[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 46 (Monday, November 20, 2000)]
[Pages 2883-2884]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7377--America Recycles Day, 2000

 November 15, 2000

 By the President of the United States

 of America

 A Proclamation

    As we look forward to Thanksgiving, our annual celebration of 
America's great bounty, it is appropriate to observe America Recycles 
Day and focus on how to preserve that bounty for the benefit of future 
generations.
    Recycling waste and purchasing products made from recycled materials 
are among the easiest and most effective measures every American can 
take to conserve our resources and create a cleaner environment. 
Currently, our country recovers more than 28 percent of the billions of 
pounds of waste generated by Americans annually--an effort that 
translates into enough savings to supply the energy needs of 9 million 
U.S. households. But the recycling process succeeds only when recovered 
materials are returned to retailers as new products that are purchased 
by consumers; otherwise, the recycled products themselves must be 
disposed of as waste.
    Buying recycled products conserves resources, reduces water and air 
pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, and saves energy. While 
beneficial for the environment, the recycling process is good for our 
economy as well. By promoting the development of markets for recycled 
products, we are also creating new jobs, many of which are in America's 
inner cities, where job creation is particularly critical. It is 
estimated that while incinerating 10,000 tons of waste creates 1 job, 
and landfilling the same amount creates 6 jobs, recycling the same 
10,000 tons creates 36 jobs. Nationwide, recycling and remanufacturing 
provide 1 million jobs and $100 billion in revenue.
    To ensure the Federal Government's leadership in the recycling 
effort, I signed an Executive Order in 1998 directing all Federal 
agencies to expand and strengthen their commitment to recycling and 
buying recycled-content and environmentally preferable products. The 
Federal Government now purchases more than $350 million in recycled-
content products annually--an increase of $112 million a year, or 30 
percent, from just a decade ago.
    America Recycles Day helps us to build on this progress by uniting 
environmental and community organizations, business and industry, and 
agencies at all levels of government as partners in the vital effort to 
keep recycling working. By encouraging every business and consumer in 
America to start or enhance recycling efforts and to buy recycled-
content products, we can sustain our

[[Page 2884]]

economy, improve our environment, and preserve our precious natural 
resources for the sake of generations to come.
    Now, Therefore, I, Wiliiam J. Clinton, President of the United 
States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the 
Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim November 
15, 2000, as America Recycles Day. I urge all Americans to observe this 
day with appropriate ceremonies and activities and to take personal 
responsibility for the environment not only by recycling, but also by 
choosing to purchase and use products made from recycled materials.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day 
of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the 
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-
fifth.
                                            William J. Clinton

 [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 11:02 a.m., November 
16, 2000]

Note: This proclamation was released by the Office of the Press 
Secretary on November 16, and it was published in the Federal Register 
on November 17.