Recycling Association of Minnesota (RAM) Brings National Recycling Celebration to Minnesota
RAM hosts Recycle Your Holidays collections beginning November 15 to celebrate America Recycles DaySM 2014
St. Paul, MN November 15, 2014 – On November 15 RAM will host a two and a half month collection event for recycling holiday lights statewide in Minnesota, joining thousands of local organizers holding recycling events across the country to celebrate America Recycles Day, the only nationally recognized day dedicated to promoting and celebrating recycling in the United States.
RAM in partnership with ACE hardware stores and WCCO TV are once again working together to provide the Recycle Your Holidays™(RYH) program to Minnesotans. RYH is the only, holiday lights recycling program of its kind in the country. RAM provides the collection bins and collection services for ACE store customers to recycle holiday lights during the holiday season. Vocational centers and their clients are contracted by RAM to provide the pick-up service and sort the thousands of pounds of holiday lights for the program each winter. The sale of the holiday light material pays the wages of the clients of the vocational center who are individuals with disabilities. ACE customers can bring in their old or non-working holiday lights to be properly recycled at any participating ACE Hardware or other location listed on RAM’s online interactive map. The map can be found at RecycleMinnesota.org. The goal this year is to recycle 100,000 pounds of holiday lights.
“This program is a win-win-win. The customers of local businesses like ACE have a free recycling option, valuable recyclables are kept out of the landfill and the program provides meaningful employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities at local vocational centers throughout the state of Minnesota,” commented Maggie Mattacola, Executive Director of Operations for the Recycling Association of Minnesota. “This is the fifth year of this program and we are excited to be able to once again with WCCO and ACE for the collections.”
“Keep America Beautiful proudly supports RAM’s America Recycles Day event and commend their efforts to promote recycling in Minnesota. Recyclable items we use every day, like that cereal box and milk jug in the morning- are recoverable resources that can be manufactured into new and valuable products. Together, we can reduce the billions of dollars’ worth of material thrown away each year and work to give that “garbage” another life through recycling.”
For more information about recycling in Minnesota visit RecycleMinnesota.org.