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TALLAHASSEE – Governor Charlie Crist and the Florida Cabinet today presented
a resolution recognizing November 15, 2007, as America Recycles Day. The day
encourages citizens to pledge to increase their recycling habits at home and
work and to buy products made with recycled materials.
“Florida’s aggressive recycling program – one of the first in the nation to
set specific goals – conserves landfill space, conserves our natural resources
and conserves energy,” said Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)
Secretary Michael W. Sole. “America Recycles Day reminds us all to be good
environmental stewards of our nation’s limited resources.”
DEP has implemented several community outreach efforts to encourage recycling
including awarding grants and providing technical assistance to local
governments and non-profits. This aided in the increased number of tons of
materials recycled each year. In 2005, 9.2 million tons were kept out of
Florida’s landfills.
This year’s campaign features the theme, It All Comes Back to You. The theme
reminds citizens that a recycled product or material can return to consumers as
another new product.
As part of America Recycles Day, the Florida Department of Environmental
Protection (DEP), Recycle Florida Today and Creative Recycling Systems, Inc., is
holding the fourth annual Florida (K-12) Schools Recycling Pledge Card Contest.
The contest rewards one class from an elementary, middle and high school that
submits the most recycling pledge cards. By completing recycling pledge cards,
individuals promise to do more to protect the environment through recycling
efforts and help their class win a refurbished computer.
The class with the most number of pledges at their level will receive a
gently used desktop computer including monitor courtesy of Creative Recycling
Systems, Inc, which serves the southeastern United States. The class with the
most pledge cards submitted will also receive a pizza party courtesy of Recycle
Florida Today. In addition, each individual who fills out a pledge card will be
entered into a statewide drawing for a $100.00 gift certificate donated by
Recycle Florida Today. The deadline for submitting pledges is November 30, 2007.
In 2006, more than 8,300 elementary, middle and high school students and more
than 12,000 Floridians took the pledge to recycle and buy more recycled
products. This year, DEP is challenging Floridians to double this amount.
For more information, visit
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/recycling/AR/2007/ar07.htm.
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