We’re always excited to learn about people, companies and organizations working together to find new and innovative ways to use recycled plastics.
We recently learned of an exciting collaboration between Burton Snowboards and Mountain Dew, who have teamed up to create clothes – apparel and outerwear – from fabrics made out of recycled plastic bottles. You can read about it here: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/11/16/4059392/burton-snowboards-mountain-dew.html
Burton is starting with T-shirts and plans to move into outerwear next year. This innovative partnership is good for both business and the environment.
Currently this clothing is only available at certain Burton stores, but the retailer promises to expand its distribution soon, so next time you shop for athletic wear, keep an eye out for this and other products made with recycled plastics.
The following is an interview with Alberto Lopez, LA’s BEST site coordinator at Esperanza Elementary. Below Alberto talks about how the Go H2O challenge impacted his school community.
Q: How did you bring the Go H2O challenge into your program?
A: We brought it to the site with great expectations and motivations. Being a very “green” person, I knew that I would bring the challenge to the forefront of what we were doing at LA’s BEST to emphasize the importance of recycling and drinking water. We even showed a demo of why drinking water was good for you and how soda could slow a person down.
Q: What did the kids learn through this challenge?
A: The students grasped the concept of the challenge. They loved the water bottles and the fact that they could personalize them.
Q: How important is it that kids in the LA’s BEST program learn about recycling?
A: That is an important part of what we do at my site. We teach the “4 R’s,” especially the new “R”, Renew. We give the students demos and activities to show how they can “renew” their old items. We also emphasized why it was better for the environment to reuse their water bottles instead of buying new ones all the time.
Q: Has the Go H2O challenge changed the way your site talks about recycling and healthy habits?
A: It sparked an interest in my staff and my students that wasn’t there before. The fact that my staff has embraced the “4 R’s” is a great testament to what the Go H2O Challenge brought to my site.
Q: What does it mean to you as a site coordinator to be involved in the Go H2O challenge?
A: Everything! I believe that we are all connected. Therefore, what we do as a site and as an organization has a huge impact on our community and on others. We can set the example for our students, who take it to their families, who take it to their communities and so on.
Q: This program works to make the kids ambassadors of healthy habits among their friends and families. What are some examples of how the kids have taken what they’ve learned back to their homes?
A: We have continued recycling. Whenever we have events at our site, we drink water or make lemonade instead of buying it and when the students make it themselves, they realize it has less sugar. Parents have become curious and gotten involved because their kids are going crazy with recycling everything and anything at home.
Q: Have the kids started taking the initiative to recycle at your site since the program launched?
A: We do it every single day: plastic bottles, paper and our famous crayon which we make by melting old crayons and molding them into cool shapes for the kids to use again. The kids are the reason that we do all of these things around here. They are our leaders!
This year’s Earth Day events were the busiest yet, with everything from water bottle bowling (yes, really) to an art contest. And ACC was fortunate to be part of them all.
We got a jump start on our Earth Day celebrations with the students of LA’s BEST. At Grape Elementary School in Los Angeles, we hit the playground and marked the day with games that incorporated recyclable “equipment” the students brought in from home. Take a look at the photos to see what I mean!
It was the perfect way to creatively underscore just how easy it is to reduce, reuse and recycle and continue the Go H2O! challenge. It was so much fun, in fact, that some of the students pulled out their drums for an impromptu performance.
A few days later, we gathered with Keep California Beautiful and our other partners to launch our statewide plans for the Great American Cleanup. As always, we’ll be out in full force throughout the year collecting litter and recycling aluminum, glass, plastic, paper and other materials – but the focus for 2011 is on electronic waste (e-waste) collection.
Californians pride themselves on being ahead of the curve with their electronics – and with good reason. But it’s also important to remember much of our electronic equipment can and should be recycled. You might even be surprised to learn that thirteen McDonald’s restaurants throughout the state are providing receptacles for e-waste.
This year’s kickoff event also provided the opportunity for us to display the winning art pieces from the “Junk and Gunk” art contest. “Waste Not, Want Not” trophies were awarded to students from Arvin Union School District and Santa Barbara Home Based Partnership, who won their divisions of the Waste Minimization competition during the 2010 California K-12 Schools Recycling Challenge. See for yourself how impressive the creativity of California high school students has proven to be again this year.
For us here at ACC, every day is Earth Day as our member companies and their employees strive to reduce, reuse and recycle not only the products we manufacture, but the products we use every day. Join us!
Most people don’t think about the plastic that’s used to provide healthcare.
For example just to have a baby– from the pregnancy test to the delivery room syringes — many medical supplies we rely on are plastic or are packaged in plastic. And there’s good reason for it– plastics impart a wide range of characteristics. Some is needed to make medical supplies and packaging light and flexible; some makes supplies durable and shatter-resistant. Many medical supplies are protected against contamination by sterile plastic packaging; and puncture-resistant gloves help protect doctors and nurses from infections. We really couldn’t have modern medicine without it. That’s why it’s really encouraging to hear that a newly formed group is working to make sure more of all that hospital plastic gets recycled. The Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council (HPRC) is made up of healthcare, recycling, and waste management companies with the shared goal of increasing recycling at the nation’s hospitals. And wouldn’t you know it, a California Hospital system is already leading the way on this front.
Catholic Healthcare West has been working on sustainability initiatives since the mid 1990’s and they’ve been recognized consistently, for the past several years, for Environmental Excellence by Practice Green Health. This year they remain listed among the top hospitals in the nation for sustainability efforts. The systems’ 40 hospitals do a comprehensive sustainability assessment annually looking at everything from food to energy use and look for ways each year to further reduce, reuse and recycle. They work with Redemtech to recycle their e-waste and in some of the system’s hospitals, they look for opportunities to use reusable and biodegradable materials where they can, and they contract haulers to collect their recyclable plastics.
The hospital system’s sustainability director Sister Mary Ellen Leciejewski says while Catholic Healthcare is always looking for ways to use reusable materials, they know that, in a hospital, there are many plastics that must be single use, which is where the new HPRC could be a valuable new partner for hospitals across the nation. The council says they’re focused on developing recycling solutions for plastics that don’t come in contact with patients– like the packaging that many medical supplies and devices come in — and also for things like IV bags, wash basins, and bottles. It would be great to see hospitals everywhere embrace increased opportunities to reduce, reuse and recycle as part of their commitments to sustainability!
