Resource Recovery launches campaign to promote proper recycling

Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corp. (Resource Recovery), Johnston, Rhode Island, has unveiled a PSA campaign aimed to clean up the Ocean State’s recycling. Created in partnership with Recycle Across America (RAA) and featuring an all-star cast of Rhode Islanders, the campaign provides a clear call to action: Recycle everything that is accepted in RI’s mixed recycling program but nothing more. By reinforcing the importance of not only recycling but also recycling right, the campaign will help keep Rhode Island’s recycling workers safe, save cities and towns money, provide high-quality raw materials to manufacturers and preserve space in the Central Landfill, Resource Recovery says.

Rhode Islanders received a sneak peek of the Let’s recycle RIght! campaign in April during a live-streamed celebrity photoshoot directed by Timothy White. The images captured during the event have been resurrected to create PSAs featuring prominent Rhode Islanders, including Lt. Gov. Dan McKee, Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea, American Idol Finalist Erica van Pelt, RI Foundation CEO Neil Steinberg, dancer Shura Baryshnikov, Ed Tarbox of Tarbox Toyota, Rhody the Ram of URI and many more personalities.

“As a former mayor, I know firsthand the positive effect that recycling has on reducing costs for cities and towns,” says McKee. “When our municipalities save money and our landfill is preserved, Rhode Island wins. I challenge every Rhode Islander to join me in recycling right.”

Rhode Island is already the first state in the nation to adopt RAA’s standardized recycling bin labels. Now that labels are making their way onto bins across the state, Resource Recovery and RAA have created this complimentary Let’s recycle RIght! campaign to make recycling right as easy as possible.

“Being a perfect recycler is tough,” says Krystal Noiseux, Resource Recovery education and outreach manager, “but being a good recycler? That should be easy.”

As part of the campaign, 390,000 households received bilingual recycling guidelines in the mail last month, designed to provide the most basic instructions for being a good recycler. In addition, Resource Recovery also is releasing matching “How-To” videos in English and Spanish. The videos are available on Resource Recovery’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/rirrc, and those Rhode Islanders craving more information can still download detailed guidelines at www.recycletogetherri.org.  

Let’s recycle RIght! PSAs will be on display around the state from July 31 until Nov. 30, 2017. Rhode Islanders can expect to see and hear bilingual radio ads, digital and static billboards, online banner ads and social media posts via Resource Recovery’s Facebook and Instagram page. Rhode Islanders are also encouraged to visit Resource Recovery’s new website www.rirrc.org.