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Recycling at Special Events

Californians do a fine job of recycling at home. They separate their recyclables and put them out on the curb for the recycling truck to pick up once a week. However, when on–the–go, those same environmentally–conscious Californians toss recyclables into the trash. This is partially because recycling bins are not readily accessible at events.

The recycling industry suffers because of this. According to the American Plastics Council, only 50% of #1 and #2 plastics were recovered for recycling in 2001. This is largely attributed to the fact that a large percentage of plastic bottles are consumed at public venues where recycling is unavailable. Recycling should be a standard part of any special event, and although it takes a lot of work, it is well worth the effort. In this section you will find a summary of specific issues regarding recycling at events.

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Topics in this section:

Benefits to recycling at a special events:
Resource conservation
Good publicity
Help cities achieve state mandated 50% recycling rates
Reduce disposal costs
Right thing to do