, such as the milk jug to-go container we featured for green back-to-school projects.

3. Clean up and donate your recyclables. Have that old digital camera that doesn’t work anymore, or the box of clothes that you’ve been meaning to donate? Today is a great day to bring in those materials so they can be recycled and reused. The America Recycles Day website provides a mapping tool that will give you the locations of collection points in your zip code for all types of materials, including cellphones, electronics, clothes, and more.

4. Shop with only recycled containers and reusable bags. If you do any shopping on November 15, challenge yourself to shop without only your own recycled items. Bring in the old plastic vegetable bags to buy produce, and bring your own containers and glass jars to buy items in the bulk aisle. Try to shop for items with as none or as little packaging as possible, while prioritizing packaging that’s recyclable–you’ll see that it can be almost impossible to by something not prepackaged, and in a container that’s not recyclable. Doing this challenge will help you see how much waste does end up in recycling bin.

These 4 ways are just a few things you can do on America Recycles Day, besides the many local events and tips at the America Recycles Day website. Happy recycling!