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Preparing for Earth Day 2020: Happy 50th Anniversary

Earth Day is April 22 but the date isn’t just a day, it’s a movement, marking the beginning of the modern environmental movement in 1970. Earth Day 2020 will mark 50 years of Earth Day — a movement that has mobilized more than 1 billion people across 190+ countries.

The Recycling Partnership’s 2019 Earth Day survey showed that more than 84% of millennials say services – like recycling – that reduce climate change are valuable, and nearly 90% say they recycle at least some of the items they buy that are recyclable.

That said, how is your community preparing to activate residents to recycle more, better on Earth Day [and every day]? We’ve gathered some ideas to inspire you and we’re sharing a resources to help you prepare.

Here are some ideas to inspire you:

  • Host a community clean-up and ensure recyclables are recycled
  • Host a “hard-to-recycle” event for items such as batteries, small electronics, and Styrofoam.
  • Partner with retail locations for in-store activations and recycling education
  • Encourage residents to pledge to recycle.
  • Develop a social media plan to educate and activate residents (we’ll share some of our favorites ahead of Earth Day). Get inspired with these social media resources or blog posts at itsallyou.org.
  • Share free DIY signs for recycling with your neighbors.
  • Share a recycling quiz on social media to celebrate this anniversary of mother Earth.
  • Consider a local march for science collaboration.
  • Provide education and resources for battery and small electronics drop-off events.
  • Kick off your star-rating survey or use our Municipal Measurement Program to learn more about recycling trends in your local community.

Have other ideas to help communities recycle more, better? Share what you’re doing in your community in our Facebook City and County Recycling Coordinator Group.