(JACKSON, Miss.) — The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) is joining local, state, regional, and national partners today in recognizing America Recycles Day. America Recycles Day is sponsored each November 15 by Keep America Beautiful and is the only nationally-recognized day to promote and celebrate recycling in the United States.
“MDEQ has been a consistent promoter of recycling in Mississippi for many years and continues to work with numerous partners to increase recycling opportunities across the state. America Recycles Day is a good time to consider how the proper management of materials through reduction, reuse, and recycling can benefit both our environment and our economy,” said Chris Wells, MDEQ Executive Director.
The need for recycling continues to be important as manufacturers need recovered plastics, metals, paper, and glass materials as domestic feedstock for new products. In fact, on this America Recycles Day there is good news that market values are rising for materials such as cardboard, mixed paper, and plastics. In addition, there are continued investments in new companies and infrastructure that will process recyclable materials into new products and numerous Fortune 500 companies are investing in recycling.
In Mississippi, many local government recycling programs are working to meet the recent challenges for recycling by finding creative solutions to ensure residents continue to have the opportunity to recycle. MDEQ continues to work with these local governments along with recycling businesses; manufacturers and industries; schools; colleges and universities; non-profit groups; and, state, regional and national organizations to promote and grow recycling in the state. The benefits of recycling include job creation, economic development, conservation of resources and energy, reduction of pollution, and saving landfill space. MDEQ also educates the public on opportunities to reduce, reuse and recycle in communities across the state and on the importance of collecting only clean, valuable, and accepted materials in the recycling bin. More information about local recycling opportunities is available from MDEQ’s Statewide Recycling Directory.
MDEQ continues to work toward achieving the state’s goals for increasing recycling and growing the recycling industry in Mississippi. Interested Mississippians can make a renewed commitment to reduce, reuse, and recycle by taking the #BERECYCLED pledge.
Information about MDEQ’s Recycling and Waste Reduction programs can be found here. For more information please contact Jennifer Milner, State Recycling Coordinator with MDEQ, or Lynn Bradshaw, Assistant Recycling Coordinator.
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