After much planning and preparation, the first ever Global Recycling Day is finally here this weekend.
With just a couple of days to go, Ranjit Baxi, President of the Bureau of International Recycling, has recorded a special message for supporters and advocates of recycling.
If you would like to take part, check out the events already planned for this weekend on our blog here.
Show your support by signing our petition or follow our social media channels.
It has been an honour for Global Recycling Day to have the support of one of the key UN agencies, the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), who have shared an article and a video (which has subtitles in German, Spanish, Russian, French and Chinese) about the need to prioritise resource (not waste) on their website.
This is a testament to how important the Day is, and supports us in our mission to a truly global approach towards recycling – by world leaders, businesses, communities and individuals.
You can read the article here:
https://www.unido.org/news/unido-supports-first-ever-global-recycling-day
And watch the video from Stephan Sicars, Director of the Environment for UNIDO here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=27&v=JSA-IEzttnw
There are many organisations and businesses which have been pivotal in helping to get the first-ever Global Recycling Day off the ground and on the map. It is through these like-minded global friends that the message to people to make recycling their top priority has resounded from shore to shore.
One of these companies which needs particular and whole-hearted thanks is Federec, the professional Federation of Recycling Companies. Founded in 1945, Federec has 1,300 member companies from small and medium-sized businesses to large groups, spread across the whole of France. Their activity consists of collecting and sorting the material recovery of industrial and household waste.
Federec has been instrumental in helping Global Recycling Day, the brainchild of the Bureau of International Recycling, by raising awareness among all stakeholders (the general public, communities and institutions) through videos which show the many benefits of recycling. Federec has also used social media to challenge the public authorities about what is being done to enable better recycling.
Global Recycling Day highlights the need to conserve our six primary resources (water, air, coal, oil, natural gas and minerals) and celebrates the power of the newly termed “Seventh Resource”- the goods we recycle every day. The “Seventh Resource Manifesto” asks people searching questions about the way they manage waste to help enable better recycling.
Events across the globe differ from city to city but people across the continents will be asked to sign a petition to show world leaders why it is so important to have a global approach to recycling. It will be presented to world leaders in the coming months.
Climate change is the major overarching issue of our time and the single greatest challenge facing environmental regulators. It is a growing crisis, with economic, health and safety, food production, security and other dimensions. Therefore, it is imperative to promote a sustainable solution, which will turn this challenge into an opportunity.
The recycling industry is right at the centre of action on resource preservation. Without it, all our used and discarded fridges, plastic bottles, packing boxes, cars, cell phones, clothes and paper cups will contribute to the growing waste mountains, be incinerated or go to landfill – never to be used again.
The future of the planet’s environmental wellbeing is too important not to be a global concern. The power of the Seventh Resource must be recognised at a global level.
BOTTLETOP launched in 2002 through a design collaboration with Mulberry. At the heart of the campaign was the first luxury bag made entirely from up-cycled materials to be launched globally at retail; a best selling handbag made from bottle tops in Kenya, lined with Mulberry leather off-cuts in the UK.
BOTTLETOP went on to establish an atelier in Salvador, Brazil, where it has developed its collection of bags and accessories featuring custom production techniques and its sustainably sourced signature materials; up-cycled metal and certified zero deforestation leather from the Amazon. BOTTLETOP also produces an ‘art on canvas’ collection in Kenya; providing the basis for hand screen printed design collaborations with leading contemporary artists including Idris Khan and Wangechi Mutu on East African farmed cotton canvas.
BOTTLETOP and Narciso Rodriguez were awarded the Green Carpet Challenge (GCC) brandmark by Eco Age in 2014 for their design collaboration. They collaborated with DKNY in 2015 and the Rio Olympics in 2016 designing costumes for the Opening Ceremony. BOTTLETOP is also the official bag partner to BAFTA in 2018 (and previously in 2017).
The sale of BOTTLETOP designs fund the operation of the BOTTLETOP FOUNDATION, which supports health education projects in Ethiopia, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Brazil and the UK.
On December 5th 2017, BOTTLETOP launched its first flagship store at 84 Regent Street. The boutique re-imagines the future of ecologically responsible construction through zero waste design. The most advanced KUKA robots printed the store interior using REFLOW filament, which is made entirely from plastic waste. The raw material undergoes a process of washing, shredding and extrusion to transform into up-cycled filament.
The 3D printed store concept is a world-first in retail and contributes to a broader positive ecosystem, in line with the values upon which the BOTTLETOP brand and collection are based; those of sustainable luxury, ethical design, technical innovation and cross-cultural collaboration.
