TRENTON – As part of America Recycles Day, Nov. 15, the Department of Environmental Protection is reminding residents across New Jersey that regular recycling will help protect the environment and conserve natural resources.
According to a release, America Recycles Day, a Keep America Beautiful national initiative focused on promoting and celebrating recycling, allows residents to help keep their communities clean and vibrant.
More than 2,000 events are planned nationwide for America Recycles Day.
“New Jersey has been a national leader in recycling for more than 30 years because we recognize the positive impacts recycling has on our environment, economy and efforts to protect and conserve natural resources,” stated Francis Steitz, acting assistant commissioner for Air Quality, Energy and Sustainability. “We remind the public that recycling keeps communities clean, safeguards public health and improves the overall quality of life. This is one way everyone can make a real difference every day to protect the environment.”
As part of recycling, it is important to keep nonrecyclable items such as plastic bags, propane tanks and used syringes out of curbside and workplace recycling bins. Recyclable items are valuable raw materials used to make new products and should not be mixed with other materials.
In 1987, New Jersey became the first state to make recycling mandatory, adopting the Statewide Mandatory Source Separation and Recycling Act. The law requires recycling in residential, commercial and institutional settings.
New Jersey achieved an overall recycling rate of 61 percent in 2016 – the most recent year for which data is available – and remains a national leader in recycling.
The DEP administers several grant and educational programs on behalf of recycling.
Recycling has far-reaching environmental and economic impacts that help reduce the need for new landfills and incinerators. An economic impact study by the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries showed that the nation’s scrap recycling industry is similar in scope to that of the radio and TV broadcasting, building services, and warehousing and storage industries.
In addition, a National Recycling Coalition report found that the recycling and reuse industry adds almost $6 billion annually to New Jersey’s economy.
