Annual Recycles Day Raises Awareness of Recycling's Benefits
New York State Department of
Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos
today encouraged all New Yorkers to celebrate Wednesday, Nov. 15, as 'New
York Recycles Day.' New York Recycles Day highlights the importance of
recycling and best practices to keep waste out of landfills. New York's
efforts complement America Recycles Day, a national
initiative to raise awareness of the economic, environmental, and social
benefits of recycling.
"New York Recycles Day is an opportunity for all New Yorkers to
commit or recommit to the core principles of reduce, re-use, and
recycle," Commissioner
Seggos said. "Sustainable
materials management and recycling help keep communities clean, safeguard
our shared environment, reduce the greenhouse gas emissions contributing
to climate change, and lessen the waste disposal burden on New York's
municipalities. Today and every day, DEC encourages all New Yorkers to
learn more about the benefits of recycling and what we all can do to
protect our natural resources for future generations."
By recycling at home, at
work, and in public, people of all ages can have a positive impact on the
environment. Across the state, individuals, community groups, businesses,
schools, and government agencies celebrate 'New York Recycles Day' in a
variety of ways, including encouraging others to reduce waste, pledging
to start an office or school recycling program, hosting a reuse exchange,
or improving awareness of local recycling requirements. These efforts
help inform New Yorkers about the advantages of waste reduction and
recycling. DEC's website offers tips
on ways to support 'New York Recycles Day', and additional
information about how to participate in this annual event is available at
the Keep America Beautiful America Recycles Day website.
New York State has a long
history of implementing many of the nation's strongest recycling
initiatives, including the Solid Waste Management Act. The act promotes
local and State efforts to promote and implement actions to reduce,
reuse, and recycle, inspiring local source-separation programs across the
state which helps to divert millions of tons of recyclable materials from
disposal resulting in the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, energy
usage, and the use of natural resources.
Over more than three decades,
the State has invested over $250 million in funding for waste reduction
and recycling programs funded through the State's Environmental
Protection Fund to support municipal waste reduction and recycling
programs by funding recycling infrastructure, equipment, collection
vehicles, local education and outreach programs, and local recycling
coordinator salaries.
This year, the draft New York State Solid Waste Management Plan: Building the
Circular Economy Through Sustainable Materials Management (Plan)
was released. With a goal to protect communities and mitigate the effects
of climate change, this Plan builds upon sustained efforts to reduce
waste and advance the state's transition to a circular economy, helping
to change New Yorkers' understanding of waste and their relationship to
it. The Plan intends to guide actions over the next decade,
and builds upon the State's 2010 Beyond Waste Plan to help achieve
goals of reducing waste and increasing recycling across the economy.
Additional programs to
encourage waste diversion in New York State include:
·
extended producer responsibility programs
to manage electronic equipment;
·
safe mercury thermostat and
pharmaceutical disposal options;
·
encouragement to use rechargeable batteries;
·
product stewardship programs to collect
used paint; and
·
bottle and can recycling
through New York's longstanding bottle bill program.
Reduction of single-use items
makes local recycling programs more effective by removing these
hard-to-recycle items from the recycling stream. New York State's Bag
Waste Reduction Act prohibits the distribution of plastic carryout bags
from most stores and encourages reusable bags while a statewide ban on
expanded polystyrene (foam) for food service containers and packing
peanuts, reduces litter and removes much of this material from the waste
stream.
The principles of reduction, reuse, and recycling also extend to organic
materials. The New York State Food Donation and Food Scraps
Recycling law requires businesses and institutions that
produce two tons of wasted food per week or more to donate excess edible
food and to recycle all remaining food scraps if they are within 25 miles
of an organics recycling facility. DEC's partnership with Feeding New
York State and regional food banks resulted in more than five million
extra pounds of food being donated to hungry New Yorkers, while reducing
waste and climate-altering emissions caused by landfilling.
In 2026, the Carpet Collection Program Law program
will require carpet producers to fund a carpet collection and recycling
program at no cost to New York State consumers. The law will also require
new carpet to be manufactured with increasing post-consumer recycled
material and without harmful PFAS substances.
New York State also partners
with several of the state's finest research institutions to help tackle
the most pressing recycling challenges. In collaboration with the State
University of New York (SUNY University at Buffalo, Alfred, College of
Environmental Science and Forestry, and Stony Brook University), DEC is
working to increase the recyclability of glass, paper, and plastics and
to boost public awareness of best practices for reduction, reuse, and
recycling.
How New Yorkers Can
Help 'Recycle Right'
To decrease contamination in recyclables and increase the
marketability of those recyclables, DEC encourages all New Yorkers to
'Recycle Right.' Try Recycle Right NY's Recyclopedia to learn what
materials might be recyclable. Each community has specific recycling rules and all New Yorkers should check with their
municipality or waste hauler on the types of paper, metal, plastic, and
glass items that can be recycled. Recyclables have the best market value
when they are clean and dry before being placed in the collection bin.
Tips to Recycle
Right:
·
Keep recyclable items loose in the bin;
do not bag recyclables in plastic bags (unless required by your
municipality or waste hauler);
·
Do not recycle single-use cups and
plates, condiment packages, coffee pods, stirrers, straws, paper napkins;
plastic cutlery (unless specifically accepted by your local recycling
program or recycling hauler);
·
Return rechargeable batteries to retail
recycling locations;
·
Compost at home or send yard trimmings
and food scraps to a local or municipal composting program;
·
Donate dishware, mirrors, glassware, and
ceramics if in good condition;
·
Donate textiles --even if they're
no longer wearable or useable, as long as they are clean, they can be recycled;
·
Do not put any type of rope, hose, or
twine into your recycling bin; and
·
Return needles to appropriate collection
locations. Visit DEC's Household Sharps webpage for more information.
DEC urges the public to
"know before you throw," as contamination in the recycling
supply chain reduces the quality of recyclable materials. For more
information contact a local recycling coordinator or
visit Recycle
Right NY.
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