Speaking about the new store design, BOTTLETOP Co-Founder Oliver Wayman said: “For the first time, visitors to our store will be able to witness the sustainable use of this technology first hand while shopping the BOTTLETOP collection and learning about the mission of the brand. This is so exciting for us as our customers can watch the transformation of the store. Overhead hangs our trademark metal canopy, with thousands of cans embedded into a 3D printed lattice structure suspended from the ceiling, which is a play on the concept of negative space, inspired by the British contemporary artist Rachel Whiteread.”
Wayman continued: “The store offers an inspiring immersive experience that blends future-facing ecological conscience with time-honoured craftwork, through which our customers can truly learn about BOTTLETOP’s award winning collection and our vision for the future.”
The design creates the perfect backdrop for the BOTTLETOP collection, which features intricate hand craftsmanship in signature materials including up-cycled metal and Amazon zero deforestation leather.
With Global Recycling Day now a mere few days away, Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris and President of the C40, has added her name to the growing list of public figures, academics and politicians who have offered support for the recognition of recycling as our Seventh Resource:
“Je suis heureuse d’être, en tant que Maire de Paris et Présidente du C40, la marraine de la Journée Mondiale du Recyclage (Global Recycling Day), organisée à l’initiative du Bureau International du Recyclage.
“Dans un contexte de dégradation continue de notre environnement liée aux activités humaines, l’évolution de nos habitudes de consommation est incontestablement en cause.
“Nous devons œuvrer collectivement pour améliorer la gestion des déchets, en demeurant fidèles au principe selon lequel le « meilleur déchet est celui que l’on ne produit pas ».
“Paris s’y attèle et s’est fixé des objectifs ambitieux mais nécessaires : réduire le gaspillage, réduire la quantité de déchets, collecter séparément les déchets alimentaires, produire du compost.
“Nous devons en effet changer en profondeur notre regard sur les déchets. Longtemps les êtres humains ont eu le sens de la rareté. Tout ce qui était disponible en fonction d’un savoir technique encore limité était utilisé, récupéré, réutilisé, sans que l’on parle même de déchets. C’est à cet état d’esprit que nous devons revenir.
“En préservant la planète et en ayant conscience de la rareté, nous créerons de nouvelles sources d’abondance et de progrès.
“Nous devons collectivement tendre vers le « zéro déchet » en proposant des solutions concrètes et accessibles à toutes et tous.
“L’économie du recyclage dans laquelle les entreprises ont un rôle clé constitue une formidable opportunité.
“L’éco-conception des emballages constitue également une solution pour contribuer à endiguer les emballages jetables, véritable fléau pour l’environnement.
“L’ensemble de ces solutions nous permettront de lutter contre le péril climatique, de réduire l’impact de nos modes de vie sur l’environnement, mais aussi de renforcer le lien social.”
“In my capacity as Mayor of Paris and President of the C40, I am pleased to be patron of the Global Recycling Day, organised on the initiative of the Bureau of International Recycling.
“With the continuous degradation of our environment linked to human activity, our consumption habits have undoubtedly come into question.
“We must work collectively to improve waste management while remaining faithful to the principle that “the best waste is that which is not produced at all”.
“Paris is tackling this issue by setting ambitious but necessary goals: to reduce the squandering of resources and the quantities of waste we discard, to collect food waste separately and to produce compost.
“Indeed, we must change fundamentally the way we look at waste. For a long time, human beings had a sense of resource scarcity. All that could be put to another use within the scope of still-limited technical knowledge was recovered and reused without even any talk of waste. It is to this state of mind that we must look to return.
“By preserving the planet and being conscious of scarcity, we will create new sources of abundance and progress.
“We must collectively move towards “zero waste” by devising concrete solutions that are accessible to all.
“The recycling economy in which businesses play a key role is a great opportunity.
“The eco-design of packaging is also a solution that can help limit the problem of throwaway packaging, a real threat to the environment.
“All these solutions will enable us to fight the perils of climate change and to reduce the impact of our lifestyles on the environment while at the same time strengthening social ties.”
We’ve just announced Fjällräven as our first Marketing Partner, and to celebrate we’re giving supporters of Global Recycling Day a chance to win one of 70 eco-friendly, and super stylish, Re-Kånken backpacks made from recycled plastic – a perfect way to showcase the power of the Seventh Resource.
As of 12 March 2018, our supporters on social media, from across the globe, will be invited to share their own Global Recycling Day celebration photos with us, whether it be of an event, recycling with the family, making a pledge, or something altogether different. We will then select 70 lucky recycling fans to receive a Fjällräven Re-Kånken backpack with a Global Recycling Day Frisbee (made of recycled plastic of course) and t-shirt (in super soft sustainable organic cotton) safely stored inside.
