Water
November 15, 2024 / 3 minute read
Reducing Waste, Protecting Water: Honoring America Recycles Day and National Stormwater Day
Written by Kristen Rinehart, Vice President/General Manager of Recycling
November 15th marks the celebration of two holidays that resonate deeply with our mission and purpose: America Recycles Day and National Stormwater Day.
America Recycles Day encourages recycling as a fundamental step towards reducing waste, conserving energy, and protecting valuable natural resources. Meanwhile, National Stormwater Day shines a light on the critical importance of effective stormwater management to keep our communities safe from flooding and keep water clean.
At Advanced Drainage Systems (“ADS”), these observances highlight our commitment to creating infrastructure that supports a cleaner, more resilient world.
The Intersection of Recycling and Stormwater Management
In the field of stormwater management, recycled materials play an important role in developing sustainable solutions that manage stormwater effectively and reduce environmental impact.
We often hear a common question about recycling: Does it really make a difference? When only 5% of plastic waste is recycled each year, it’s easy to see why people might doubt its effectiveness, but its impact extends far beyond just reusing materials.
Stormwater runoff can carry pollutants into waterways, contributing to erosion and water contamination. Managing this runoff with highly engineered products helps mitigate these effects and protect both ecosystems and urban infrastructure. When these products are built using recycled materials, we take major step toward a circular future.
A Leader in Recycling
We became one of North America’s largest plastic recyclers by integrating recycling into sustainable water management solutions that safeguard the environment and build resiliency in communities.
We address both the challenges of waste reduction and sustainable infrastructure development simultaneously, which has allowed us to achieve the following:
- 540 million pounds of plastic kept out of landfills in Fiscal Year 2024
- 660 million pounds of greenhouse gases prevented—equivalent to removing 63,000 cars from the road
- Consumed 33% of the colored HDPE bottles in the United States in Fiscal Year 2024
- Signed the America Recycles Pledge to work with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other pledge partners to help increase the national recycling rate to 50% by 2030
- Recognized by the Ohio EPA for positive contributions to recycling and the circular economy
You can read more in our latest Sustainability Report.
Integrating Recycling Into Water Management
At ADS, we collect plastic to give it new life by integrating recycling into our water management products and solutions. Unlike traditional materials, our plastic pipe is environmentally friendly, cost-effective, and simpler to install, helping communities meet their sustainability goals with ease. These benefits are critical.
Cities and communities across the country are facing dual headwinds of increasing storm severity and frequency and aging stormwater management infrastructure. Our stormwater solutions are dependable, easy to transport and install; and they are manufactured with recycled plastic.
We are connecting our goals to this growing need, accelerating our plastic purchases from nearly five billion pounds over the last decade to one billion pounds annually by 2032.
As we celebrate America Recycles Day and National Stormwater Day, we are reminded that our actions are capable of transforming waste into infrastructure that supports communities, protects our world’s most precious important resource, water, and inspires us to keep pushing forward.