After the extraordinary success of Global Recycling Day in 2018 and 2019, thanks in no small part to the tireless support from people and organisations like your own, we are delighted to announce the theme for 2020 as #RecyclingHeroes.
Global Recycling Day 2020 will take place, as usual, on 18th March and will use the theme to look at a diverse range of topics – from #RecyclingHeroes cities where communities are pioneering innovative recycling practices, to schools or businesses that are #RecyclingHeroes.
We would love it if you could help us spread the word far and wide again in 2020. We have highlighted some suggestions below, but as ever, we know how creative the recycling and sustainability teams are across the globe, and we look forward to hearing about any ideas you might have (and of course, we would love to see you join in on #RecyclingHeroes across social media too!).
There is also the option for you to use your activations as a way to help fundraise for the Global Recycling Foundation. Any funding collected would be put towards educational programmes for the next Global Recycling Day in 2021. If you are interested in fundraising please contact sponsorship@globalrecyclingfoundation.org.
Suggested in-country activities for Recycling Heroes
Host a local #RecyclingHeroes social media competition
Nominate your local heroes using the hashtag #RecyclingHeroes or #RecyclingHeroesPLACENAME (e.g. #RecyclingHeroesMumbai). This could be a child, local business, teacher/school, a professional working in an area related to recycling and sustainability and/or a community.
We encourage you to tweet your nominated #RecyclingHeroes on social media (e.g. Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn) and then the Global Recycling Foundation will invite a shortlist of five people for each category to complete a longer-form application with the winners being announced on 18th March.
Litter pick-ups
Global Recycling Day 2020 provides the perfect day for a local litter pick up. Children and adults can get involved in cleaning up their local areas by organising a specific meeting time for those wanting to attend, and then making their way around specific public spaces to collect as much litter as possible. For those that live near the coast, event organisers can host beach clean ups.
To link the litter pick up with the #RecyclingHeroes theme, event organisers could get participants to dress up as superheroes or even make a large superhero sign out of all the litter that has been collected. For this, a public space will need to be sought out, such as a park, where the litter can be displayed and then cleared up.
Recycled clothing superhero fashion show
Hosting a recycled clothing fashion show is a good way to attract people interested in recycling as well as those interested in fashion, and why not give it a super hero twist in 2020.If you can find a suitable venue in your city to host a fashion show or event at a local school, we would recommend asking those wishing to participate to design their own outfits using recycled materials or even recycled clothing they have bought from charity shops/second-hand clothing shops. This type of event is perfect for fashion colleges and universities, schools and local clubs.
#RecyclingHeroes art exhibition
Why not host a recycled art exhibition featuring creations made from recycled materials that contributors have submitted. This could even be set up as a competition, with people encouraged to enter their handmade recycled sculptures/creations. Then on 18th March 2020 (or another suitable date around that time) an exhibition showcasing all artwork submitted can take place, with members of the public invited. The winner could then be announced at the end of the exhibition.
Awareness raising walks/runs
In order to create buzz on Global Recycling Day in specific cities, event organisers could gather members of the public together for an awareness raising walk/marathon. T-shirts with the Global Recycling Day logo and the hashtag #RecyclingHeroes can be made and handed out to participants to wear during the walk/run. This would help to create a buzz in the city and would get other members of the public intrigued as to what participants are promoting.
Schools competition to create recycling superhero mascots
For schools wanting to get involved in Global Recycling Day, a competition could be organised for school children to create their own recycling superhero mascots. This can be a competition between children in each class or a school-wide competition with classes competing against each other. Once all entries have been received, a school judging panel can decide on the overall winner. This is again another fun and engaging way to get young people thinking about recycling.
We encourage you to be creative in what kind of activities you’d like to organise. Please hashtag #GlobalRecyclingDay and #RecyclingHeroes in your social media posts so that we can see all of the amazing activations as they occur. Become a supporter or partner of Global Recycling Day.
Global Recycling Day Supporter
You will support the mission of Global Recycling Day, by working to bring the #RecyclingHeroes events to fruition (including coordination, staging activity and media liaison).
In return you will be recognised as a Supporter on the Global Recycling Day website, act as core spokespeople on the day, feature in all communications regarding the day, and be included in five official social media posts in the lead up to the 18th March 2020.
Global Recycling Day Partner
Partners will be expected to undertake the same commitment as Supporters. However, for a €5,000 donation to the Global Recycling Foundation you will receive additional benefits. These include having your logo included on the Global Recycling Foundation website, a dedicated blog post detailing your involvement, 10 social media posts and media partnership benefits. Please contact us on sponsorship@globalrecyclingfoundation.org for more information.
For further information on how to get involved, contact the Global Recycling Foundation team on info@globalrecyclingfoundation.org
Source: Global Recycling Foundation/Bureau of International Recycling (BIR)
