CA State Parks, Keep California Beautiful and American Chemistry Council Announce Partnership for Beach Clean-Up and Plastics Recycling on “America Recycles Day” - Public education campaign seeks to help keep valuable plastics out of ocean, wat

(SACRAMENTO – November 15, 2007) Citing the need for Californians to work together to increase the recycling of plastics – state government, nonprofit, and private sector leaders see “America Recycles Day” on November 15 as a timely opportunity for announcing their newly formed public-private partnership. Their goal is to help keep recyclable plastics out of trash cans, the ocean and waterways – and instead into recycling bins.

Leaders from the state Department of Parks & Recreation (State Parks), Keep California Beautiful (KCB) and the American Chemistry Council (ACC) are rolling out a new campaign on State Park sites in the San Luis Obispo and Los Angeles coastal areas that will unfold during the next two months. It will focus on increasing the recycling of plastics to help protect the state’s environment for future generations.

The campaign also will help promote two key goals of America Recycles Day, which include encouraging people to recycle more and to support recycling events in their communities.

The campaign recycling bins and/or educational displays that will be found on beaches will be marked with messages reminding Californians that “Plastics are too Valuable to Waste – Recycle.” Significant campaign funding through 2008 is coming from the ACC.

"Too much plastic – including some of the most readily recyclable products in the world – is ending up as litter on our beaches, in our waterways and on our highways,” said ACC Products Division Vice President Sharon Kneiss. “We know Californians want to recycle more. This new partnership highlights our commitment to work with government officials, nonprofits, and the recycling industries to make our environment cleaner and provide for the future of California.”

The recycling program will “formally” launch in January 2008, with press conferences to be scheduled in respective coastal cities where the campaign is unfolding.

“California State Parks welcomes the opportunity to partner with the private sector and Keep California Beautiful to promote the value of recycling plastics and other materials,” said State Parks Director Ruth Coleman. “This campaign will help to prevent litter on beaches that costs taxpayers dollars to collect.”

About 76 million people visited California’s State Parks during the 2005/06 fiscal year, many to the 320 miles of ocean-front property owned by State Parks. Until now, there has not been a widespread public education campaign reaching park visitors to encourage the recycling of plastics instead of leaving them behind or placing them in the trash.

More than 80 percent of U.S. households have access to a recycling program, be it curbside collection or community drop-off centers. Yet in most areas, the demand for recycled plastics exceeds available supply. While there are approximately 2,100 certified recycling centers in California, many Californians still treat plastics as trash instead of a valuable material that is readily recyclable.

Keep California Beautiful is a nonprofit environmental organization that promotes individual responsibility for California’s environment through mobilizing tens of thousands of volunteers to conduct cleanup, litter prevention, recycling and beautification projects throughout the state.

“We have partnered with State Parks and the plastics industry to help increase awareness for the value of recycling as a method for litter prevention,” said KCB Executive Director Christine Flowers-Ewing. “Cleaning up our parks is a goal we all share. We're excited about this new partnership and are hopeful that more Californians will get the message that plastics should be recycled, not wasted.”

During 2006, Californians recycled more than 12 billion beverage containers – an increase of 814 million containers compared to 2005. California still leads the nation in total quantity of bottles and cans recycled.

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