Keep America Beautiful Announces Recycling Pledge Inviting
Businesses and Governments to Commit to 10% Increase in Workplace
Recycling
Recycling at Work Initiative Launched on
America Recycles Day (Nov. 15);
Links to 2012 Clinton Global Initiative Commitment
STAMFORD, Conn., Nov. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Keep
America Beautiful, the nation's leading nonprofit that brings
people together to build and sustain vibrant communities, is
challenging corporate America and government to sign up for its
Recycling at Work pledge. The pledge requires businesses,
governments and institutional entities – such as school and
hospitals – to commit to a 10 percent increase in the recycling of
paper products, beverage containers, electronics and batteries in
the workplace through a variety of actions by 2015. It also
encourages the recycling of food waste and other
biodegradables.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121114/DC12613LOGO
)
This Thursday, Nov. 15, marks
America Recycles Day (ARD), which is a Keep America Beautiful (KAB)
initiative and the only national platform for community-driven
recycling awareness, education and collection events. From
electronics collection events to plastic bag and campaign sign
recycling, thousands of events are taking place throughout the
country in recognition of ARD.
"The environmental impact from recycling remains critically
important as a measure of sustainable economies and vibrant
communities," said Matt McKenna, KAB
president and chief executive officer. "To increase our national
municipal recycling rate from its current 34 percent level, the
increase will come less from national initiatives and more from
locally-driven efforts. Engaging individuals to take the action to
recycle at home, at work and at play is the linchpin to increasing
recycling rates."
The Recycling at Work pledge requires these entities to
take the pledge on AmericaRecyclesDay.org, and report on actions
taken to increase recycling and the results of those actions. KAB
will compile the data and issue a comprehensive report in 2015,
fulfilling its commitment made in partnership with Alcoa (NYSE:AA)
and the Alcoa Foundation at the 2012 Clinton Global Initiative
Annual Meeting in New York
City.
Recycling at Work's 2015 goal will be achieved through a
series of approaches that include:
- Increasing employee awareness of the availability of recyclable
services and benefits of recycling in offices and other
facilities;
- Enhancing infrastructure and communications to enable greater
recycling and diversion of the materials in offices and other
facilities;
- Identifying cost-effective opportunities to incorporate
consideration of end-of-life recyclability and increased recycled
content into the products purchased;
- Reporting on progress each year through the Recycling at
Work online system; and,
- Inviting other organizations to take the Recycling at
Work pledge.
"Recycling is participatory environmentalism," McKenna said.
"Poll after poll shows that individuals identify the act of
recycling as their most immediate, tangible, and visible
contribution to a better environment."
Whether the consequence of the act of recycling is visible, such
as the observable effect of less littering, almost all recyclers
know that their actions are saving natural resources, reducing
energy consumption, and sustaining our planet for future
generations.
America's leading companies are proud to make America Recycles
Day possible. National sponsors to date include: American Chemistry
Council, Anheuser-Busch, Earth911.com, Glad, Johnson & Johnson,
Nestle Waters North America, Owens-Illinois, PepsiCo and Waste
Management.
About Keep America Beautiful, Inc.
Keep America
Beautiful is the nation's leading nonprofit that brings people
together to build and sustain vibrant communities. With a network
of more than 1,200 affiliate and participating organizations
including state recycling organizations, we work with millions of
volunteers to take action in their communities. Keep America
Beautiful offers solutions that create clean, beautiful public
places, reduce waste and increase recycling, generate positive
impact on local economies and inspire generations of environmental
stewards. Through our programs and public-private partnerships, we
engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving
their community's environment. For more information, visit
www.kab.org. To join America Recycles Day, visit
http://americarecyclesday.org.
CONTACTS
Brenda Pulley/
Lynn Markley
Tel: 202.688.0603 / 203.659.3072
Email: bpulley@kab.org/ lmarkley@kab.org
Web site: http://americarecyclesday.org / www.kab.org/
SOURCE Keep America Beautiful, Inc.