The following is a guest post by Brigette Prospal, a student at San Diego State University majoring in Liberal Studies with the goal of becoming an elementary school teacher.
In the summer of 2010 I worked as a paid college intern for the California State Parks educational program, which was co-sponsored by ACC. This program teaches children the importance of reducing, reusing and recycling and how to protect our oceans from marine debris through litter prevention and recycling. I talked about why we recycle which is to reduce waste going into landfills, save animals and their habitats and to conserve raw materials. I also discussed ways to be more sustainable, such as people driving echo friendly cars, changing their light bulbs or turning off the lights, turning down their water heaters or something as simple as reusing or recycling plastic bags. During this experience I learned how much plastic is thrown away rather than recycled. Additionally, I gained valuable skills that I will use when I make the transition from college to the workforce. I also discovered that many recyclables can have a second life. For example, water bottles can become shoes; tires can become turf for playgrounds; and cans can become insulation.
During some of the Jr. Ranger programs, campfire programs and school visits this past summer, I taught the children sign language. I am fluent in American Sign Language, and I had fun incorporating sign language into the recycling and ecology lessons I taught. This internship also gave me the opportunity to work on my public speaking skills. I am no longer afraid to get up in front of a group of people and talk to them and these skills will benefit me in all future pursuits.
During the beach cleanups I had to be very organized and utilize multitasking skills, because having 10 people come up to you at once can be overwhelming. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to brush up on public speaking, create educational materials and learn how to be more organized. Also, learning to recycle and generally be more sustainable (some people like to call it “going green”) has been a great experience for me, and I now apply these methods in my own home. This internship was an invaluable experience, and I look forward to another summer to build on what I’ve learned.
I married into a large family. I’m talking Irish-Catholic large. So there’s always an event happening: a wedding, a new baby, Confirmation, baptism and, during this time of year, graduations. And with graduation comes the ever-present cap and gown. Call me a geek, but I still have both of mine from high school and college.
While planning graduation parties may be more at top of mind for students, schools are definitely thinking about making those caps and gowns from more sustainable materials. We’re seeing some big steps in the last couple of years with classic graduation attire being made of recycled plastic bottles.
One academic apparel manufacturer says about 23 plastic bottles go into each gown – a far cry from the heavy polyester monsters we’re all used to and that I still have packed away in a box for my children to eventually take out and laugh about. I’m also hearing these recycled gowns are a little lighter and breathe a little better than the standard issue. Plus, some manufacturers are taking them back to be made into new gowns again; schools are setting up recycling bins right at graduation sites. Of course, for nostalgic fools like me, this is a new way of thinking that I’m sure the younger generation is much more open to.
If you know of any schools in California that will be using recycled plastic gowns this year, let us know – we’d love to see them in action—and perhaps we can replace my sad old photo with something new!
The following is a guest post by Antonio Gamboa, President of the Diamond Bar Soccer League
I’ll be the first to admit: I never thought much about recycling. I mean, I knew it was good to do for the environment and that it helps keep our communities clean, but that was about it. Now, the Diamond Bar Soccer League is inspired. The Recycle.Goal. contest has opened our eyes to many new possibilities.
Recycle.Goal. was a competition for soccer teams throughout Southern California to see which team could recycle the most materials by weight. We had five teams participate from our club, and our boys and girls recycled a little more than 1,100 pounds of aluminum, glass and plastic in 6 weeks. I’m very proud of my teams, but I’m even more proud that they have caught recycling fever.
Each team received a generous gift card from Sports Authority for recycling the minimum amount of materials, and we’re grateful for that, but Recycle.Goal. will continue to pay off long after we’ve used the gift cards.
Because of Recycle.Goal., my entire league has started two new recycling programs: for printer cartridges and for electronic waste. Soon, we’ll start collecting and recycling juice pouches, which are so popular with players on game days and at practices.
We have learned a great deal about the value of recycling, thanks to the program and all of the supporters: Keep California Beautiful, the American Chemistry Council, Sports Authority and the Los Angeles Galaxy.
All of the funds we collect through our new programs will go right back to where they belong—to the kids.
Again, we are grateful that Recycle.Goal. has given us so much, but it’s really only just begun. We have so much left to do and so much more to collect to keep our cities a little cleaner and our fields a little greener.
I was so pleased to see this article about the increased rate of recycling in San Diego that I wanted to share it with you all.
San Diego’s ability to combine smart policies and public education sets a great example for us all. We commend city officials for broadening the list of plastics that municipal facilities can accept while also making it easier for residents to reduce waste. California’s potential for increasing the statewide waste diversion rate looks bright with San Diego leading the way!
ACC recently had the pleasure of spending a Sunday morning with the LA’s BEST community to announce the Go H2O! Challenge. The Challenge, now in its second year, is an exciting way to educate more students and families in Los Angeles about recycling and healthy habits. You can read more about the challenge here. Now that we have officially launched the second year of the program, keep an eye out for more exciting news from the challenge. And don’t forget to Go H2O!
Despite the cloudy day, the LA's BEST community was out in full force.
Recycling tip magnets and stickers were a hit at our GO H2O! booth.
I was recently in San Bernardino with Senator Gloria Negrete McLeod to officially kick off an exciting new program for the Too Valuable to WasteSM campaign called Recycle. Goal. We’ve teamed up with the Alliance Futbol Club, Diamond Bar Soccer League, Los Angeles Galaxy, Sports Authority and Keep California Beautiful to develop a new “competition” among youth soccer players aimed at preventing litter through increased recycling. “Recycle. Goal.” is a competition that awards $1,000 Sports Authority gift cards to teams who recycle at least 10 pounds of plastic. The lucky team that recycles the most plastic will get free tickets to an upcoming Los Angeles Galaxy game.
Many of the plastics collected by these teams will be used to create second-generation products ranging from fleece jackets and detergent containers to carpeting and composite lumber for outdoor decking. Some of the plastics collected will even be used to make professional soccer jerseys, just like the ones that were designed for the World Cup this summer (you can read Tim’s post about that here. “Recycle. Goal.” will also help prevent litter from ending up on our streets and in our waterways by rewarding teams for recycling. One of the great things about this program is that it reminds us we all have the same goal: to keep our environment and our cities clean so future generations—and soccer players—can enjoy them.
The beach is a fundamental part of California’s identity with millions of residents and vacationers enjoying the coastline each year. In addition to sunscreen and beach mats, those visitors bring with them items such as plastic water bottles that if not recycled or properly discarded can end up as litter. To help make sure that more recycling opportunities exist, the plastic industries of the American Chemistry Council (ACC) decided to partner with Adopt-A-Beach to provide on-the-go recycling on several of our state’s beaches.