To enter on Facebook, all you need to do is post your picture along with a message of support, and tag in @Global Recycling Day and @Fjällräven. Over on Twitter, we are asking followers to post their picture and use two hashtags #GlobalRecyclingDay and #Fjallraven.
The competition will close on 19 March and the winners will be selected at random from entries that mention both Global Recycling Day and Fjällräven.
The Re-Kånken story
The mission of Fjällräven is to inspire people to walk with nature with as little environmental footprint as possible. Founded in 1960, it has been working actively to care for both wildlife and nature. Among many sustainable projects, the company has chosen to focus on its namesake, the Scandinavian arctic fox, a species on the brink of extinction.
The Re-Kånken backpack is dyed with Spin-Dye technology that radically reduces the amount of water, energy and chemicals used. With the same design as the original, the Re- Kånken has been reinvented from a recycling and recyclable perspective that saves natural resources.
Competition Terms and Conditions
At present, construction and demolition waste (C&D) accounts for 30% of all waste material produced in Europe, and this percentage unfortunately increases in other continents.
The disposal of C&D waste at landfills dumps is causing major environmental concern. It is, and must be, considered a resource that can be exploited because of its high recycling and reuse potential. For instance, materials recycled in the demolition process can be reused in road works, pipelines, creation of new homes, yards and industrial buildings.
The process of recycling C&D materials is straight forward, but it requires crushing and sorting, which creates high levels of noise and dust. It also requires transport to plants as opposed to doing this on site.
But since 2001, Italian company MB crusher has been designing and manufacturing attachments that create a solution. Each and every unit made by MB allows for the recovery and recycling of inert waste at low costs and with minimal environmental impact.
Considering that on site there are always excavators, MB Crusher units make it easy to complete the recycling cycle there and then, simplifying the operations of crushing, screening and handling of materials. They are cutting edge pieces of machinery able to contain dust and reduce noise.
It’s also possible to install a magnet kit to gather the iron after crushing and sieving, and also a dust control kit, a patented system that, fitted to the bucket, sprays water on the material and damping down dust.
In just over 16 years MB Crusher has addressed all the issues that companies might face to recycle C&D worldwide, spreading across the entire globe. This is exactly what makes MB Crusher stand out: it allows for one machine on site as opposed to many, as well as reducing time and costs to transport resources to treatment plants and save on environmental damage. All this has also a positive influence on the final cost of the treated material.
Distance from site to the disposal and treatment points became irrelevant, as material can be treated directly on site. Cutting down transport has a strong environmental impact, as well as, facilitating logistics in areas with lots of traffic or access restrictions.
Experts, leaders and academics around the world have been lending their support for Global Recycling Day. Our thanks to all who have contributed and pledged their support for the Seventh Resource. Together, we can unify the world’s response to recycling.
“In my capacity as Mayor of Paris and President of the C40, I am pleased to be patron of the Global Recycling Day, organised on the initiative of the Bureau of International Recycling.
“With the continuous degradation of our environment linked to human activity, our consumption habits have undoubtedly come into question.
“We must work collectively to improve waste management while remaining faithful to the principle that “the best waste is that which is not produced at all”.
“Paris is tackling this issue by setting ambitious but necessary goals: to reduce the squandering of resources and the quantities of waste we discard, to collect food waste separately and to produce compost.
“Indeed, we must change fundamentally the way we look at waste. For a long time, human beings had a sense of resource scarcity. All that could be put to another use within the scope of still-limited technical knowledge was recovered and reused without even any talk of waste. It is to this state of mind that we must look to return.
“By preserving the planet and being conscious of scarcity, we will create new sources of abundance and progress.
“We must collectively move towards “zero waste” by devising concrete solutions that are accessible to all.
“The recycling economy in which businesses play a key role is a great opportunity.
“The eco-design of packaging is also a solution that can help limit the problem of throwaway packaging, a real threat to the environment.
“All these solutions will enable us to fight the perils of climate change and to reduce the impact of our lifestyles on the environment while at the same time strengthening social ties.”
“The management of hazardous wastes has been on the international environmental agenda for many years now. Today waste is belatedly recognised not just as a problem but also as an opportunity. The waste management hierarchy (prevention, minimization, reuse, recycling, other recovery including energy recovery, and final disposal) and the recognition of waste as a resource underpin implementation of the Basel Convention across the world.
“At the last UN Environment Assembly, the nations of the world unanimously agreed to encourage sustainable lifestyles and to move forward to ensure more sustainable consumption and production patterns, by providing reliable sustainability information to consumers, increasing education and awareness raising, and making it easier to rethink, reuse, recycle, recover and remake any products, materials and/or services and prevent and reduce waste generation.
