Staff Reports
Floridians should start using the yellow and blue bins they keep in their garage, as Florida Recycles Week officially begins in the middle of November.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared Nov. 11 the start of “Florida Recycles Week” where Monday through Friday will have different events and educate the public on how to recycle properly until Nov. 15 — America Recycles Day.
Each year, America Recycles Day is where millions of people throughout the country seek to raise awareness about recycling. Since 2009, thousands of activities have been held in the country to spread awareness about the importance of recycling and offer personal pledges for people to sign their commitment to recycling and buying products made from recyclable material.
On Nov. 14, Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Noah Valenstein and the Florida Recycling Partnership executive director Keyna Cory will hold a news conference to announce the Recycling Recognition Awards for Tervis, North Florida Pharmacy at Madison, and Northrup Grumman for their recycling efforts.
“The Florida Recycling Partnership is pleased to partner with FDEP and other key stakeholders to promote recycling during Florida Recycles Week,” said Dawn McCormick, Board Chair of the Florida Recycling Partnership. “Improving recycling throughout the state, and educating residents to recycle only the right materials curbside, takes the cooperation of many of us.”
The news conference will also announce the results of the Capitol Complex Recycling Project. Starting in 2018, the project encouraged people to recycle bottles and cans while visiting the State Capitol.
The goal of the project is to increase the recycling rate of the Capitol. New, bottle-shaped recycling containers are now throughout the area. Each container has a new logo: “Rethink. Reuse. Recycle,” which intends to promote the new Florida Recycles campaign.
“The Florida Beverage Association is proud to support recycling in the Sunshine State and is committed to improving the communities where we live, work and play,” said Liz DeWitt, President of the Florida Beverage Association, the trade group for Florida’s nonalcoholic beverage industry. “We believe education helps foster behavioral change toward community preservation and environmental sustainability. We are excited to work with partners in Tallahassee and throughout the State to inspire personal responsibility in environmental conservation.”
In 2018, the Capitol Maintenance Services reported there was less liquid contamination, and a sharp reduction of recyclables placed in regular trash cans.