Through our partnership we have supported efforts to keep our beaches clean by sponsoring 325 bins in three popular Los Angeles area beach locations: Point Dume, Zuma and Venice beaches. Recently, AAB conducted bin measurements on all three beaches, on a single day, to find out just how much plastic material is being diverted from the waste stream.
And, as you can see nearly 1,000 lbs of plastic material once discarded is now being recycled:
April – 216.50 lbs
June – 335 lbs
July – 294 lbs
This program is an extension of the “Plastics. Too Valuable to Waste. Recycle.SM” campaign, which started in 2007. Working with Keep California Beautiful (KCB) and the California Department of Parks and Recreation (State Parks), ACC has placed—and the partnership continues to maintain – nearly 700 recycling bins and signage on various State Parks beaches in San Luis Obispo, Los Angeles, San Diego, Monterey and Santa Cruz. And the program continues to expand.
The next time you visit the beach, look for these new recycling bins so that we can all do our part for the environment.
Our readers have seen a lot on this blog about how the Plastics. Too Valuable To Waste. Recycle.SM campaign works with our partners to encourage recycling throughout the state of California. From state beaches to state parks and even highway rest stops ,we’re working hard to make sure that Californians and visitors have access to recycling opportunities wherever they are.
Recently we were talking about how we can all be recycling ambassadors in our own homes and communities. I wanted to share a post by one of our bloggers, Ryan Kenny, whose awareness about and efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle go beyond the office. Other colleagues have talked about collecting recyclable items at kids’ soccer games and taking them home to their own recycling bins or making it easy for party guests to recycle at backyard barbeques. When you think about it, there are lots of creative ways we can make it easy to increase what we recycle. We’d love to hear about your ideas.
How do you make recycling part of your daily life? Please share your tips and observations about recycling by posting them in our comments section!
There’s nothing like summertime at the ballpark. Taking in a baseball game, day or night, is a great way to spend time with family and friends. I’ve been lucky enough to visit a handful of parks this year – and all of them have adopted the recycling spirit.
I went to Miller Park in Milwaukee and Nationals Park in DC on back-to-back days in June. Both teams were out of town but I saw much of each stadium. Milwaukee actively promotes their recycling program with signage and those large recycling bins that look like plastic bottles. DC’s stadium has special bins just for used plastic bottles and cans, some with bottle-sized holes and others designed to be fun, with big batting helmets on them (built by a local Maryland company).
I’m a huge Angels fan, and you can’t miss the bins for collecting plastic water, soda, and beer bottles there, either.
I also saw a game at Seattle’s Safeco Field in early June. There they ask fans to separate their food and recyclables because they not only have recycling bins – they compost!
AT&T Park in San Francisco is a great example too. Late in the game, Manager Bruce Boche appears on the scoreboard and encourages fans to pass their recyclables to the end of their aisles where ushers collect items like plastic bottles for recycling. Here at Raley Field in Sacramento, the Oakland A’s AAA minor league team (the Rivercats) have a similar program.
As America’s pastime, baseball is full of tradition and sometimes slow to change. But even big league teams are quickly recognizing the importance of recycling and adapting accordingly.
It gets easier everyday to recycle when you’re away from home. If you’re at the game, remember to get those plastic bottles to the recycling bin. It’s great for the environment and a great way to teach the next generation about the importance of recycling our valuable resources.
A young recycler cleans up at the beach in San Diego.
We’ve all seen litter on the beach. Where does it come from? A recent study by Coastkeeper Orange County tells the frustrating story – most of the trash that ends up on the beach is actually left behind by visitors or dumped there, rather than coming from inland sources.
But here’s the encouraging news from the study: more and more people are getting the message about the importance of recycling and keeping our beaches clean for everyone to enjoy. And Coastkeeper’s research also shows that the average number of trash pieces found on beaches decreased significantly – from an average of 137 pieces a day to an average of 65 a day – between 2005 and 2008. That’s almost a 50 percent reduction. Great news, but we can do better.
This article shows that increasing access to recycling bins and trash receptacles, like the bins that plastics makers are placing along California’s coast, is helping to keep our beaches clean. ACC and our members who make plastics are proud to help play a role in finding solutions by placing recycling bins throughout the state.
I challenge all of us to do our part and commit to keeping California’s beaches and coastlines clean and spread the word so others do their part too. Maybe we can reduce the number of trash pieces to ZERO (or somewhere close to it) for the next Coastkeeper’s report! Have other ideas about how to clean up our beaches? We’d love to hear from you – leave them in the comments section.
The following is a guest post by Collin Jones, Legislative Director, California Department of Transportation District 5.
Caltrans District 5 was very pleased to participate in the recent news conference in San Luis Obispo to promote recycling and encourage the public not to litter when taking to the highway. Our partnership with Keep California Beautiful and the American Chemistry Council made it a great event.
Placing recycling containers at various rest areas is an important step in reducing litter that ends up on roadways and in landfills.
Caltrans takes pride in these multi-agency partnerships while continuing our own effort to prevent litter on the state highway system. The Caltrans Adopt-A-Highway Program provides an avenue for individuals, organizations and businesses to help maintain sections of roadside in California. Groups have the option to participate as volunteers or to hire a maintenance service provider to perform the work on their behalf. The Adopt-A-Highway Program, which began in 1989, has involved more than 120,000 Californians who have cleaned and enhanced more than 15,000 shoulder-miles of highway roadside.
Caltrans maintenance workers have the task of making sure that our state highways are free from litter. The Caltrans Division of Maintenance has spent about $50 million on litter removal. Our highway workers on a daily basis see the effects of litter, roads covered in cigarette butts, fast food wrappers, soda and coffee cups. Many of these items are harmful to our waterways such as lakes, rivers and beaches.
Caltrans is also very proud of its Don’t Trash California Campaign which uses a comprehensive, multicultural approach to target primary offenders of highway littering, as well as the general public to create a social mindset that California does not tolerate polluting of our freeways and highways. This campaign includes proven strategies, including media advocacy, special events, partnerships, paid media and community outreach to raise the level of awareness of the effects of littering and encourage the public to avoid littering.
