Nine Year Old Global Recycling Hero Swoops In To Help Save U.S. Recycling From Collapse

MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Nonprofit Recycle Across America (RAA) is excited to announce that nine-year-old recycling phenomenon Ryan Hickman, has become a volunteer spokesperson and is endorsing the RAA society-wide standardized recycling labels. The standardized labels are designed to eliminate recycling confusion and contamination -- a serious and costly issue for the industry and the environment.

Ryan established his own company, Ryan's Recycling, when he was just three-years-old, and since then, he has been able to recycle 500,000 cans and bottles. Ryan has become an international advocate for recycling and has been interviewed by Ellen, CNN, National Geographic for Kids, and many other outlets. 

The timing of this partnership comes at a time when U.S. recycling is facing crippling challenges that can be directly traced to public confusion at the bin and subsequent 'garbage' thrown in with recyclables.  When asked why he chose to volunteer with Recycle Across America, Ryan said, "I think it's super important that we take care of our planet, and we all can make a big difference when we work together. That's why I've partnered up with Recycle Across America-- to help everyone understand how to recycle right!"

Ryan has already begun appearing in RAA's public service announcements (Family Circle Magazine, February 2019) and is about to help launch RAA's national outreach initiative, "Let's Recycle Right - FIX IT." The program is designed to provide concerned citizens with action steps they can take to fix the national confusion with U.S. recycling. 

Thanks to generous donations from supporters of the standardized labels, RAA has been able to establish the Ryan Hickman Grant so that labels can be donated to K-12 public schools. Ryan will be encouraging his peers to fix recycling by implementing the standardized recycling labels in schools across the country.   

There are already millions of standardized recycling labels in use in national parks, airports, stadiums, schools, businesses, and on residential carts across the U.S. Mitch Hedlund, the founder/CEO of Recycle Across America, said, "We are honored to have Ryan join us and our supporters!  He is a special recycling hero on a mission to protect the environment.  Ryan routinely encounters contaminated recycling bins and knows first-hand that the standardized recycling labels are key to fixing that problem -- which in turn, will fix the industry. Despite being only nine years old, he is having a global impact on recycling.  We're so grateful that he approached us to help this mission!"

About Recycle Across America
Recycle Across America (RAA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that has developed the first and only society-wide standardized labeling system for recycling bins to help eliminate the public confusion surrounding recycling and to improve the economics of closed-loop manufacturing.  RAA and the standardized labels have been identified as a world-changing solution by Ashoka Global Innovators for the Public and are being referred to as "one of the most important environmental fixes taking root today." For more information about RAA's standardized label initiative or its celebrity-led 'Let's Recycle Right' campaign, visit www.recycleacrossamerica.org or contact [email protected].

About Ryan's Recycling
Ryan Hickman is the President of Ryan's Recycling Inc. which is responsible for recycling plastic/glass beverage bottles and aluminum cans with the intent to make our planet a better place. Ryan travels internationally, speaking to youth and adults about recycling awareness and being responsible environmental stewards. Ryan is saving the funds from his recycling efforts for college and a full sized recycle truck! He is a youth ambassador for the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach, CA. All proceeds from Ryan's Recycling t-shirts go to help support their volunteer efforts. To learn more about Ryan and his company please visit http://ryansrecycling.com.

Press Contact: Andrea Ruiz-Hays
[email protected]

SOURCE Recycle Across America

Related Links

https://www.recycleacrossamerica.org/