All New Yorkers are being encouraged to celebrate today as ‘New York Recycles Day’ which 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 strong 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.
