Posts Tagged ‘Recycle Plastic Bags’

Get Your Recycle On: America Recycles Day

Sunday, November 15th, 2009

According to the America Recycles Day Website, November 15th is the only nationally recognized day dedicated to encouraging Americans to recycle and to buy recycled products. The purpose of America Recycles Day is to promote the social, environmental and economic benefits of recycling and encourage more people to join the movement to protect the environment for future generations. Today you can join the millions of Americans who have pledged to increase their recycling habits and to buy products made with recycled materials. 

Can You Recycle in Your Community?
Recycling varies by community so check to see if plastic recycling is available in your area.  See my previous blog post or visit Earth 911 and enter your zip code to learn more.

Interested in Getting Involved?
Take the pledge and find out what’s going on in your state and in your community.

  • Quick facts about plastic recycling and how it benefits your community:
    In 2008, the recycling of plastic bottles reached a record high of 2.4 billion pounds nationwide.
  • In 2007, the recycling of plastic bags and product wraps grew to 830 million pounds across the U.S., marking an increase of 27% in just two years.
  • A growing number of communities are recycling other types of plastic containers, such as tubs, trays and lids. Currently, about two-thirds of California’s communities and one-third of the nations’ largest cities recycle rigid plastic containers in addition to bottles, and that number continues to rise.  More than 325 million pounds of these materials were recycled in 2007.

What will my Recycled Plastic Become?
Recycled plastics go on to become a number of second generation products. For example, recycled plastic bottles can become: carpeting, fleece jackets, detergent bottles and lumber for outdoor decking. Plastic bags can be made into loads of products, including new bags, backyard decks, fencing, railing, park benches, picnic tables, and shopping carts.

For even more interesting end use recycled products follow this link:

We all want to make the Earth a little greener.  America’s plastic makers are committed to recycling. Please take a moment to tell us about what is working in your community.

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Lessons in Recycling

Friday, October 30th, 2009

As my little boy grows up, I will teach him all sorts of healthy habits: from eating healthy foods and drinking plenty of water to taking responsibility for his own actions and handling plastics appropriately. One of the ways I plan to do so is by teaching him about recycling.

He’s too young now to grasp the concept and prefers to play with plastic bottles rather than put them in a bin for recycling, but we’re working on it (we’re also working on learning to call me “mama” instead of “Bob” but that’s a story for a different kind of blog). There are several ways to help engage your own children in recycling. Here are a few ideas:

  • Together, look up your city or county’s public works department Website and determine what items you can place in your recycling bin for collection.
  • Take turns making one child the recycling coordinator for a week and allow them to determine what items can be placed in the recycling bin.
  • Have a contest to determine which child collects more recyclables during his/her week.
  • Put your child in charge of locating the plastic bag recycling bin at the grocery store (CA law mandates all large grocery outlets have recycling bins) and then bring back your plastic bags for recycling. You can even recycle the plastic wraps that cover bathroom tissue, paper towel rolls, etc.
  • While on the road, play a “spotting” game by having your kids look for recycling bins in public locations.

Small, easy to implement activities can help create healthy recycling habits that benefit all of us in the end. And who knows, you may even find yourself more apt to recycle when you know there are little eyes scrutinizing your bins.

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