Here in Sacramento, I make sure to take my bags and product overwraps back to my neighborhood Raley’s every week for recycling. It’s a habit that fits easily into my regular routine. But in LA, residents don’t have to bring it back because their curbside bins accept bags and film, and a new report indicates that they’re embracing that option in impressive numbers.
The study, recently released by Moore Recycling Associates, Inc., shows a remarkable 39 percent growth in the curbside recycling of plastic bags and film in Los Angeles County between 2007 and 2009. While bags and film can include clings and product wraps, plastic bag recycling alone grew by 62 percent during this time period, suggesting that Los Angeles County Residents, in increasing numbers, are taking advantage of being able to put their plastic bags and film into curbside recycling bins.
Plastic bags and film comprise a broad category of materials that can be recycled together, including plastic grocery and retail bags, newspaper bags, dry cleaning bags, commercial pallet wrap, and product wraps from bread, beverage cases, diapers, baby wipes and bulk snack foods.
In addition to the curbside collection of plastic bags and film, there is a growing infastructure of approximately 400 large grocery and retail stores in Los Angeles County and over 15,000 nationwide that take back plastic bags and film for recycling. Plastic bags and film can go on to live second lives as durable composite decking, home building products, and even new plastic bags!
No matter where you live in California, large grocers and pharmacies will take back your plastic bags and film for recycling. Ironically, bag bans have the potential to eliminate these programs.
And now that we’re seeing evidence of just how well bag recycling is catching on with Los Angeles families, it’s better timing than ever to maintain and expand programs to recycle bags. It doesn’t matter if recycling happens curbside or at the store; recycling works, and this study suggests that when education meets opportunity, we’re all empowered to recycle more and make a difference.
For more information on where to recycle your bags or additional information on innovative plastic bag recycling programs, visit http://www.plasticbagfacts.org.
Recently, I came across an article about Tess, a young girl from Minnesota, who started a recycling project called “Gimme 5” to collect rigid (#5) plastics. #5 plastics are typically used to make “rigid containers,” such as yogurt cups and cottage cheese and margarine tubs.
Tess started this project because her local recycling program did not accept these types of containers. She decided to take it upon herself (with the help of her mom) to collect rigid plastics and then take it to a nearby recycling center that held a “special” collection day for #5 plastics.
While Tess’ idea is highly commendable, not everyone takes this kind of initiative. That’s why the American Chemistry Council is working with the Association of Postconsumer Plastics Recyclers and local governments to help encourage local curbside programs to include rigid plastic containers. The good news is more and more cities are taking steps to provide this service. In fact, legislation that ACC supports would bring rigids recycling to New York City, and rigids were just added to the recycling program in 64 communities in Connecticut.
In 2008, a study by Moore Recycling Associates Inc. found that 63 percent of California households could recycle rigid plastics curbside and 28 of the 100 largest U.S cities in the US collected rigid plastics through curbside programs. While these numbers are encouraging, we believe even more can be done and welcome the opportunity to work with all stakeholders to expand recycling opportunities for a variety of different plastic packaging. To learn more, go to www.americanchemistry.com/plastics.
And to stay up to date on plastics recycling follow our recycling twitter handle @Recycle_Plastic at http://twitter.com/recycle_plastic.
On Saturday, April 17th, dozens attended the South Lake Tahoe, CA Earth Day celebration at the local community college. In the spirit of the event, Sustainability Commissioner Tom Wendell transported a recycle bin to the event on his bike trailer!
Later that week, an Earth Day inspired mixer at the South Shore Lake Tahoe Chamber of Commerce at Embassy Suites presented yet another opportunity to talk about local recycling options, including the innovative new curbside plastic bag and film recycling program ‘Blue Bag.’ program.
Why all the fanfare? The South Lake Tahoe Sustainability Commission recently voted to launch a recycling and public education program to help keep plastic bags out of local waterways. They are currently working with several stakeholders, including ACC, to get the message out. Commissioner Wendell focused on highlighting opportunities to recycle plastics, both at home and at grocery stores.
Residents of South Lake Tahoe, CA, enjoy some of the finest scenery the world has to offer, and it’s important that we work to keep it that way. ACC looks forward to working with stakeholders in designing a program that educates residents and tourists about recycling plastic bags and wraps.
For information on where you can recycle bags in California or anywhere in the United States, visit www.plasticbagrecycling.org
The following is a guest post by Brian Ketterer, North Coast Superintendent for California State Parks’ San Diego Coast District.
Every year, I really look forward to Carlsbad’s annual Beach Fest. As the North Coast Superintendent for State Parks’ San Diego Coast District, I participate in a variety of activities to preserve California’s beauty – but nobody throws a party quite like Carlsbad. Their Beach Fest is a great example of how to raise awareness and generate support for coastal preservation and stewardship.
In addition to an organized beach cleanup, the Beach Fest features live music, professional sand sculpting, art demonstrations, lifeguard rescue demonstration, a beach soccer demo, beach volleyball clinic and educational booths with hands-on activities for children. Residents come out and come together for a shared goal – to keep their waterways clean.
Litter affects the beauty of our state and can end up in our waterways. This is a shame, because some of it isn’t even trash. Recyclable materials like plastics shouldn’t end up as litter OR in landfills. That’s why we work with organizations like ACC to remind Californians of the importance of recycling, and how items like plastic bottles can have valuable second lives.
ACC, a two time event sponsor, has a long history of supporting litter abatement and recycling programs. They’ve also helped us to develop an environmental education program for young people in the San Diego area. Their efforts have gone a long way to help Californians understand their role in keeping our beautiful landscapes free of debris.
The Carlsbad Beach Fest is sponsored by California State Parks with support from the Friends of Cardiff, Carlsbad State Beaches, ACC and others.
We’re pleased to announce that 11 more recycling bins have been added to Pioneer Park, Woodside Park, Freeman Park, Crawford Park, Ferns Park, Camarena Field, Pedroia Field and the Community & Senior Center parksin the city of Woodland. These new bins, together with the 13 bins our partnership with the City of Woodland, Keep California Beautiful, PG&E and the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation installed last fall, brings us more than halfway to our goal of installing 40 permanent bins across the city.
The effort of our partnership to increase access to recycling in city parks in Woodland is open to other businesses that are interested in the opportunity to participate by sponsoring bins to place in additional parks. If your business is interested, let us know in the comments below and we’ll contact you.
So next time you step out for a stroll or take your kids to the local park in Woodland, look for the new recycle bins and remember to be an example for the next generation by recycling.
