Draft:Recycle Across America

• Comment: A lot of this seems to be just talking about how great the organisation is, it is bordering on advertising. -- NotCharizard ^🗨 03:54, 13 June 2025 (UTC)

• Comment: In accordance with the Wikimedia Foundation's Terms of Use, I disclose that I have been paid by my employer for my contributions to this article. RecyclingAdvocateEditor (talk) 23:39, 10 June 2025 (UTC)

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Conflict of Interest Disclosure: I am an employee of the nonprofit Recycle Across America and have a financial Conflict of Interest. This draft is being developed in accordance with Wikipedia’s conflict of interest guidelines and is intended for review by independent editors to ensure a neutral perspective.

Recycle Across America (RAA) is a United States-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that created and implemented standardized labels for recycling, compost, and waste bins in an effort to reduce confusion and contamination in the recycling stream. The initiative has been covered by national media outlets such as The New York Times, Forbes, The Guardian, Vanity Fair, and PBS. According to the organization, the goal of the standardized labeling initiative is to improve recycling accuracy and reduce costs associated with sorting and contamination.

History

Recycle Across America (RAA) was founded in 2008 by Michelle "Mitch" Hedlund, in response to growing concerns about contamination in U.S. recycling streams. The organization attributes this issue to inconsistent and unclear labeling on recycling receptacles, which it states contributes to public confusion at the point of disposal. Hedlund, who previously worked in communications and marketing, developed the standardized labeling concept as a proposed solution to the public's confusion around recycling. In 2011, she was named an Ashoka Fellow for her work to improve recycling systems.

RAA expanded its activities during a period of heightened industry concern about contamination. In 2018, China introduced the National Sword policy, which restricted the import of contaminated recyclables into the United States.

This policy contributed to the closure of thousands of recycling processing centers across the U.S., including over 1,000 in California. RAA responded by increasing its public education and outreach efforts.

In 2019, The Guardian interviewed founder Mitch Hedlund as part of a national feature on recycling confusion in the U.S., highlighting the organization’s efforts to address mislabeling and reduce contamination through standardized bin labels.

Programs, Initiatives, and Partnerships

Recycle Across America (RAA) has promoted the use of standardized recycling, compost, and trash labels across several sectors. According to the organization, the labels have been adopted by a range of partners, including some municipalities, educational institutions, national parks, state programs, corporate entities, and airports.

Educational Institutions

RAA operates the Labels for Schools program, which provides standardized recycling labels and related educational resources to K–12 schools and universities. According to the organization, the program reduces confusion about recycling and improves participation and accuracy rates in school recycling systems.

National Parks

RAA’s labels are implemented in several national parks as part of initiatives to promote sustainable waste management. Grand Teton National Park, Denali National Park, Yosemite National Park were part of a pilot program which incorporated RAA's standardized labels into its Zero Landfill Initiative (ZLI), additionally referred to as the Don't Feed the Landfills Initiative, aimed to reduce landfill waste and enhance recycling participation.

State Programs

In 2016, Rhode Island became the first state to adopt Recycle Across America’s standardized recycling bin labels on a statewide level. The Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation (RIRRC) partnered with the organization to distribute the labels in an effort to reduce confusion and improve recycling practices across the state. The rollout was accompanied by a public education campaign titled Let’s Recycle RIght!, which featured public service announcements from notable Rhode Islanders. The campaign received the 2018 Gold Excellence Award in the Awareness Campaign category from the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA).

Corporate Partnerships

Recycling Today reported that in 2019, Bank of America awarded Recycle Across America a $250,000 grant to support the standardized label program. The funding helped distribute labels to over 1,000 schools and office locations. Additionally, major corporations have integrated RAA’s standardized labels into their sustainability efforts. The Walt Disney Company employee areas and NBC Universal have implemented the standardized labels for recycling bins. In 2016, Kiehl’s announced it would donate 100% of net profits (up to $50,000) from a limited-edition product to support the organization’s efforts as part of a multi-year partnership that had helped recycle more than 3 million bottles.

Impact

RAA has reported measurable improvements in recycling accuracy and reductions in contamination among organizations that adopted its standardized labels. Reported outcomes include:

Educational Institutions

In 2018, Jennifer Fowler, Director of Environmental Compliance for Orange County Public Schools in Florida, stated that since July 2016 the district had increased recycling by over 5,000 tons and saved more than $1 million in waste-related expenditures during the 2017–2018 school year.

National Parks

As of 2024, the National Park Service reported that the Don't Feed the Landfill Initiative, which started with Denali, Yosemite, and Grand Teton National Parks has eliminated 22 million pounds of waste from National Parks nationwide.

Corporate Partners

The Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority (MSFA) reported the first zero-waste Super Bowl in 2018. The MSFA reported that 91% of game day waste was recycled and it was the first Super Bowl to display the standardized labels.

Airports

A report by the Metropolitan Airports Commission cited a 28% reduction in recycling contamination and 1,600 tons of material recycled at Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport following the implementation of the standardized labels.

Campaigns and Public Engagement

In 2015, Recycle Across America launched what it described as the nation’s largest recycling education campaign. The “Let’s Recycle Right!” public service campaign featuring celebrities, including Kristen Bell, Anthony Mackie, comedian and commentator Bill Maher, Olympic gold medalist Red Gerard, and Alanis Morissette, among others to raise awareness of recycling confusion.

The organization collaborated with Lamar Advertising to promote standardized recycling on billboards across the United States. As of 2024, Lamar has provided over $60 million in donated advertising space in support of RAA’s campaigns.

Government Partnerships and Policy

Recycle Across America has collaborated with public institutions including the National Park Service, where standardized labels have been installed at sites such as the National Mall, Yosemite, Denali , and Grand Teton National Parks, among others, to reduce waste contamination and increase public participation in recycling.

A 2022 letter from 17 members of the U.S. Congress urged the Environmental Protection Agency to adopt standardized labeling on recycling bins nationwide, citing growing public concern and referencing RAA’s effectiveness in improving recycling behavior. The letter referenced results from the Leave No Trace program using RAA labels, noting a 100% increase in recycling at several national parks.

Funding and Organizational Independence

According to Recycle Across America, the organization is funded through a combination of grants, donations, and the sale of the standardized recycling labels. It does not accept funding from fossil fuel, landfill, or plastics manufacturing industries. The organization has described itself as a consumer-focused nonprofit aiming to reduce confusion in recycling systems.

Timeline

• 2008 – Organization founded by Mitch Hedlund
• 2011 – Hedlund selected as an Ashoka Fellow
• 2012 – Partnership with Kiehl’s Since 1851
• 2015 – Launch of celebrity-led “Let’s Recycle Right!” campaign
• 2017 – Collaboration with Lamar Advertising on live-stream billboard PSAs
• 2017 – U.S. National Parks complete a pilot study of the standardized labels
• 2018 – Support of zero-waste Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium after the rollout of the standardized labels
• 2024 – U.S. National Parks begin implementation of standardized labels throughout parks
• 2025 – Standardized labels are installed at the National Mall and National Monuments in D.C.

See also

• Recycling in the United States
• Circular economy
• Waste management
• Environmental nonprofit organizations in the United States