Thousands of Americans across the country will be joining together to celebrate the first America Recycles Day on November 15th. Arizona is taking part by holding Arizona Recycles Day on the same day. To participate in this national public awareness campaign, Cochise County residents can pledge to keep recycling working by signing in a pledge card. Everyone pledging to recycle more in whatever way they choose, will be entered in national as well as state drawings for great prizes. The grand prize is a $200,000 American Green Dream House built of recycled and energy efficient materials and there is a children's prize of a trip to Disney World for four.
America Recycles Day is a spinoff of the very successful Texas Recycles Day. In 1996 some 145,000 Texans pledged to increase their recycling efforts and 300 special events were held. Vice President Al Gore is Honorary Chairman of this first national re cycling drive and sponsors are a mix of public and private groups including U. S. EPA, U.S. Postal Service, Steel Recycling Institute, Home Depot, Solid Waste Association of North America, Safety- Kleen, Union Camp Corporation, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
According to the Co-Chairs of America Recycle Day, "This is a tremendous opportunity for us to educate, encourage, and persuade all Americans that recycling is not a trend but a necessary component of a sustainable environment." The message they want to get across is that recycling is alive, well, cost effective and good for our environment. The average American throws away more than 4 pounds of garbage every day, which adds up to about 208 million tons of trash in I995-a decrease of more than 1 million tons from 1994. This decrease is due to the increase in recovery rates for recycling, including yard waste composting and mulching as well as efforts by manufacturers to reduce or use light weight packaging.
Chairman Vice President Gore says that he "...applauds the efforts that have resulted in one of our most significant environmental achievements in the last twenty years - the establishment of thousands of recycling programs all over the country." The U.S. as a whole is doing a better and better job of separating out recyclable materials from their trash with the national average of 27% of garbage recovered and recycled. However, to build on this and keep recycling working, by boosting the sagging market value for recyclables, we all need to make the effort to buy recycled.
Therefore the theme of this year's event is "Keep Recycling Working; Buy Recycled." Remember the three chasing arrows in the recycling symbol. The first arrow represents collection of recyclables, the second, manufacturing into a new product, while the third arrow is the purchase of recycled content products. By choosing a shopping cart with this recycling symbol in it as this year's logo, the message is emphasized, that you're not really recycling until you "Buy Recycled."
Many recycled content products are now available at similar prices and quality to "virgin" products. By looking for the symbol when we shop and choosing those products, we can do our part in protecting our environment by conserving natural resources, saving energy and landfill space and creating jobs. By buying recycled, the nations' consumers can vote for recycling and build markets for finished products made from the recyclable steel, glass, paper, plastic, and aluminum materials they place at the curb or in drop-off facilities. If you can't find any recycled products at your stores, talk to the managers about carrying brands that have recycled content such as Green Forest household paper products.
Arizona is way behind most of the nation in recycling with a 10.4% state average in 1996. It is one of only four states that has not set state recycling goals. Master Gardeners can help send a message to the state as well as to the county that they want more recycling by sending in a pledge card. Posters in post offices and elsewhere in each town will let you know where to get pledge cards. For more information about how your community will be celebrating America Recycles Day, how you can help set up recycling or where to get pledge cards please call Doug Dunn at 384-3594 or Valerie McCaffrey 642-3842. To get pledge cards by mail call 1-800-CLEAN-UP, the Environmental Recycling Hotline or pledge via the America Recycle Day Website (wwwamericarecyclesday.org).