As I mentioned a few posts ago , we put together “Go H20!” Recycling Festivals at 91 LA’s BEST sites for students to test their recycling knowledge and have some fun celebrating Earth Day. It was a huge hit with over 15,000 students in the Los Angeles area and the kids had a great time practicing their bowling and juggling skills. Take a look at the pictures to see for yourself—the smiles on the faces of the kids is a great testament to the fact that learning combined with fun can make for positive results. If you’re looking for engaging and educational ways to teach your kids about recycling, feel free to try some of the games in this toolkit and host your own Recycling Festivals. Be sure to let us know how they go in the comments section!
Ryan Kenny celebrating Planet Party Day with the Manteca School District
I had the pleasure of attending the recent “Planet Party Day” with MANY students from the Manteca Unified School District. What a party it was!
Nearly 2,000 sixth grade students enjoyed displays, demonstrations and interactive exhibits about clean air, energy, water, recycling, conservation and green innovations.
As always, it was a treat to speak with young people about their role in recycling and encouraging family and friends to do the same. At our table, the students saw an example of a plastic bag and wrap recycling bin often found at any large grocery store or pharmacy. They also received rulers made from recycled plastic bottles, recycling fun facts, trivia questions to quiz friends and family, and refrigerator magnets reminding them what types of plastic bags and wraps can be recycled. Of course, the plastic bag holders made of recycled plastic bottles were a hit too.
Most students were surprised to learn that the rulers could be made of recycled plastics, which really helped drive home our main point – showing them how plastics can have a second life and it’s up to us to give them that second life by recycling.
Overall, it was a reminder that it is important for the next generation of Californians to understand their role in California’s environmental future and I was thrilled to have so many positive discussions about recycling.
Thursday marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and we’ve been working with our friends at LA’s BEST to put together a fun and educational way for the students to celebrate the occasion. This week, 91 LA’s BEST sites—that’s almost 15,000 students—will participate in Earth Day festivals that will test their recycling knowledge while they have some fun.
These festivals are an extension of The “Go H20!” challenge, which aims to educate LA’s BEST students and their families about the importance of recycling plastics and reducing waste while emphasizing how drinking more water can promote a healthy lifestyle. Last fall, ACC supplied the LA’s BEST program with 15,000 reusable plastic water bottles made out of recyclable material and students participating in the challenge learned why water is a healthy choice and how choosing a re-usable, recyclable container benefits the earth. You can read more about the challenge here.
We’ll be sure to post pictures of the festivals so you can learn how to juggle plastic bags and practice your own water bottle bowling skills. In the meantime, let us know how you plan to commemorate Earth Day this year in the comments below.
I recently began allowing my 14-month old son to feed himself with his own spoon. The mess he makes goes completely against my normal type-A personality, but I know that he needs to learn how to do this and it’s going to take time. So I’ve stocked up on plenty of rags to clean up after him. As I watched him eat last night, I realized the “practice makes perfect” mantra for allowing my little guy to learn to feed himself can also be applied to consumers learning to change their behavior and bring their plastic bags back to participating stores for recycling. They need to learn how to do it, and it’s going to take time. And that’s okay.
Right now in California, the infrastructure exists that allows consumers to bring back grocery bags and plastic wraps to large grocery and retail outlets (to find your nearest participating store, go here ). And consumers are beginning to get the hang of it. It’s not a perfect system yet, but plastic bag and film recycling is INCREASING. In fact, according to EPA’s data, the rate of plastic bag and film recycling has fully DOUBLED since 2005. We’re all learning.
In addition to recycling plastic bags, many consumers are changing their behavior to bring reusable bags to the store, whether they’re plastic, canvas or some other material that provides re-use opportunity. This honors both the “reduce” and the “reuse” elements of the three R’s: Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. It is important, though, that we also honor the third R: “recycle” by bringing any leftover bags and wraps (such as dry-cleaning bags, newspaper bags and plastic wraps from bread, paper towels, cases of soda and more) back as well.
Any mom can tell you that changing behavior takes time—more than we would like sometimes, but the payoff is worth it. Right now, my floor, walls, table, and highchair are proof that the learning experience doesn’t start off pristine, but I know that by keeping the faith and practicing until the skill becomes second nature, we’ll all be in a better place.
Guest post by Barbara Long, Vice President Government Relations and Special Projects, Aquarium of the Pacific
At Aquarium of the Pacific, we have one major goal: to empower our visitors with the knowledge to make a difference on the most pressing issues affecting our ocean planet. As Southern California’s largest aquarium and the fourth largest aquarium in the nation, we take our goal very seriously.
In fact, our mission is to instill a sense of wonder, respect and stewardship for the Pacific Ocean, its inhabitants and ecosystems. We can’t do it alone, especially in this economy, when resources are limited.
Another key part of our mission is to create the first aquarium—and perhaps the first institution in the world—dedicated to conserving and building natural capital (nature and nature’s services) by building social capital (the interactions between and among peoples), which is why it’s so important for us to build and maintain partnerships.
For example, we recently expanded our partnership with the American Chemistry Council (ACC) to provide recycling bins for our visitors. This is an extension of an alliance that began in November, 2008, with the opening of Our Watersheds: Pathway to the Pacific. ACC is a sponsor of this exhibit, which gives aquarium-goers the opportunity to learn more about our local watersheds and what we each can do to protect them.
Recycling is an integral part of protecting these “pathways” because too often readily recyclable materials end up as litter, and these items – plastic, cans, glass, etc.—belong in a recycling bin. The eight new containers are brightly decorated and feature messages and reminders to our visitors about the value of recycling and its effect on conservation.
With 1.5 million annual visitors, including 170,000 school children, we are confident that these receptacles will have a positive and long-lasting effect on our patrons, to not only recycle at the aquarium, but to recycle at home, at school and on the go.
Our partners and sponsors come from all walks of life because, ultimately, we’re all committed to the same thing: protecting the Pacific Ocean and its marine life through a variety of means, including recycling.
The Aquarium and our various partners understand that we must all work together to protect the earth and our oceans, when funds, friends and assistance are tough to come by. We encourage all Californians to do the same. Make sure you’re part of the solution, and help us meet our goal of protecting our oceans and waterways.
On March 16 and 17, I (along with my collegue and fellow-blogger Sherri McCarthy) represented ACC at the Green California Summit and Exhibition at the Sacramento Convention Center. Dozens of exhibitors shared with attendees and government officials their environmental stories.