“Clearly, the environmentally sound management of hazardous and other waste is a complex issue which requires concerted actions by States, the private sector, civil society and other stakeholders. Every individual, every family, every household can and must participate in this quest. I believe that the launch of the Global Recycling Day is an important step in this direction – prompting people across the world to work together – on waste – towards a more sustainable future for all.”
“We need to see waste for what it really is – a wasted resource. There is no place on our planet anymore for products that are used only briefly and thrown away. We need to ensure planned obsolescence is a thing of the past. It’s time for countries in the world to dramatically step-up recycling rates if we are to save this planet.”
“Every one of us has an impact on the planet. That includes the products we buy and use. At Fjällräven we want to highlight that the life cycle doesn’t end after production. You can reduce your environmental footprint by reusing, repairing and recycling. Global Recycling Day is a good reminder to do just that.”
“Everyone has a responsibility to reduce the waste they produce and to recycle as much as they can. In the United Kingdom we have made good progress in increasing our household recycling rate, which now stands at over 45%. Global Recycling Day is a reminder to us all of the difference we can make to protect our environment. You can check what you can recycle locally on recyclenow.com”
Dr Therese Coffey MP is Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Environment, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in the United Kingdom.
“I am pleased to celebrate and share in recognizing the importance of the world’s first Global Recycling Day, acknowledging recycling as crucial to realizing the sustainable development agenda. At the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), we recognize that changing attitudes and mindsets is crucial to achieving the Future We Want by 2030. Sustainable development and the targets included in the 2030 Agenda will only be achieved if we as individuals, communities and societies change our everyday habits, actions and consumption and production patterns.
“I strongly believe that Global Recycling Day will be instrumental in raising the awareness needed to amplify our recycling practices. Changing our mindsets so as to see recyclables and waste as valuable resources, will allow us to mend, repair and reuse materials that we otherwise would dispose of. By reconsidering what we throw away, we put the planet first and put the lives of people and future generations at the top of our priorities. Efficient recycling processes and practices can support the mitigation of dangerous climate change, generate jobs and local employment, help create sustainable cities and communities and can preserve our natural resources supporting our efforts towards more peaceful, just and sustainable societies.
“Whilst we often think of recycling as a local issue, Global Recycling Day helps us to elevate this important challenge to the global level, encouraging us to strengthen our commitments and develop new, dynamic and energetic partnerships across communities and cultures, and between governments and industries.
“Ultimately, our consumption and production patterns are in our hands, and our habits can impact and inspire our daily lives, and those of our children, families, friends and colleagues. In the spirit of the 2030 Agenda, I strongly encourage our partnership in stepping up our efforts to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle; together we can make a difference and help realize our vision for a more sustainable future.”
Nikhil Seth is Executive Director at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).
“We must reduce consumption levels and design goods using less and more readily recyclable materials. But, realistically, the flow of waste will continue to be large, and the huge volume of products already in circulation will reach the end of its useful life. Global Recycling Day emphasizes the urgency of increasing the scale, quality and legitimacy of recycling: a critical environmental service to capture and process this material in a way that is equitable, efficient, and safe.”
Dr Garb is Lecturer at Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Project Director at Towards Sustainable Management of E-Waste in Palestine, and based in Israel. You can read his full testimonial in the Global Recycling Day Manifesto.
“Recycling waste is the first step in closing resource loop. Currently what is seen as ‘waste’ can be reformed into a resource for green manufacturing, therefore creating environmental, social and economic value. This event is fantastic in raising awareness about what is the right thing to do in the face of the mounting waste challenge.”
Professor Sahajwalla is ARC Laureate Fellow and Director of the Centre for Sustainable Materials Research & Technology (SMaRT@UNSW) at the University of South Wales in Australia. You can read more on her groundbreaking work here.
“We fully support global recycling day. As environmental consultants, we see at first hand, the effects of plastics in our oceans and water systems and this is a major concern. When we analyse the diversity and abundance of macro-invertebrate animals in sediment samples, we are often asked to record the presence and nature of plastic fragments as well. Usually we encounter two types – small fragments of items such as fishing nets or waste, and microbeads that are also found in toothpaste and cosmetic scrubs. Once microplastics enter the environment, they are present for many tens of years, so preventing the release of plastics into our waterways and oceans remains a priority.
“The UK have reacted to this environmental risk by imposing a ban on microbeads in certain products. However, this is only the tip of the iceberg and far more needs to be done as a priority such as a recyclable bottle deposit scheme. If we continue polluting our oceans with plastic at this rate, by 2050 the oceans will contain more plastic – by weight – than fish.”
Dr Aldous is Director of Water at Thomson Ecology.
