Trump Administration Releases Statement on America Recycles Day

For the past 20 years, communities across the U.S. have joined forces on November 15 to celebrate America Recycles Day. Backed by Keep America Beautiful, ARD is comprised of hundreds of recycling activities and events throughout the country.

“America Recycles Day is a call-to-action to motivate individuals to actively pursue a #BeRecycled lifestyle 365 days a year,” said Brenda Pulley, senior vice president of recycling at Keep America Beautiful, in a statement. “America Recycles Day helps to shine a light on our ongoing efforts to educate and inspire people to reduce, reuse and recycle, and when they buy, to buy products made from sustainable and recycled materials.”

This year, America Recycles Day comes at a time when recycling is more important than ever, with China pushing forward with its crackdown on imported recyclables.

“Recent events make clear that it is critical for American recycling facilities to generate high-quality material; that’s true not only in order to export to China, but also to provide quality feedstock to North American companies,” said David Biderman, executive director and CEO of the Solid Waste Association of North America, in a statement. “Everyone from the waste generator to the collector to the materials recovery facility operator plays an important role in improving material quality. We also need to consider increasing municipal education and communications relating to recycling to help guide American consumers on how to recycle properly.”

Yesterday, the Trump administration released the statement below:

On America Recycles Day, we recognize the importance of minimizing waste by reusing and recycling. Recycling supports American manufacturing and conserves valuable resources, protecting our Nation’s economic and environmental health.

Today, on the 20th anniversary of America Recycles Day, we celebrate Americans whose recycling habits help maintain our global leadership and competitiveness. The rate of recycling in the United States has grown from less than 7 percent in 1960 to more than 34 percent in 2014. Still, materials worth $9 billion are thrown away each year. Rather than throwing away valuable resources, we should return them back into our economy, to rebuild our Nation’s infrastructure and create innovative new products.

My Administration is committed to expanding our thriving economy by creating better jobs and promoting products made in America—recycling supports these efforts. In 2007, recycling and reuse activities accounted for 757,000 American jobs and produced $36.6 billion in wages. By reusing and recycling, individuals and communities across our country can do their part to keep our lands beautiful, while also growing American jobs and strengthening our economy.

Together, we will unleash American manufacturing and inspire even greater American ingenuity.