Lots of people stopped by our booth to learn about plastics recycling and pick up a plastic bag storage sleeve. Many were amazed to find they could use these at home to store plastic grocery bags and wraps (like for bread, newspapers, dry cleaning, etc.) and then deposit them all at once into the recycling bins of any large pharmacy or grocery store. People were more excited when they learned these were made from 100% recycled plastic bottles!
We also handed out other materials (including refrigerator magnets!) conveying the importance of plastic bag and wrap recycling and the efforts of the “Too Valuable to Waste” campaign.
We also had the privilege of meeting people who shared our passion for recycling. Spencer Brown, founder of Rent-a-Green-Box, stopped by to commend our efforts to increase recycling in California. Spencer’s company creates reusable, collapsible moving boxes – and they’re made out of recycled plastics! You can learn more at the Rent-a-Green-Box Web site: http://earthfriendlymoving.com/greenbox/
Bradford Peery works out of Carmel, CA creating rainwater control systems. As you may have guessed, the system is made of 100% recycled HDPE. Needless to say, this company truly embodies the “Too Valuable to Waste” spirit. You can learn more at: http://www.raintechnologies.com/
I was most excited with the number of teachers and students in attendance. So many schools are starting robust recycling programs, and it’s just fantastic to see that level of enthusiasm shared in academia.
There’s a lot of misinformation out there when it comes to plastic, especially plastic bags. On this April Fool’s Day, let’s examine myths that can fool you.
Myth: Plastic bags can’t be recycled.
Fact: Nothing could be further from the truth. More than 832 million pounds of plastic bags and product wraps were recycled in 2008, a 28 percent increase in just three years. In fact, the rate of recycling plastic bags and wraps has doubled since 2005 to reach 13% nationally, and it continues to climb. Recycled plastic bags and wraps are used to make durable backyard decking materials, other home building products, shopping carts and new bags.
Myth: Paper bags are better for the environment.
Fact: Many people don’t realize that plastic bags require 70 percent less energy to manufacture, produce 50 percent less greenhouse gas emissions and create five times less waste than paper bags.
Fact: Depends on where you live. More and more California communities are recycling these types of containers. Currently 62% of California’s communities recycle plastic containers in addition to bottles. Check to see if your community recycles them.
Instead of getting caught up in these common myths, Californians across the state are taking a basic approach: reduce, reuse, recycle.
How? Nearly every major retailer sells inexpensive reusable bags, so consumers can easily pick up a reusable bag on any shopping trip, and then they can bring their own. 90% of consumers already reuse plastic grocery bags at home to pack their kids’ lunches, to line their trash cans and to clean up after their dogs. And with innovative new recycling programs spanning the state, consumers can return any leftover plastic bags to larger grocery stores for recycling.
Visit http://www.plasticbagfacts.org/default.aspx to learn more.
Bruce Saito, Executive Director of the Los Angeles Conservation Corps, and Xzibit celebrate with the LA Conservation Corps Scholars at the recent event in Los Angeles.
The following is a guest post by Bruce Saito, Executive Director of the Los Angeles Conservation Corps.
As the director of the Los Angeles Conservation Corps, I am constantly amazed by the work our members do and the organizations that come forward to support them. Recently, I had the honor of celebrating both of these groups: our Corps graduates and our partners.
It was truly an occasion to celebrate – we were awarding 150 scholarships to our most deserving participants in the presence of community leaders and our partners including the American Chemistry Council. In January, we received a $100,000 grant from ACC to help us fund our important program, the LA River Keepers.
In times like these, when headlines remind us daily about bad news for city budgets and public programs, we look to our partners for help. With ACC’s donation and this newly established partnership, we will be able to extend our impact through the LA River Keepers program. Through this program, we work to keep the LA River beautiful by removing litter and debris and promoting environmental education, as well as providing job skills training for area youth. During the past 24 years, the Corps has planted more than 100,000 trees, removed 13 million square feet of graffiti, restored 2,300 acres of natural habitat and recycled 10,000 tons of bottles and cans.
While the River Keepers program does a great job keeping the physical area clean and free of litter, we also work to make a difference beyond the river’s edge. Through our job skills training, we work to instill confidence in our Corps members and inspire them to promote positive change in their lives. We heard from some of our Corps graduates at the event and I was so proud of them and their dedication. I am also very proud of this program for impacting their lives in such a meaningful way. I know that our program, through partnerships with organizations like ACC, will continue to make an impact on our city and our city’s youth for years to come.
For more information about LA Conservation Corps programs, visit www.lacorps.org.
As millions of soccer fans gather this summer to watch the World Cup, recycling is not likely to be a top of mind priority. Yet many of the players will be living examples of how plastics recycling has evolved. Players from Brazil, Portugal and the Netherlands will be sporting high-tech, “wicking” jerseys made with the use of recycled plastic fibers. Just think that the bottled water or sports drink you enjoyed today could very well end up in South Africa as part of the world’s most prestigious soccer tournament.
When consumers take part in recycling programs for plastics bottles, tubs, trays, and bags, it helps the whole recycling system work better by providing the material to make second-generation products like soccer jerseys, carpeting and composite lumber for outdoor decking. ACC is working to expand the plastic collection infrastructure so consumers can even more easily recycle their plastic bottles. So whether you are a world-class soccer professional, an amateur athlete or just a sports fan, you can do your part by remembering to recycle at home or on the playing field!
With all of the interesting conversations taking place out there about recycling and greener living, we wanted to take a few minutes to share some of our favorites from the past month. Enjoy this new monthly feature and let us know what you think in the comments section – and feel free to share some of your favorite links, too.
In January, Steve Russell wrote about the Hilex Poly plant expansion in Indiana. It got me thinking – the recycling process remains a mystery for many people, but it’s actually quite simple.
Check out the five-step plastic bag recycling process from the Hilex Poly web site.
Notice step one: it all starts by bringing your plastic bags back to a designated drop-off location – oftentimes your local grocery store – so they can be entered into the recycling stream. Without that crucial access point, we cannot give plastic bags the second life they deserve.
Once the bags enter the recycling stream they are bailed and shipped to recyclers such as Hilex Poly. There they are cleaned, processed and turned back into a pellet form. Using these pellets, new bags are manufactured and distributed.
So remember, it’s up to all of us to recycle our plastic bags to make sure they take this journey to end up where they belong – as something new and useful and not in the trash.
