Global Recycling Day Is Here! If You Want to Celebrate, Look No Further

Every year, Global Recycling Day encourages the average citizen to embrace the opportunity to recycle and work towards a sustainable future. March 18 is already here, and this year's Global Recycling Day theme is #RecyclingHeroes. The reason for choosing this particular theme is to highlight the people, places, and activities helping to create an environmentally stable planet for all.

Now that Global Recycling Day is here, how can you participate?

Here are a few ways to celebrate Global Recycling Day.

Global Recycling Day's official website lists businesses that have dedicated to enact strong Corporate and Social Responsibility (CSR) policies, which focus on recycling and reusing materials. Many of these businesses have partnered with nonprofits or other organizations equally focused on sustainability to promote recycling practices.

For example, cruelty-free hair care company Hair Food has partnered with master recycling company TerraCycle on a recycling program for Hair Food packaging. All you have to do is print out a free label, mail back any empty Hair Food products, and TerraCycle will do the rest.

The environmental nonprofit Delterra is making a difference by running the international Rethinking Recycling initiative in Indonesia and Argentina. The initiative works to build waste management and recycling systems so that being sustainable is easy to incorporate into people's everyday lives. Many of the company's waste workers could and should be considered Recycling Heroes for their tireless efforts to create a sustainable living for all.

The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries Inc., or ISRI, is also doing its part to encourage recycling. It has partnered with JASON Learning, a nonprofit organization that focuses on STEM education, to create an education program for kids grades K-12 discussing the importance of recycling. Hopefully, this educational program will get a new generation of students involved in environmental activism from a young age!

Additionally, Global Recycling Day's website highlights Nike, Adidas and Subaru as a few corporations that have Social Responsibility policies in place to keep climate-friendly practices in place all year round.

In addition to businesses working for a sustainable future, many people have put recycling into practice in their everyday lives. Another great way to celebrate Global Recycling Day is to get inspired by following these environmental activists and "greenfluencers" who are changing the landscape of recycling by renovating, upcycling, or re-furnishing everyday objects.

Some of the influencers paving the way for recycling or upcycling include:

• Samantha Vo
• Kat Steck
• Tania Melendez
• Caleb Brackney
• India Loretz

It's also important to highlight activists who are not only contributing to the importance of recycling but also other sustainable ventures. Some of these activists include:

• Dame Ellen MacArthur
• Moejoh Oluwaseyi

• Hilda Flavia Nakabuye
• Hannah Testa
• Greta Thunberg

Ultimately, the best way to celebrate Global Recycling Day is to make recycling a habit — before throwing anything in the trash, take that extra step to check if it is recyclable, reusable, or compostable instead. If everyone does their part to work towards a more environmentally-friendly future, we can save the planet for generations to come.

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