Keep America Beautiful is encouraging people to give their garbage another life on America Recycles Day, which is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 15. The average American produces 4.4 pounds of trash in a single day, and yet Americans recycle only 35 percent of this country’s waste. America Recycles Day encourages people to recycle more at home, at work and on the go. “Through our education programs and collection events taking place in communities across the country, Keep America Beautiful, its affiliate network and partners are raising awareness about what is recyclable and what material can become when recycled and given a new life,” said Brenda Pulley, senior vice president, recycling at Keep America Beautiful. Here are five action steps people can take:

• Take the “I Recycle” pledge today at americarecyclesday.org and tell us what you pledge to recycle more. Ten people who make a pledge will win a park bench made from recycled content.
• Make your “I Recycle” pledge go even further through our America Recycles Day Thunderclap, which will post a synchronized message of support on the Facebook or Twitter accounts of all our supporters at the exact same time on America Recycles Day. All it takes is one click!
• Share our America Recycles Day Thunderclap with your followers. The more people who spread the word, the bigger difference we can make.
• Post our Recycling 101 infographic, found here.
• Visit IWantToBeRecycled.org to find your nearest recycling center, and learn the facts about what materials can be recycled and what they can become in their new lives.

Keep America Beautiful is providing resources and supporting activities to thousands of grassroots events across the country. Here is a sampling of creative events taking place on and around America Recycles Day:

• On Nov. 12, Keep America Beautiful will conduct a “Get Caught Recycling” event on the National Mall and in downtown Washington, D.C., with 80 Mars, Incorporated Associate volunteers. Volunteers will “catch” people using the recycling bins placed on the National Mall and around the Downtown DC Business improvement District and invite them to take the “I Recycle” pledge.
• Waste Management of Southern California will be joining AEG, Keep California Beautiful and Keep Los Angeles Beautiful to host the L.A. LIVE America Recycles Day collection event at L.A. LIVE on Nov. 15. The event will include a photo-op prior to Los Angeles Lakers Friday Night Live Activation. Moreover, a “Random Acts of Recycling” video will be featured at Los Angeles Kings home hockey games leading up to Nov. 15. The video will feature event attendees caught recycling at the venue during prior games. AEG Facilities’ ongoing commitment to its AEG 1EARTH corporate sustainability program includes America Recycles Day activation at many of its U.S. venues including STAPLES Center (Los Angeles), Valley View Convention Center (San Diego), Sprint Center (Kansas City, Mo.), Citizens Business Bank Arena (Ontario, Calif.), KFC Yum! Center (Louisville, Ky.), Rabobank Arena (Bakersfield, Calif.), BBVA Compass Stadium (Houston) and The Colosseum at Caesars Palace (Las Vegas).
• Keep Philadelphia Beautiful, Recyclebank and the Philadelphia Streets Department are hosting a one-day recycling event on Nov. 15 in Rittenhouse Square, one of Philadelphia’s most trafficked parks.  Philadelphia Streets Department Commissioner David Perri will be officially declaring it America Recycles Day in Philadelphia at the event kickoff, scheduled for 11:00 a.m., and various educational and interactive stations will be set up throughout the Square to demonstrate the proper way to recycle in Philadelphia, why recycling is so critical to the environment and the city, and the potential “second life” for any object through recycling and reuse.

America’s leading companies are proud to make America Recycles Day possible. National sponsors of America Recycles Day are: Anheuser-Busch, Amcor, American Chemistry Council, the Johnson & Johnson Family of Consumer Companies, Rubbermaid Incorporated, The Home Depot U.S.A., Inc. and Waste Management.

About Keep America Beautiful

Keep America Beautiful is the nation’s leading nonprofit that brings people together to build and sustain vibrant communities. With a network of more than 1,200 affiliate and participating organizations including state recycling organizations, we work with millions of volunteers to take action in their communities. Keep America Beautiful offers solutions that create clean, beautiful public places, reduce waste and increase recycling, generate positive impact on local economies and inspire generations of environmental stewards. Through our programs and public-private partnerships, we engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community’s environment. For more information, visit kab.org and follow @kabtweet on Twitter.

About America Recycles Day

America Recycles Day is a national program of Keep America Beautiful, and is the only nationally-recognized day and community-driven awareness event dedicated to promoting and celebrating recycling in the U.S. Since its inception in 1997, communities across the country have participated in America Recycles Day on Nov. 15 to educate, promote environmental citizenship, and encourage action. To learn more, visit americarecyclesday.org.