America Recycles Day

Events are being held around the US today to celebrate America Recycles Day. November 15th is the only nationally recognized day dedicated to encouraging Americans to recycle and buy recycled products. During my preparations for the ATA conference I took a quick trip to our local Office Depot and was pleasantly surprised to find three displays filled with different recycled products. I purchased recycled staples, recycled paperclips, paper made solely from 100% post-consumer recovered paper, amongst other items. I was also pleasantly surprised by the quality of the paper that I bought; it is now pretty hard to distinguish between 30% and 100% post-consumer paper.

To mark the occassion, the National Recycling Coalition has put together a website containing a wealth of information about recycling. While you are there, be sure to try out the "Conversionator" to calculate the impact of your recycling efforts and learn some fun facts about the products that can be made by recycling waste.

The NRC also published the Dos and Don'ts of Recycling that might be of interest for anyone wanting to start recycling. I've included an excerpt below.

Every community has its own guidelines for what should and should not be recycled, and how the process should take place. Take a few moments to find out these details. Call your local public works department or recycling organization. That way you can be sure you're doing your part, and doing it right. In general, here are a few things to keep in mind:

Cleanliness counts
Rinsing cans and keeping boxes out of the weather makes them easier to process. That keeps costs down.

If supplied with a bin, pay attention to what goes in
Take it upon yourself to be an accurate recycler. A cereal box is probably great, but a greasy pizza box may not be. Maybe milk jugs are good, but not the caps. Check the lid of your recycling bin for guidelines, or make a call or visit your municipal Web site to find out the rules. Then, follow them.

Good bets
Steel cans, aluminum cans, newspapers, magazines, catalogs, junk mail, plastic beverage bottles, milk jugs, glass bottles and jars, cereal boxes, other clean and dry cardboard boxes.

Probably not
Plastic grocery bags, Styrofoam, light bulbs, food-soiled paper, wax paper, ceramics.
DO Recycle Electronics
Recycle your old computers and cell phones. Check out Dell, Staples, and Waste Management/Recycle America websites for information on how you can recycle these items.

Hazardous wastes have their place
Household hazardous wastes like paint cans, motor oil, antifreeze, car batteries, pesticides, pool chemicals, etc., usually need to be disposed of separately. Again, check your community resources and guidelines.