Las Vegas — The Washington, D.C.-based Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its "America’s Marketplace Recycles!" initiative at the International Council of Shopping Centers Spring Conference in Las Vegas on Monday. The program is aimed at encouraging both retailers and shoppers to recycle such items as corrugated cardboard packaging; wood pallets; plastic packaging; paper, glass, metal and plastic beverage containers; food waste; and yard waste. The initiative also promotes the recycling of construction and demolition debris and the use of products with recycled content.

"Shopping centers are a magnet for young people, so what better place to teach our youth the value of recycling," says EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt. "By recycling their own waste and at the same time making it easier for customers to recycle, the International Council of Shopping Centers is setting a high standard for improving the environment." For more information about the program, visit http://www.epa.gov/rcc/amr.htm.