Sherri McCarthy (Manager, Western Region, American Chemistry Council) and Bruce Saito (Executive Director, LA Conservation Corps) look on as Councilman Ed P. Reyes speaks at the 1/28 River Keepers event in LA
It was an honor to stand with Los Angeles City Councilmember Ed Reyes, LA Conservation Corps executive director, Bruce Saito, and the Corps’ River Keepers Program members to announce a grant from the plastics manufacturers represented by ACC.
The contribution by the plastics industries of ACC will help to ensure that the vital LA River Keepers program will be able to continue their work of promoting recycling and keeping the LA River clean, while providing job skills, training, and work experience to an incredible group of young people you would be impressed to meet.
The LA River is challenged, as all urban waterways are, but it is an important and potentially beautiful resource for the city and its residents. I was pleased to be part of an event and a group of individuals dedicated to increasing recycling and keeping this important waterway clean.
LA River Keeper Volunteers hold the check at the 1/28 press event
The Los Angeles Daily News posted an op-ed by Assemblymember Isadore Hall, III about our work with LA’s BEST and the Go H2O Challenge. It’s a great partnership and we echo Assemblymember Hall’s kudos for the work done by LA’s BEST, the parents, kids, and staff to make recycling a big deal in the community. Check it out here!
I came across this interesting article in the OC Register recently. It highlights the importance of how each of us can individually reduce the amount of waste we produce just by recycling. More and more communities, especially in California, are making great strides to help their residents recycle. But ultimately, it’s up to each one of us to decide to make the conscious effort to sort our household recyclables, take back plastic bags to grocery stores for recycling, or even hold on to things like plastic bottles until we come across a recycling bin. Small, easy behavioral changes can have a huge impact. So join me in committing to recycle more and waste less this year.
We all know that it’s especially hard to recycle and reduce waste during the holidays. Between gift wrap, toy packaging and decorations, the trashcans in my neighborhood are usually filled to the max this time of year. This year, our friends over at the Plastics Make it PossibleSM campaign this refresher about recycling that will be especially helpful during the holidays. I hope these will help you and your family stay focused on recycling throughout the season!
1. Get smart. Find out which plastics are accepted for recycling in your community. Today, more than 80 percent of U.S. households have access to a recycling program, and the vast majority of the collect plastic bottles. A bottle is any container with a neck or opening that’s smaller than its base. Include the following wherever plastic bottles are recycled:
Milk jugs
Beverage bottles (e.g., water, soft drinks, juice and beer)
Bottles from shampoo, toiletries, laundry detergent and other
household cleaners
Salad dressing, cooking oil and condiment bottles
Food jars, such as peanut butter and mayonnaise
2. Remove and rinse. Before tossing bottles in the recycle bin, remove the caps. Be sure to rinse bottles that previously contained food. (Empty beverage bottles can go straight into the bin.) Unless your community specifically asks for them, bottle caps should be placed in the garbage, not the recycle bin. Similarly, bags should be clean and empty. Do not include plastic food wrap or bags that have food residue.
3. Reuse, reuse, reuse! From wrapping to ribbons, boxes to packing peanuts, gather and save gift wrap and packing materials for next year! And don’t forget bags — there are many helpful ways to reuse plastic bags,
Wet umbrella cover – keep other items in your bag dry when your umbrella is wet
Suitcase savers – wrap shoes before packing them with clean clothes
Hand protectors – place them over your hands to handle messes indoors and out
Kitchen clean-up – place them under the cutting board for quick scrap removal
Trash can liners – use them in bathrooms and other household waste baskets
Doggie duty – bring them on dog walks to collect and dispose of pet waste
4. Bring bags back. Most large grocery stores and some retailers (e.g., Wal-Mart) offer plastic bag drop-off programs that allow consumers to return their used bags and product wraps to be recycled. These bins are usually located at the front entrance or near checkout areas. Almost all kinds of clean plastic bags are accepted for recycling in these programs, including:
Grocery bags
Retail bags (remove hard plastic or string handles)
Plastic newspaper bags
Dry cleaning bags (remove paper and hangers)
Bread bags (with crumbs shaken out)
You can also include plastic wraps from products such as paper towels, bathroom tissue, napkins, diapers and cases of soda wherever plastic bags are collected for recycling.
5. Pitch in beyond the kitchen. While many recyclable bottles come from the kitchen, don’t forget to check the bathrooms and laundry room for shampoo and detergent bottles.
6. Practice patience. On the road this holiday season and can’t find a recycle bin? Don’t throw your empty bottles in the trash–temporarily store them in a purse or briefcase, or simply leave them in the car until arriving home to place in a recycle bin. And don’t forget to temporarily put the cap back on your bottle to prevent leakage until you can properly recycle it.
7. Don’t throw out the leftovers. Saving your lidded plastic food containers and plastic to-go containers from take-out could provide a free and easy way for holiday party guests to carry home leftovers. Plus, they can keep these items and reuse them again.
8. Check for containers. In addition to bottles, roughly one-third of communities are collecting and recycling plastic containers, such as yogurt cups, tubs, trays and lids. If you’re only recycling bottles, check to see if your community is one of the many areas that has recently added food containers to its list of collectibles.
9. When in doubt, leave it out. Keep in mind that mixing the wrong types of materials (even other plastics) can lower the quality of the recycled material. So unless your community specifically asks for plastics other than bottles, please put only bottles into the recycling bin. Keep these items out of the recycle bin unless you community specifically accepts them:
No plastic bags or wraps (take them to your grocery store, if
accepted)
No automotive, pesticide or solvent bottles
No lids or spray pumps
No toys
No trays, tubs or containers (unless your community accepts them;
more and more communities are recycling these types of containers
in addition to bottles, so it’s worth checking.)
10. Adopt a second life mindset. Do you ever wonder where your recyclables go? Keep in mind that today’s water bottle could be tomorrow’s little black dress or carpeting or backyard deck.
For more information, check out http://www.plasticsmakeitpossible.com/
Assemblyman Hall presents a student with a prize for correctly answering a trivia question. Hall was on hand to congratulate the students for their participation in the ‘Go H20!’ challenge.
I recently had the pleasure of spending the afternoon with the students of the 109th and 112th Street schools in Los Angeles to celebrate the completion of the Go H20! Challenge (you can read about when we launched the challenge here.) We were joined by Assemblyman Isadore Hall, who represents the 52nd district of California. Assemblyman Hall came to congratulate the students for completing the Go H2O! Challenge and encourage them to continue to spread the word about recycling and healthy eating habits.
