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EPA Honors Recycling Efforts in Pacific Islands for 'America Recycles Day'

Release Date: 11/15/2002
Contact Information: Mike Ardito, U.S. EPA, (415) 972-3081, Dean Higuchi, U.S. EPA, (808) 541-2711

     SAN FRANCISCO - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Pacific Southwest region is applauding the recycling efforts of the Aloha Shares Network in Hawai'i and the U.S. Army at Kwajalein Atoll in honor of "America Recycles Day."

          Today, millions of people will learn about recycling and will commit to increasing recycling activities and  purchasing more products made from recycled  materials on the sixth annual America Recycles Day.   More than 800 America Recycles Day events are expected to take place across the nation.

     The Aloha Shares Network accepts listings of surplus materials from businesses and residents and matches these donations with the "wish lists" of non-profits, churches, and schools throughout Hawai'i. The group received funding from the EPA to develop a Web site to facilitate the expansion of their efforts throughout the state.
     
     Aloha Shares Network  operates as a reuse cooperative and has found numerous opportunities for business and military facilities to donate unwanted items to the community.  Over 1,100 organizations have donated materials to about 1,000 recipients in Hawai'i.  Over the past year their efforts have successfully diverted over 100 tons of material saving an estimated 20,000 cubic feet of space from Hawai'i landfills.

     Tom Kane and Robert Esher of the U.S. Army on Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands have led a remarkable effort to reduce more than 70 percent of the atoll's  waste from going to the local landfill through recycling and reuse.
     
     Their efforts include diverting wood, cardboard, and paper waste to make compost and crushing glass to make a sand-like material which can be used in local construction projects. Through their aluminum can recycling efforts, tiny Kwajalein Atoll now recycles more than one million cans per year.              
    The atoll's most innovative and unique program is called "bicycle heaven." Bicycles are a common means of transportation on the atoll, but tend to rust and break down quickly.  The  program works to reuse parts from derelict bikes to refurbish new ones. Through their efforts the Kwajalein landfill has shrunk by roughly 50 percent in the last year.

     To find out about America Recycles Day events in your community, to pledge online, or for more information about the campaign, please visit the Web site at www.americarecyclesday.org

     America Recycles Day, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, which sponsors this annual campaign.  America Recycles Day, Inc. is sponsored by Alcan Aluminum Corporation, 100% Recycled Paperboard Alliance, Environmental Defense, Ford Motor Company, The Home Depot, National Recycling Coalition, National Soft Drink Association, Office of the Federal Environmental Executive, Recycling Alliance of Texas, Solid Waste Association of North America, Staples, U.S. Conference of Mayors, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Waste Management / Recycle America, Inc.