FEDERALLY LEGISLATING THIS SOLUTION WILL FIX
THE RECYCLING CRISIS.
IT'S PROVEN.
THE "LET'S RECYCLE RIGHT" BILL
includes the most effective and proven solutions to immediately begin:
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fixing the recycling crisis;
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generating much-needed revenues for municipalities and states -- helping save taxpayer dollars and mitigating government debt;
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reducing racial injustices related to harmful management of waste and toxic plastic production sites,
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significantly reducing the amount of waste going
into oceans;
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creating millions of jobs; and,
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reducing CO2 levels and climate change.
Watch the video below and browse the resources below on this page to learn more.
Kristen Bell - actress and volunteer advocate for Recycle Across America
THIS VIDEO EXPLAINS IT ALL:
Mitch Hedlund, Founder and Executive Director of Recycle Across America explains the impact of the "Let's recycle right' Bill
A SUMMARY OF
THE BILL:
KEEP IN MIND:
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the initial development costs of the solutions in the bill have already been paid;
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the solutions have ten years of proof of efficacy -- they are proven to work in every application including:
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federal, state, municipal and residential applications, as well as airports, schools, private sector, retail, corporate, stadiums, hospitals, and business and industrial applications;
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the solutions are quick and easy to implement and don't require municipalities to change what they can accept in their recycling programs;
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they don't require new infrastructure or technology.
RESOURCES:
THIS FORBES ARTICLE EXPLAINS IT
Following the announcement about the standardized labels being included in the Appropriations Bill which the House passed in May 2019, this Forbes article was published explaining the benefits for the public, the environment and for the municipalities.
the amount of waste going into oceans HAS INCREASED 27% SINCE THE COLLAPSE OF RECYCLING MARKETS
There is a direct correlation between recycling and waste in the oceans. According to a 2019 report in "Reuters," waste going into oceans has increased by 27% since China announced the National Sword Policy in Jan 2018 -- meaning it has risen from a horrific 48,000,000 pounds per day to now 61,000,000 pounds per day.
VIDEO: THE FIRST STATE TO ADOPT THE STANDARDIZED LABELS
Watch this video to hear what the first state to adopt the standardized labels has to say. Rhode Island began implementing the standardized labels throughout the
state and quickly saw a 20% reduction in rejected/contaminated truckloads at their statewide recycling facility.
SUCCESSFUL PILOT AND CASE STUDY IN THREE NATIONAL PARKS
"With the support of the nonprofit organization Recycle Across America, we can help our visitors recycle better by implementing the standardized labeling on recycling containers, and in turn, help protect these parks unimpaired for future generations." - Shawn Norton,
Chief Sustainability Operator of the National Park Service
Three iconic national parks are leading by example. Denali, Yosemite, and Grand Teton all implemented the society-wide standardized labels on their recycling bins. As a result, their recycling levels increased 100%, and the amount of contamination was significantly reduced -- in some cases nearly eliminated. The parks' concession companies, gateway communities, and bin manufacturers have also started displaying the standardized labels on their bins and have seen dramatic improvements to their recycling programs. The National Park Service would like to have the standardized labels implemented throughout all 419 parks, to help all of their visitors and employees be able to recycle right.
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THE BILL SUMMARY
THE "LET'S RECYCLE RIGHT" BILL 2020
BACKGROUND OF THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE RECYCLING COLLAPSE:
Imagine if every city, town, and state had to design their own stop signs, speed limit signs, and overall road safety signs -- what would that do for public safety, distribution of goods, and the economy? Thanks to federally legislated standardized road signs, hundreds of millions of people are able to simultaneously drive safely wherever they go, regardless of whether the driving rules are the same or different.
Did you know that throughout the U.S., every single school, business, airport, stadium, park, and municipality, is responsible for the designs used on their recycling labels? Even if the rules are the same, the labels look entirely different from one bin to the next. As a result of the hundreds of thousands of different looking labels, the public is confused, apathetic and even skeptical about recycling -- which has caused people to throw millions of tons of garbage in recycling bins. That costly contamination has destroyed the economics, quality, and demand for the recyclables and led to a global collapse of recycling; this has resulted in a depletion of more finite resources, an increase in harmful CO2 emissions, and a 27% increase in the amount of waste going into oceans, waterways, and bellies of sea-life.
THE "LET'S RECYCLE RIGHT" BILL:
The BILL includes implementing the society-wide standardized labels for recycling bins to help the public begin to recycle more and recycle right, wherever they might be - much like standardized road signs allow people to drive properly wherever they might be.
This solution has proven to fix recycling; it dramatically improves the economics of the processing, improves the quality of the materials, and subsequently increases the demand for the materials. Once federal legislation is adopted, this solution will improve recycling markets in the U.S. and globally -- incentivizing more recycling programs to be implemented. It will also lead to the re-engagement of "pickers" living in underdeveloped countries who have lost their livelihood (they collect and sell the littered recyclables destined for waterways and oceans).
TEN YEARS OF PROOF:
The standardized label solution for recycling bins has been in use for more than a decade and has proven to increase recycling levels 50-400% and reduce contamination significantly - often, almost entirely. This solution is referred to by the New York Times as "one of the top environmental fixes taking root today," is deemed a "world-changing solution" by Ashoka Global Innovators, and has recently been listed as "one of the top ten solutions to reverse climate change" by the co-author of Project Drawdown.
THE BILL INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING INTEGRATED SOLUTIONS:
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society-wide standardized labels for recycling bins that make it possible for the public to be able to recycle properly wherever they are -- much like standardized road signs allow the public to be able to drive properly wherever they are. The standardized labels display the specific recycling rules in a standardized format, including color, text, font, terminology, and image methodology.
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There are already more than nine million standardized labels in use throughout the U.S., including in federal applications such as the Yosemite/Denali/Grand Teton National Parks, state applications such as Rhode Island, in municipalities, thousands of businesses, nine thousand K-12 schools, airports, sports stadiums, hospitals, etc.
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The standardized labels for recycling bins prove to consistently increase recycling levels 50-400%, and they reduce the costly, and industry-crippling contamination -- often, to the point of elimination.
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The standardized labels on recycling bins are proven to override the confusing labeling on packaging.
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award-winning PSA campaigns: "Let's recycle right!" CELEBRITY campaign and "Dear Humans" OCEANS and SEA LIFE campaign. These PSAs are featured nationally on TV stations and billboards, as well as in numerous magazines and other multi-media ad spaces. The campaigns communicate best practices for reducing waste and recycling right; they serve as templates for national and localized communication.
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the in-home "Let's recycle right!" templated tools that coincide with the standardized labels on the residential recycling cart. These tools are designed to be kept in the kitchen as a reference for proper recycling at home.
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the best practices toolkit, helps businesses, schools, airports, etc. create successful recycling programs in their buildings.
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award-winning, K-12 education curriculum CREATED BY ONE MORE GENERATION helps students understand the importance and benefits of waste reduction and proper recycling/composting.