Give your garbage another life on America Recycles Day Nov. 15

“I Want To Be Recycled” is the theme of Keep America Beautiful’s 2014 America Recycles Day (ARD), which takes place annually on and around Nov. 15 throughout the country.

America Recycles Day, in its 17th year, educates people about the importance of recycling to our economy and environmental well-being and helps to motivate occasional recyclers to become everyday recyclers.

The day celebrates the benefits of recycling and provides an educational platform that motivates people to take action to recycle more and recycle smarter, influencing recycling behaviors at work, at home and on the go.

“When material is recycled, you’re ‘giving your garbage another life’ as it becomes something new and valuable,” said Jennifer Jehn, president and CEO of Keep America Beautiful.

“For example, a plastic bottle can be recycled into new containers, t-shirts and fleece jackets, park benches, plastic lumber, and more. America Recycles Day can inspire people to reduce, reuse and recycle – and realize that recyclable materials have the potential to become something bigger,” she was quoted as saying in a pres release.

“The United States has embraced recycling since the first America Recycles Day in 1997 and as a result, today, the vast majority of the population has curbside recycling programs. It is time to re-invigorate recycling by promoting more and better sustainable materials management to secure a healthier environment today and for future generations to come,” said Mathy Stanislaus, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response.

Here are five actions people can take on and around America Recycles Day:

Take the “I Recycle” pledge and tell Keep America Beautiful what you pledge to recycle more. Five people who take the pledge will win a park bench made from recycled content.

Take a recycling “selfie” and post it to your social networks – you just might win a prize! All you have to do is take a photo of yourself recycling and post it with the words “#RecyclingSelfie” on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Tumblr.

Join Keep America Beautiful on Wednesday, Nov. 12, at 8 p.m. (EST) for a live America Recycles Day Twitter Chat about what and how you can recycle in each room of the house, and to share and learn ways to do more! Search #AmericaRecyclesDay on Twitter to follow the conversation.

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.