I Want To Be Recycled Campaign Inspires Us to Recycle

Did you know:

The average American produces 4.4 pounds of trash a day, and on
the whole the United States produces over 250 million tons of trash a year.
However, only about 35 percent is currently recycled, according to the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
To address this national concern, the Ad Council and Keep America Beautiful (KAB)
launched a public service advertising campaign designed to raise awareness about the
benefits of recycling with the goal to make recycling a daily social norm.
According to research released today by the Ad Council,

“Only 52 percent of Americans say that they

are “very” or “extremely” knowledgeable

about how to properly recycle.”

Additionally, only 38 percent say they are “avid recyclers,” recycling as much as possible and
willing to go out of their way to do so.
Many Americans recycle today and more say they are educated on environmental issues than ever before.
Still, despite heightened visibility of public recycling receptacles and more curbside  programs,
levels of recycling are low and could be increased greatly.
Some of the recycling challenges Americans face are:
*a lack of access or inconvenience
*a lack of awareness and understanding
*confusion around what, where, and how to recycle
*a lack of motivation
Plus, curbside programs are only offered to approximately 60% of communities.
In a world where marketing is used to sell everything from candy to cars, a compelling, new marketing campaign
was created to help overcome these obstacles to recycling.

I Want to Be Recycled Campaign

The “I Want To Be Recycled” campaign was designed to motivate Americans to recycle every day.
Developed pro bono by San Francisco-based ad agency Pereira & O’Dell, this campaign communicates
that recyclable materials can be given another life–and become something new–if someone
chooses to recycle.

Find Out Where to Recycle

One of the most important aspects of the campaign is that it directs audiences to IWantToBeRecycled.org,
a new website with a localized search tool allowing users to find where to recycle –whether at their
curbside or their nearest recycling center.

“This campaign is the emotional push needed to

raise awareness and positively change people’s

behavior to recycle more.

Our intent is to increase recycling rates,

which translates into measurable benefits

including waste reduction, energy savings,

natural resource conservation and job creation.”

 Brenda Pulley, Keep America Beautiful,

Senior Vice President, Recycling

The campaign is designed to tap into that desire, as well as provide helpful tools to make recycling easier.

“The core idea is to tell people to recycle

and give their garbage another life.

Showing that a bottle has dreams seems

like a very powerful yet delicate way of doing it.”

PJ Pereira, chief creative officer, Pereira & O’Dell

View the Campaign Video

The Ad Council is distributing the new PSAs for television, radio, outdoor and digital media to
more than 33,000 media outlets nationwide.

Campaign Recycling Resources

*The Recycling Journey Illustrated
The website illustrates the recycling process through an interactive infographic and offers
detailed information on:
*what materials can be recycled
*how they should be recycled
*what products they can become in the future
*Recycling Mythbusters

There are lots of recycling myths out there  that impede effective recycling.
Here are a couple of common ones:
Myth: The tab is the only part of the can that is recycled.
Fact: The entire can is recyclable. In fact, it is better to keep the tabs on the can to ensure it
makes it through the recycling process.
Myth:You need to remove all labels before recycling glass containers.
Fact: You do not need to remove all labels before recycling glass containers.
The heat generated in the manufacturing process removes the label.
Discover more recycling mythbusters in this handy campaign fact sheet.

*Social Media Messages to Share
The campaign tool kit also includes examples of recycling social media messages for you to share
on Facebook and Twitter.
Here are sample Facebook posts:
“How does a steel can become a bike? This infographic
gives an inside look at a process that helps
#keepamericabeautiful  http://bit.ly/1defcx7″
“To be or not to be…recycled. That is the question. Here
are your answers: http://bit.ly/12oxGVO #berecycled”
And sample Tweets:
“Give your garbage a new life. Start
by searching for a recycling center
near you IWantToBeRecycled.org
#berecycled”
“2011 EPA data shows American recycling rates at 34.7%.
Are you recycling right? Find out now.
IWantToBeRecycled.org #berecycled”

About Keep America Beautiful

Keep America Beautiful is the nation’s leading nonprofit that brings people together to build
and sustain vibrant communities.
With a network of more than 1,200 affiliate and participating organizations including state recycling
organizations, they work with millions of volunteers to take action in their communities.
KAB offers solutions that create clean, beautiful public places, reduce waste and increase recycling,
generate positive impact on local economies and inspire generations of environmental stewards.

 Additional Recyling Resources

• Container Recycling Institute
• Earth 911
• Environmental Protection Agency
• How2Recycle
• National Recycling Coalition
• Natural Resources Defense Council
• 1800Recycling

Walk the Talk!

Don’t just read this, do something!
Let’s do our best to improve our own recycling efforts and spread the word about this campaign!
*Share the video.
*Tweet the facts.
*Email a link to the website.
*Blog about it.
*Discuss ways to recycle effectively with your family and friends.
*Host a recycling awareness event in your neighborhood using the campaign materials.
Every litter bit helps! (Smile)
How well are you recycling in your home and community? Share your thoughts.

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