North Carolina pushes recycling

Raleigh, NC— The North Carolina Division of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance is targeting 20-somethings and their recycling habits by kicking off a new recycling campaign. The RE3 (REduce, REuse, REcycle) campaign is aimed at getting North Carolinians recommitted to recycling so that they make full use of local recycling opportunities, such as curbside and drop-off programs.

RE3 encourages everyone to recycle everywhere, as the easiest everyday thing that citizens can do to actively protect the environment. Increased participation in a municipal recycling program can be a huge cost savings to local governments, as it decreases the overall disposal fee for trash by diverting more materials from landfills and into the recycling bin. Recycling can also bring in money — last year alone, $20 million in revenue could have been generated for North Carolina businesses, citizens and communities by recycling aluminum cans.

Increasing the public participation rate would also make more materials available for the many businesses that collect, process and use recyclables. Recycling has created 14,000 jobs in North Carolina. A 20 percent increase in recycling would create as many as 500 new jobs. So not only is greater recycling participation good for local government efficiency, it’s also good for the state’s economy.

Workshops will be held for recycling coordinators, environmental educators and all others interested in joining the RE3 mania. Workshop participants will receive React, a resource book outlining the campaign, containing North Carolina recycling stats and facts, a social marketing overview and all the other ingredients for extreme recycling efforts. Contact Keefe Harrison, 919-715-6507, for more information.