With just one month to go until the first-ever Global Recycling Day, cities across the globe are joining together to encourage people to think of recycling in a new way. The initiative from the Bureau for International Recycling (BIR) will call on the world to think “resource” not “waste” when it comes to recycling.
On the 18th March 2018, official Global Recycling Day events will take place in London, Washington DC, Sao Paolo, Paris, Johannesburg, Delhi and Dubai (with other private events expected to take place in homes and communities across the globe).
These events will encourage individuals to pledge to make at least one change to their recycling habits, as well as asking them to sign BIR’s petition calling for the day to be recognised by the United Nations. This will help the message spread and highlight the importance of a global approach to recycling to world leaders.
Joining in on social media channels, using #GlobalRecyclingDay, is being encouraged, with people invited to share videos and images of recycling actions and celebrations. The aim is to showcase how central recycling is to our day to day life – whether it’s working with local recycling businesses or making personal recycling commitments.
BIR President, Ranjit Baxi, said: “The world’s first Global Recycling Day is a vitally important new date in our global calendar. To truly harness the power of recycling we must adopt a global approach to its collection, processing and use, and this Day recognises the global nature of the industry and the issue. It is time we put the planet first and all commit to spend 10 more minutes a day ensuring that materials are disposed of properly. It is a joint responsibility, not one of the few and I look forward to seeing individuals, communities, businesses and leaders joining us and celebrating the Day on 18th March.
“Global Recycling Day is also a wakeup call to all of us, wherever we live. We must unite with those involved in the industry – from workers on waste mountains to the world’s largest businesses – to help them to make the best use of what we dispose of, to make recycling easier, inherent even in the design of products, and to stop expecting countries to simply accept Recyclables which are difficult and costly to process.”
About Global Recycling Day
Global Recycling Day is an initiative of the Bureau of International Recycling (BIR).
BIR is the global federation of the recycling industry, representing the interests of the global industry.
One of BIR’s key objectives is to promote recycling globally – showcasing its benefits to industry, policy makers and the wider community.
2018 marks the 70th anniversary of BIR (indeed 18th March is its 70th birthday), a landmark year in which to create a day which recognised the vital role recycling and the industry plays in protecting the planet.
The first ever Global Recycling Day will unite people across the world, highlighting the need to conserve our six primary resources (water, air, coal, oil, natural gas and minerals) and celebrating the power of the newly termed “Seventh Resource”- the goods we recycle every day. The new initiative is the brain child of Ranjit Baxi, who announced his vision for a day dedicated to recycling at the inauguration of his Presidency at BIR’s 2015 Dubai Convention.
Global Recycling Day will be a day of action, aimed at building a global approach towards recycling, calling on world leaders, international businesses, communities and individuals to make seven clear commitments in their approach to recycling. Consumers are also being asked to ask themselves some key questions about recycling, to think of it in a new way.
