America Recycles Day 2024

"We have made important progress toward building an economy that values recycling, but there is still more to do. Each of us can play a role in protecting our natural environment and addressing the existential risk of climate change by recycling — remember to dispose of waste in the proper bins whenever possible, reuse containers, compost food, and use products made with recycled materials. I call on manufacturers and corporations to ensure their products and materials are reusable and recyclable when possible and limit the use of non-recyclable packaging. On America Recycles Day, may we recommit to building a better, healthier future through recycling."

The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) is the principal Federal law in the U.S. governing the disposal of solid waste and hazardous waste. It amended the Solid Waste Disposal Act (42 U.S.C.82) of 1965 and addressed problems the nation faced from its industrial and municipal waste growth. However, the RCRA only addressed recycling by calling for increased Federal purchases of products made with recycled materials. It set national goals for protecting human health and the natural environment from the potential hazards of waste disposal, conserving energy and natural resources, reducing the amount of waste generated through source reduction and recycling, and ensuring waste management in an environmentally sound manner.

Although America Recycles Day was started in 1997 by the recycling sector organization, National Recycling Coalition, it wasn’t until 2010 that it became a program of a national nonprofit under "Keep America Beautiful" (KAB). KAB is a nonprofit organization that aims to improve the environment and communities by reducing littering, increasing recycling, and beautifying the country. America Recycles Day aims to provide promotional and marketing support and numerous resources to local event organizers. Sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), private and public sponsors, and thousands of organizations make commitments to hold events and educate people in their community about recycling resources available to them. Citizens are encouraged to increase recycling at home, school, work, and communities.

There are no national laws mandating recycling. However, state and local governments have implemented their regulations, and EPA oversees rules for various waste issues, including hazardous wastes, landfills, and recycling goals. “Managing and Transforming Waste Streams - A Tool for Communities”, is a toolkit EPA provides for regional and state agencies, municipal, territory, and Tribal decision-makers, as well as others who are interested in community-based initiatives to reduce waste and recover materials. EPA also collects data on waste disposition in the United States and uses this information to measure the success of programs nationwide. The Department of Energy has a “Consumer Guide to Recycling Codes" to assist consumers with understanding the recycle symbols stamped on products and the proper disposal of these materials.

Additional Article Sources and Resources

• According to the EPA, the recycling rate has increased from less than 7 percent in 1960 to the current rate of 32 percent. Read more about EPA’s National Recycling Goal, to increase the U.S. recycling rate to 50 percent by 2030.
• Check out EPA’s website for a more in-depth look at the U.S. Recycling System.
• Explore general tips on recycling correctly and how reducing, reusing, and recycling, can help you, your community, and the environment by saving money, energy, and natural resources. (EPA)
• Read the White House National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Recycling Organics, (June 2024) , This National Strategy lays out a path for the United States to meet its national goal of reducing food loss and waste by 50% by 2030.
• Check out EPA’s Resources for Students and Educators such as the The Planet Protectors: Activities for Kids where their mission is to improve the world around them by making less trash. Protectors also help other people learn to reduce, reuse, and recycle.
• EPA's Tribal Waste Journal on Sustainable Materials Management (Sept 2020) features a case study on composting and food recovery at the Haskell Indian Nations University. Read more about this study and the concept of "Sustainable Materials Management (SSM)" to reuse materials as efficiently as possible while also minimizing environmental, societal, and financial impacts.
• Learn about the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Lunar Recycle Challenge , focused on the design and development of recycling solutions that can reduce solid waste and improve the sustainability of longer-term lunar missions.