The foundation, which is spearheading Global Recycling Day tomorrow (18 March), said recycling is “all too often overlooked” for its ability to combat climate change.
A statement from the organisation said that while the world seeks new ways to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change, the recycling industry is “already projected to save over a billion tonnes in emissions and add nearly $500 billion to global GDP by 2030”.
Impact
Founding president, Ranjit Baxi, said: “Recycling is the only global initiative which can be instantly deployed throughout the world to help combat climate change. Every government and every individual can play their part without delay and by doing so will have an immediate impact on the greatest threat facing our planet.
“By raising awareness of the benefits of recycling at such an important gathering as COP26 we can turn the tide of the wastefulness, which is creating every larger waste mountains and pollution.”
Recycling Day
The statement from the Global Recycling Foundation comes as it is preparing for its sixth Global Recycling Day on Thursday.
This year’s theme for the event is “recognising recycling as an essential industry”. In February it called for nominations for the award of Recycling Hero 2021 from individuals to business leaders, sole traders to multinational businesses, communities, towns and cities that have continued to recycle actively during the Covid-19 crisis.
The winner will be announced on Global Recycling Day, alongside a string of other initiatives. Several companies have also launched their own campaigns to mark the day (see letsrecycle.com story)
The Global Recycling Foundation aims to “support the promotion of recycling, and the recycling industry, across the world to highlight its vital role in preserving the future of the planet”.
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