How many days in a row can you reduce, reuse and recycle? Use this calendar for ideas.
CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE “AMERICA RECYCLES DAY” QUIZ
Call the PA DEP Recycling Hotline at 1-800-346-4242
In celebration of America Recycles Day — Saturday, November 15, 2025 — PRC busts three common recycling myths:
Myth #1: Reycling isn’t worth it. I’ve heard that only 9% of the plastics I put curbside get recycled.
Here’s the truth: This stat comes from a 2017 paper(1) stating that 9% of all plastics ever made have been recycled. Similarly, according to post-pandemic, 2022 data(2) 9% of all plastics produced globally in that year were recycled. As an example, in the City of Pittsburgh, 85% of the recyclables you put in your single-stream curbside bin get recycled, according to a 2023 performance audit(3).
Myth #2: All the plastic in the ocean comes from people littering. Litter flows into the rivers and eventually into the oceans.
Here’s the truth: Yes, plastic is a large component of litter(4) and can flow to our rivers and to the oceans. However, studies(5) have determined that the main cause of ocean plastic is from mismanaged refuse piles from countries the U.S. and other developed countries send their excess plastic. Since we make more than we can reasonably manage, we ship it to other countries, which dump it in open piles. This leads to plastic leaking onto the land, water, air, and our bodies(6).
Myth #3: My recycling facility should be able to tell me what new items are being made from my recyclables.
Here’s the truth: Many recycling facilities work with a broker who sells your recyclables to a mid-stream processor. That midstream processor further sorts, separates, and refines the material and then sells their refined product to the manufacturer that turns it into a new item. Our local recycling facilities often have no idea what manufacturer the mid-stream processor sells their refined materials to.
Ready for a challenge? Let’s Reduce and Reuse before we recycle. Take the #AmericaRecycles challenge and use this calendar to try a new challenge each day of November.
CLICK HERE to learn more about “America Recycles Day.”