Texas Recycles Day has a rich history rooted in the Lone Star State. The event traces its origins to 1994 as a project of two employees of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Kevin Tuerff and Valerie Davis. Their idea was to promote recycling through a campaign to boost recycling in the state.
What began as localized initiatives soon gained statewide momentum, leading to the formal establishment of Texas Recycles Day. Since then, every November, Texans celebrate and amplify recycling practices. A few years later, the effort went national, and much of the country celebrates “America Recycles Day” on November 15th.
The event serves as a reminder of our responsibility to preserve the state’s natural beauty and promote a sustainable future. Through grassroots events including educational programs, community events, and collaborative partnerships, Texas Recycles Day continues to be a significant catalyst for environmental awareness and positive change.
Economic Impact
Recycling is a crucial measure that we can take to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in our landfills. By recycling, we reduce our impact on the environment and conserve natural resources. One of the primary benefits of recycling is that it reduces the amount of space needed for landfills. When we recycle, we divert waste from landfills, which helps to extend their lifespan and reduce the need for new landfill sites.
In addition to reducing landfill space, recycling also has economic benefits. In Texas alone, recycling provides more than 23,000 jobs. These jobs range from collection and processing to manufacturing and distribution. The overall economic impact is $4.8 billion, and generates nearly $195 million in local and state taxes.
Environmental Impact
Recycling also conserves natural resources. When we recycle materials like paper, plastic, and metal, we reduce the need for virgin materials. This helps to conserve natural resources like trees, oil, and minerals.
Since recycling requires less energy and resources than producing new materials, we reduce greenhouse gas emissions and minimize energy and water usage by recycling.
Recycling reduce our impact on the environment and ensure that future generations have access to these resources.
The Keep Texas Recycling Program
Keep Texas Beautiful’s Keep Texas Recycling program supports recycling in rural and underserved parts of Texas. The program works with partner communities to provide access to markets for collected materials. KTB also offers technical support and capacity building funding opportunites.
Although these programs are smaller scale than the curbside recycling programs found in many Texas cities and towns, the impact adds up:
Texas Recycles Day is an opportunity to encourage Texans to recycle and reduce waste. By participating in this event, we learn about the importance of recycling and how it can benefit our environment and communities. It is not just about one day, but about making recycling a part of our daily routine, and encouraging our local officials, and the brands we buy, to invest in recycling efforts.
