Yesterday was the 15th of November, and it was officially the National Recycling Day. The first thing that came to my mind was what a brilliant idea! Sadly this particular day was not a day that was celebrated in Australia, but instead in America. It made me think, why is this not an official day in Australia?

The Day is Called America Recycles Day

In America, the 15th of November is a designated day (not a holiday though), where millions of its citizens participate in recycling, purchasing recycled products and do stuff that encourages re-use for the environment.

The day is used to not only recycle items but to teach and raise awareness about recycling. I can see (from an Aussie perspective), that this is a terrific idea because it not only encourages people to be more environmentally friendly, but also promotes a lot of community and neighbour interaction.

The history of the recycling day in America started back in 1997 and is even endorsed by the White House in America.

Recycling Day for Australia Perhaps?

If there were ever a time to create a recycling day in Australia, now would be the time. Awareness for our environment has never been higher than this year. There are seemingly more Vegans than ever before; products are being called out for not being eco-friendly (such as straws). Earlier a few months ago, Coles and Woolworths were engaged in a national debate about whether they should continue to supply plastic bags for shoppers. (personally, I am perplexed why they did not merely substitute plastic bags for paper bags. It would seem like a sensible and easy way to appease both shoppers who demand convenience, as well as shoppers who would like to have an eco-friendly bag solution.

Purchasing Behaviour

The newfound perspective for all things recycled, and eco-friendly has also affected how many of our clients buy products this year. There has been a renewed interest in items such as promotional seed sticks, notebooks, eco-friendly promotional products and of course reusable promotional bags.