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.
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.
These events will encourage individuals to make a 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.
People are being encouraged to join in on social media, using #GlobalRecyclingDay, to share videos and images of recycling actions and celebrations.
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.”
