[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 219 (Wednesday, November 17, 2021)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 64061-64062]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-25192]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 219 / Wednesday, November 17, 2021 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 64061]]


                Proclamation 10308 of November 12, 2021

                
America Recycles Day, 2021

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                In recent months, I have traveled across the country to 
                see firsthand the devastating toll of climate change. I 
                have walked down streets in Louisiana, New Jersey, and 
                New York where deadly storms and floods have destroyed 
                the lives of working families, wiping homes and 
                businesses off the map. I have sat with firefighters in 
                Boise, Idaho, and surveyed damage from the Caldor Fire 
                in northern California--just one large wildfire among 
                dozens that together have burned more acres of American 
                land this year than make up the State of New Jersey. 
                Communities encompassing the homes of more than 100 
                million people--about 1 in 3 Americans--have been 
                struck by extreme weather events in the last few months 
                alone. Climate change is a blinking code red for our 
                Nation.

                This crisis poses an existential threat, but we also 
                know that it is within our power to defeat it. Today, 
                half of all global greenhouse gas emissions are created 
                when natural resources are taken from the Earth and 
                made into usable products. By reducing, reusing, and 
                recycling, we can decrease waste and the greenhouse 
                gases that fuel the climate crisis while protecting our 
                communities and our environment. On America Recycles 
                Day, we celebrate efforts across the country to manage 
                our resources responsibly and creatively, and we 
                recommit ourselves to building a brighter and more 
                sustainable future for all people.

                Although we have made significant progress since the 
                first America Recycles Day over 2 decades ago, we still 
                have work to do. Black, Brown, Indigenous, and low-
                income communities continue to be disproportionately 
                impacted by higher pollution levels as well as 
                detrimental health and environmental impacts from 
                mismanaged waste. Our Nation's infrastructure has not 
                kept pace with today's changing waste stream, and 
                markets for recycled materials are decreasing. To 
                improve our national recycling system and manage our 
                precious resources equitably and sustainably, it is 
                going to take all of us--including Federal, State, 
                Tribal, and local governments, our partners in the 
                private sector, and individual Americans making a 
                difference in their communities. We must continue to 
                work together to properly recycle and manage materials 
                throughout their lifecycles and ensure that every 
                American's right to a healthy environment is fulfilled 
                and protected.

                To help our Nation achieve our environmental and 
                recycling goals, my Administration is releasing a 
                National Recycling Strategy, which identifies 
                objectives and actions necessary to help fight climate 
                change and create a sustainable national recycling 
                system. The actions this strategy recommends will help 
                us reach our national recycling goal, and the Federal 
                Government will lead by example across our Federal 
                buildings, lands, and national parks. The strategy also 
                aims to increase access to recycling so that all 
                Americans can meaningfully participate while ensuring 
                that our solid waste management system does not 
                disproportionately affect communities that are already 
                overburdened with environmental impacts. Our 
                workplaces, communities, and Federal, State, Tribal, 
                and local governments can all take part in reshaping 
                our recycling system into one that puts the United 
                States

[[Page 64062]]

                at the forefront of environmental stewardship. You can 
                visit www.epa.gov/recycle for more information on 
                reducing, reusing, and recycling.

                As we continue to pursue bold action to tackle climate 
                change, we can all do our part to create a more 
                sustainable future by making simple changes in our own 
                lives. Today and every day, we reaffirm our commitment 
                to preserving our precious resources and creating a 
                healthier, cleaner, more just world for our children 
                and future generations.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, by virtue of the 
                authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws 
                of the United States, do hereby proclaim November 15, 
                2021, as America Recycles Day. I call upon the people 
                of the United States of America to observe this day 
                with appropriate programs and activities, and I 
                encourage all Americans to continue their reducing, 
                reusing, and recycling efforts throughout the year.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twelfth day of November, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                sixth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2021-25192
Filed 11-16-21; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F2-P