Champions of recycling from around the world were recognized as recycling heroes this year by the Global Recycling Foundation as it commemorated Global Recycling Day 2024.
#RecyclingHeroes was the theme for this year’s annual event on March 18. Now, in its seventh year, Global Recycling Day seeks to recognize the importance of recycling around the world and encourage efforts to increase recycling globally.
According to the Foundation, this year’s theme “will recognize the people, places, and activities that showcase what an important role recycling is contributing to an environmentally stable planet and a greener future which will benefit all.”
This year the Foundation accepted nominations for #RecyclingHeroes, which could be people, places, businesses, or activities that support recycling anywhere in the world. The winners were each awarded a cash prize and highlighted on social media.
This year’s winners included:
The Plogging Club, Nigeria – A movement on campuses across the country in which young people combine jogging with picking up litter and recyclables.
Reform Africa, Uganda – A program employing youth to collect plastic waste and single mothers who fabricate it into waterproof, durable bags.
Anuya Trivedi, Founder of Greenbuddies, India – Greenbuddies is an organization that creates “Recycled Play Stations” for children using discarded tires and other reusable scrap.
Ecolana, Mexico – A company that offers a digital platform with a recycling guide, including maps and a waste materials dictionary, and helps consumer brands develop recycling programs.
Nick Oettinger, The Furniture Recycling Group, U.K. – TFR Group addresses U.K.’s mattress landfill problem, diverting 400,000 mattresses away from landfills every year. It invests in research to make recycling mattresses more viable.
Global Recycling Day a seven-year tradition
The United Nations recognized Global Recycling Day in 2018. At that time, the Global Recycling Foundation established the goals of the annual commemorative day. These goals include increasing awareness of the importance of recycling, encouraging people to take action to reduce waste and help the environment and showing appreciation to those who recycle. The annual observance calls on individuals, organizations, and governments to promote and highlight the benefits of recycling.
On Global Recycling Day people are encouraged to learn more about what can and cannot be recycled, which may be different in various municipalities, and how to properly dispose of items that are difficult to recycle, including hazardous materials. People are also encouraged to volunteer at community cleanups and properly dispose of recyclables.
On Global Recycling Day people are encouraged to share these benefits of recycling:
- Reduces the use of raw materials needed to create new products.
- Conserves natural resources because new raw materials do not have to be mined, extracted, or harvested.
- Cuts back on energy and water consumption that would be otherwise used to manufacture new material.
- Keeps waste out of landfills.
In advancing the goal of sharing information about recycling, advocates of Global Recycling Day assembled some of these recycling facts:
- The world’s most recycled item is aluminum. More than 50 percent of the world’s aluminum cans are recycled.
- Glass can be continually recycled without losing its integrity or quality.
- Papers can be reborn in a week. It could take just seven days for magazines and newspapers to be recycled into new ones.
- As a $200 billion industry, recycling supports some 500,000 jobs in the U.S. alone.
- Recycling preserves fresh water up to 95 percent more when compared to water used in making brand new products.
Appreciating Those Who Recycle!
ScrapWare Corporation has provided and serviced software for the scrap metal recycling industry for 35 years. ScrapWare recognizes and applauds the efforts of its customers to conserve resources and improve the environment through the business of scrap metal recycling. ScrapWare looks forward to supporting its scrap metal recycling customers for decades to come!
About ScrapWare Corporation: Since 1989, Rockville, Maryland-based ScrapWare Corporation has been the software of choice for the recycling industry. Its ease of installation and simplicity saves users time and money while helping them achieve compliance and maintain accurate business insights. With state-of-the-art functionality tailored to each organization’s unique requirements, ScrapWare is an advanced dynamic software solution that alleviates the most pressing recycling industry worries. For more information, please call (301) 517-8500 or visit https://www.scrapware.com/.