Although it was the last day before winter break, the students were enthusiastic, engaged, and excited to share their newfound knowledge about recycling and plastics. One group of students even wrote a song – complete with hand motions – about the types of materials that can be recycled.
Assemblyman Hall tested the student’s knowledge by playing a trivia game with them. The lucky student who answered correctly walked away with a crisp $100 bill from the Assemblyman! By the end of the afternoon, it was clear the students were well-versed on the importance of recycling and drinking more water. It was a great way to close out 2009.
You can see the students singing about reducing, reusing and recycling here.
The following is a post from Laura Ohman, California State Parks educator.
Laura Ohman, California State Parks educator, prepares for the Coastal Clean Up Event in San Diego.
I’m a college student studying for my BA in Outdoor Recreation, a children’s outdoor educator for California State Parks, and a former nature interpreter for the federal government, and yet none of those experiences warmed my heart in comparison to what I witnessed at Carlsbad State Beach last weekend. Nearly 200 Sempra Energy employees, from the mailroom clerk to the VPs of the company, combed the shores of South Carlsbad State Beach in search of litter. This beach cleanup effort occurred during San Diego County’s “Coastal Clean Up Day.”
During our clean up on San Diego area State Beaches, more than 1,000 lbs of trash was removed. A large percentage of the rubbish collected was recyclable material that included plastic bags, bottles and containers. All of the recyclable plastics and other recyclable materials retrieved that day have been removed from the litter stream and are now on their way to becoming useful new products.
Coastal Clean Up Day – like many other similar types of beach clean-ups, educational programs, and festivals – is part of our California State Parks Anti-Litter Youth Education Program. This program is funded by Keep California Beautiful (KCB) and the American Chemistry Council, which has kindly provided hundreds of recycling bins and educational signage on State Park beaches all over Central and Southern California. This program, funded and supported by the plastics industry, teaches kids in San Diego-area schools about the value of recycling and protecting the environment. This important educational curriculum reached more than 6,000 children and adults in 2009 and begins its 2nd year with hopes of bigger numbers in 2010.
In addition to educational programs that will hopefully prevent litter, placing recycling bins on our beaches and organizing cleanups, we are always open to new ideas of how to keep our coastline clean. We encourage you to follow in our footsteps and attempt to make a difference. What measures are you taking in your local area to promote recycling, cleaner communities, and a brighter future for the next generation?
The partnership has placed 13 permanent recycle bins in parks like the Community & Senior Center Park and Ferns Park. Eleven more will be added to city parks in the coming months. To reach the goal of 40 permanent bins across the city, the partnership is offering Woodland businesses the opportunity to participate by purchasing and sponsoring bins in other parks such as Crawford Park, Freeman Park and Woodside Park.
Our efforts in Woodland highlight a particularly effective public-private partnership involving my organization, American Chemistry Council (ACC). Together with Keep California Beautiful and California State Parks, we recognized a need for more opportunities to recycle at locations away from home. Through this initiative ACC has placed more than 500 recycling bins on California’s beaches and parks and we’ve conducted educational advertising to increase recycling awareness among consumers.
Our partnership promotes the recycling of plastics and helps educate Californians about the importance of recycling through the “Plastics. Too Valuable To Waste. RecycleSM” campaign.
In this tough economic climate, where our state’s social and environmental priorities have to compete with economic challenges, this partnership model works. We need to continue to figure out how to do more with less and how to use creative solutions to provide our citizens the services they need and expect. We encourage more government, business and non-profit entities to try the public-private partnership approach.
Despite having one of the most progressive laws in the country, many Californians are unaware that they can recycle their plastic shopping bags (along with all sorts of product wraps) at large grocery stores throughout the State.
That’s right. The plastic grocery bags that you may have used today, or if you’re like me, have pilled up in your cupboard, can easily be recycled at most major grocery stores. California was the first state in the nation to require plastic bag collection bins in major grocery stores, and other states are now following our lead. Recyclers use these bags to make products like durable wood-plastic composite lumber, playground equipment and new plastic bags.
You might be interested to know that in addition to your plastic bags, you can also recycle what’s called “plastic film and wraps,” a category that includes your produce bags, dry cleaning bags, newspaper bags, bread bags, and a host of other plastic bag-like material. You can check out the following consumers recycling guide here.
So the next time you head out to the local grocery store, just remember to take your bags with you and drop them in the bin! It’s an easy way to help the environment.
Why are America’s plastics producers so committed to recycling? The answer is simple: because plastics are too valuable to waste. And, doing right by the environment is also a good thing for business—the recycling industry is a growing part of the economy in California and across the United States, and these businesses rely on used plastics as a vital raw material.
Businesses in the recycling industry rely on each of us to make sure our used plastic bottles, bags and other containers make it into the recycling bin. By doing our part, each of us helps to give these valuable materials a second life as carpeting, fleece jackets, durable backyard decks, home building products, and new bottles and bags.
What types of plastic can be recycled? Well, the types of plastics that are collected curbside can vary by community, so it’s always a good idea to check with your local municipality. Here are some tips to keep in mind:
Almost ALL curbside programs collect plastic bottles, a category that includes:
Milk jugs
Water, soft drink, juice, and beer bottles
Bottles from shampoo, toiletries, laundry detergent and other household cleaners
Salad dressing, cooking oil, and condiment bottles
Food jars, such as peanut butter and mayonnaise
In addition, 66% of California’s communities collect other plastic containers, such as:
Food containers for yogurt, butter, cottage cheese, deli purchases or washed salad greens
And a few cities, such as Los Angeles, collect plastic foodservice items such as:
Takeout containers, disposable plates and cups, meat trays, and egg cartons
Perhaps one of the fastest growing areas of plastics recycling is plastic bags and product wraps.
Plastic bags and product wraps – a category that includes plastic shopping bags, dry cleaning bags, news paper bags and wraps from bread, paper towels, bathroom tissue, diapers, and cases of beverages – can be recycled at major grocery stores and pharmacies throughout the State of California. Read more here.
So that covers what you can recycle at home and at the grocery store. To help increase away-from-home recycling in California, ACC has forged a number of great partnerships throughout the State that have resulted in the placement and maintenance of hundreds of seasonal and permanent recycling bins at rest stops, beaches and parks around the state.
Look for our recycling bins throughout California and, if you send us a photo of your local bins, we’ll post it here!
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