[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 125, 112th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
Proclamation 8754 of November 15, 2011

America Recycles Day, 2011
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
As Americans, we have a responsibility to ensure future generations
benefit from an abundance of natural resources and a healthy planet. To
meet this obligation, we must take steps to consume carefully, recycle a
wide variety of products and materials, and reuse whenever possible. On
America Recycles Day, we celebrate the commitment of individuals across
our country to live sustainably, and we rededicate ourselves to
thoughtful resource management at home and in the workplace.
For decades, American families have advanced the common good of our
Nation by recycling regularly and promoting conservation. During the
First and Second World Wars, families participated in scrap drives,
gathering cloth, paper, and metals for reuse in manufacturing that
helped fuel our military and our economic growth. Since then, we have
bolstered recycling programs through individual action, community
engagement, and national initiatives, and we have broadened our efforts
to include a vast array of pioneering industrial processes that will
drive our clean economy and create green jobs. These advances cut waste,
preserve our natural bounty, and spur the robust and sustainable
economic growth that will carry us through this century and into the
next.
To meet the economic and environmental challenges that confront our
country today, we must update and expand existing recycling programs and
dedicate ourselves to devising new strategies to accommodate emerging
technologies. Our Nation generates over two million tons of used
electronics annually, and without following proper recycling and
management practices, the disposal of our old computers, monitors, and
cell phones can release toxic materials into our environment, endanger
human health, and prevent the recovery and reuse of valuable resources.
For the well-being of our people and our planet, we must consider the
full lifecycle impacts of our products and strive to manage our
resources in a sustainable way.

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To ensure America remains a global leader in developing new, sustainable
electronics technologies, my Administration launched the National
Strategy for Electronics Stewardship earlier this year. The strategy
establishes a framework for responsible electronics design, purchasing,
management, and recycling that will accelerate our burgeoning
electronics recycling market and create jobs for the future here at
home. To lead by example, my Administration is committed to efficient
use, reuse, and proper disposal of electronics within the Federal
Government, and we are collaborating with certified recycling centers to
handle and dispose of used electronics safely and effectively. We are
also forging new partnerships with the private sector that will advance
electronics recycling across our country. Through collaboration and
shared responsibility, we are protecting public health, preserving
environmental quality, and laying the foundation for a 21st-century
economy.
America Recycles Day offers us an opportunity to reflect on the
remarkable strides we have made in the pursuit of sustainability, and to
challenge ourselves to do even more. As we rise to meet this challenge,
we fulfill a promise to our children that they will inherit a world more
beautiful and prosperous than the one we received.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, 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, 2011, as
America Recycles Day. I call upon the people of the United States to
observe this day with appropriate programs and activities, and I
encourage all Americans to continue their recycling efforts throughout
the year.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day of
November, in the year of our Lord two thousand eleven, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
sixth.
BARACK OBAMA