New Jersey

A JOINT RESOLUTION acknowledging the benefits of reusing and upcycling plastic in the environment by designating April 16  each year as “Upcycling Day.”

Upcycling is the act of taking something no longer useful in its current form and giving it a second life and a new function, a creative process rooted in the concept of a circular economy where waste is regarded as a resource and is repurposed into something practical, valuable, or beautiful;

Upcycling offers practical ways to support efforts in the State and worldwide to conserve resources and enhance and clean11 up the natural environment, as well as raise awareness of the need12 for sustainable development;

Promoting upcycling and reuse of plastic materials also raises awareness of the damage that plastic pollution is inflicting on the environment and offers a positive, viable use for single-use plastic that would otherwise end up in landfills, incinerators, or oceans, rivers, and other bodies of water where it harms wildlife as well as ecosystems;

By creating awareness of the benefits of material reuse upcycling, young people can be encouraged to be more mindful of their environment and to adopt sustainable, environmentally friendly living habits;

Upcycling projects can develop and strengthen healthy
relationships between adults and children by bringing them togetherto explore creative ideas for reusing many kinds of materials, including the plastic and materials used in common items such as tins from canned foods, glass jars, milk cartons, yogurt tubs, and shampoo bottles that can be “upcycled” and given alternative beneficial, practical, and attractive uses, such as planters for growing kitchen herbs, pen and pencil cup holders, and reusable storage jars;

A number of New Jersey artists have embraced upcycling as part of the creation of their own unique art and have been nationally recognized for it, including Willie Cole whose plastic bottle sculptures are displayed in the Museum of Modern Art 36
New York City and other museums nationwide.

Attention to the upcycling of plastic will also bring attention to the upcycling and reuse of other still useful items and materials; and New Jersey is home to a number of non-profit organizations actively involved in upcycling, such as Repurpose New Jersey that upcycles textiles and Dress for Success of Hudson County that collects gently used clothes and donates them to working women and men and those trying to re-enter the work force; now, therefore, AJR38 STANLEY, KENNEDY 3
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate and General Assembly of the1
State of New Jersey:2

1. Both Houses of the New Jersey Legislature acknowledge the
benefits to the environment of reusing and upcycling plastic and other common materials by designating April 16 of each year as “Upcycling Day” in the State and encourage the citizens of the State to participate in upcycling on that day and year-round.

2. The Governor of the State is respectfully requested to annually issue a proclamation recognizing April 16 as “Upcycling Day” in New Jersey, and calling upon public officials and citizens of this State to observe the day with appropriate activities and programs.