AUSTIN, Texas, US: The 10th anniversary of America Recycles Day yesterday, saw new research commissioned by its founders showing more than half of Americans support mandatory recycling as a strategy to help reduce global warming.
Founders Kevin Tuerff and Valerie Davis are commemorating the initiative's anniversary today by camping out in a landfill to express their dismay at the country's lack of recycling progress.
Kevin Tuerff, president and principal of EnviroMedia Social Marketing said:
"A surprising 76 percent of Americans believe recycling at home can reduce their contribution to global warming. We are enthused by the response but aren't sure Americans really understand the connection and how it helps."
The rate of recycling has slowed down to an “alarmingly slow pace”. The nation's overall recycling rate rose by 80 percent in the 1990s according to Environmental Protection Agency figures, but since 2000, the rate has climbed a mere 12 percent.
"Back when we started America Recycles Day in 1997, leaders projected half of all waste would be recycled by now. We're at 32 percent, and that's a huge disappointment for conservation," said Tuerff.
Plastic bottles awaiting recycling
Of those Americans who believe recycling at home can reduce global warming, 80 percent are said to support mandatory recycling.
The research, conducted by International Communications Research among 1,348 adults, who were chosen as a representative cross section of the U.S.
Live from the Landfill
While at Waste Management’s Austin landfill yesterday, Tuerff and Davis encouraged Americans to discuss recycling and how it can help curb the advancement of global warming. They also blogged continuously at http://livefromthelandfill.blog.com/ .
"Recycling can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions that lead to global climate change," said Davis. "We need to demand more recycling programs for homes and businesses and break away from the toss-away mentality that has proliferated in America in the last several decades."
Decline in curbside programs
Tuerff and Davis blame the lack of progress on four things:
- more than 150 fewer curbside recycling programs exist in the U.S. since 1996;
- manufacturers' disinterest in using recycled materials;
- diminishing community programs and education budgets to remind people to recycle; and
- the proliferation of plastic water bottles.
Poor markets for recyclate have been a problem elsewhere in trying to drive recycling forward and it generally requires a combination of economic mechanisms, public education and legislative persuasion to keep things moving.
Though in England, UK, the recycling rate for municipal waste has only recently broken 30%, nevertheless the legislative imperative will ensure that this continues to increase throughout the period up to 2020. The UK government has set up an organisation called WRAP (Waste, Resources and Access Programme) to help strengthen the markets for recyclate and enable waste minimisation and increasing recycling. The amount of curbside recycling is increasing year on year in the UK.
Further information
For further information visit http://www.enviromedia.com/ .
For further information on WRAP visit www.wrap.org.uk, where there is a considerable body of information on recycling and waste minimisation.
[This article is adapted from a press release by PR Newswire with original source EnviroMedia Social Marketing]