Take Small Steps with a Big Impact This Global Recycling Day and Beyond
By: Jessica Pureco-Garcia, CalRecycle Public Information Officer
Each Californian produces 6.3 pounds of waste each day. That is about one ton of waste per person a year! Californians are demanding less plastic in our neighborhoods, and each of us making small changes will keep millions of tons of plastic and other trash out of our streets, rivers and landfills.
Recycling with our family and friends can create cleaner, healthier air, water and land.
On March 18, people all over the world are coming together to recycle and reduce waste to celebrate Global Recycling Day. Join this worldwide movement in March and beyond with easy changes to your day.
Three simple changes make a difference and can even make you money:
Exchange your bottles and cans for money. You can cash in most aluminum, glass, plastic, and metal beverage containers for between 5¢ and 25¢ at a recycling site, including alcohol containers in boxes or pouches. Find a recycling site at: www.bottlesandcans.com.
Why this matters: Californians throw away enough plastic to fill 290 Olympic swimming pools a day. And that’s just plastic! Recycling your beverage containers keeps them out of landfills and our streets by giving you cash back for materials that get remanufactured.
Recycle instead of trashing products you can’t cash in. You can still give them new life by sorting out recyclables instead of putting everything in the trash. Almost all beverage containers made of plastic, glass or aluminum can be recycled, as well as cardboard, paper, and household cans and containers. Simply shake or wipe liquid or food out the container before you put it in the recycling bin. Visit iRecycleSmart.com to see what items can be recycled.
Why this matters: Not only does recycling reduce waste by keeping items out of the landfill, it saves considerable energy and materials by giving existing materials new life and preserving the resources we have. Glass and aluminum can be infinitely recycled without losing its quality.
Swap single-use items for reusables. Instead of drinking bottled water, fill up a reusable bottle with filtered water. You can also leave your reusable bags in the car to use at the grocery store and save ten cents per bag while also keeping more plastic out of your community.
Why this matters: Small change adds up and your little actions mean much less waste and pollution. Cutting single-use plastic eliminates the need for more resources to make new products, transport them to stores, and manage the materials when you are done with them.
California has made recycling a global movement and 95% of residents have access to recycling programs. By taking that extra step to cut waste and use the recycling services available to us, we can keep millions more tons of waste out of landfills each year.
Together, these easy steps can make cleaner, healthier California for us and our children. Let’s keep the momentum going!
Learn more about recycling, ways to reduce waste, and find cash-in recycling sites near you at iRecycleSmart.com.
