Your pledge to recycle and buy recycled could make you a winner! Stop by the America Recycles Day booth at the Elgin Meijer store, 815 S. Randall Rd., on Saturday, November 11th, 8:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. to learn about the many benefits of recycling, tips on buying recycled products and how to recycle in Elgin. Enter to win local prizes such as Meijer gift cards and recycled products, as well as the national grand prizes!
Celebrated annually on November 15th, America Recycles Day is a national campaign designed to promote the social, environmental, and economic benefits of recycling and buying recycled products, otherwise known as “closing the loop”. This year’s national grand prize is an all-expense paid Alaskan Cruise for two. Five recycled aluminum content Trek Model 4300 24-speed bicycles will be also awarded as Youth Prizes in the national campaign. Learn how YOU can make a difference by recycling and buying recycled! This event is sponsored by local Keep America Beautiful affiliate, Elgin Proud & Beautiful, the City of Elgin and Meijer.
“Elgin residents and businesses have already demonstrated a very strong commitment to recycling”, stated Tish Powell, who manages the City of Elgin’s recycling program. “The goal of America Recycles Day takes that commitment a step further by promoting the economic benefits of recycling and encouraging everyone to buy products made from recycled materials in order to keep the cycle going.”
An excellent example of the local economic impact of recycling is the Ball Corporation (formerly U.S. Can). “The Ball Corporation manufactures over 1.8 million steel cans per day and employs roughly 350 people at their Elgin facility. Approximately thirty-percent of the steel used to manufacture these cans comes from recycled material,” according to Powell. The recycling and reuse industry contributes $12.2 billion a year to the Illinois economy, employing more than 56,000 people across the state.
For more information on America Recycles Day and to enter the national contest, citizens are encouraged to visit the America Recycles Day website at www.americarecyclesday.org . For information on recycling in Elgin, contact the Elgin Public Works Department at (847)697-3160, or visit the City’s website at www.cityofelgin.org.