ReMA Champions Recycling Career Pathways on America Recycles Day
Through Strategic Partnerships, Hands-On Learning and Youth Engagement, ReMA Is Building the Next Generation Recycled Materials Workforce
(November 13, 2026 – Washington, D.C.) – Recycled materials are essential to American manufacturing, infrastructure and everyday products. Ensuring these materials continue to move through the supply chain requires a skilled, innovative workforce. This America Recycles Day, the Recycled Materials Association (ReMA) is showcasing its nationwide efforts to introduce the next generation of students to the recycled materials industry and create pathways to rewarding careers.
Through its Recycling Jobs Day initiative and partnerships with the Northeast Recycling Council (NERC), Keep America Beautiful (KAB) and JASON Learning, ReMA is connecting classroom education with real-world industry opportunities.
“A strong recycled materials industry depends on a skilled workforce,” said ReMA President Robin Wiener. “Through education and industry partnerships, we help students explore careers in our industry. ReMA is committed to investing in the people who will keep valuable materials moving in America’s supply chain and strengthening domestic manufacturing for generations to come.”
ReMA’s Recycling Jobs Day recently held its second event, connecting students at Nunez Community College with professionals from local recycling organizations in New Orleans. The initiative introduces students in technical, vocational and community colleges to career opportunities, industry technologies and workplace safety practices through career panels and recycling operations tours.
Building on the success of Recycling Jobs Day, ReMA’s new Sustainable Materials Careers Program, developed in partnership with NERC, offers students free access to NERC’s Foundations of Sustainable Materials and Recycling course. Combining career exploration with professional development, the program plans to host six Career Exploration events across six academic partner institutions, as part of ReMA’s Recycling Jobs Day initiative during the 2026–2027 academic year.
Education partnerships also introduce younger students to the industry. In partnership with Keep America Beautiful, ReMA launched the Youth Recycling Challenge: Innovation in the Industry. High school students are invited to research local recycling systems and propose community-based solutions.
Through the ReMA and JASON Learning Youth Recycling Contest, K-12 students are invited to explore the theme “America is Made with Recycled Materials” by creating posters or videos about everyday items and landmarks in their communities.
Together, these initiatives empower students to understand the vital role recycled materials play in everyday life while opening clear pathways to join a growing, essential workforce.
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About ReMA
The Recycled Materials Association (ReMA) represents more than 1,700 companies in over 40 countries that transform end-of-life products into essential, high-quality raw materials the world relies on every day. ReMA members safely and efficiently transform end-of-life products into the building blocks that power manufacturing, strengthen and secure global supply chains, and protect natural resources. In the U.S. alone, ReMA members deliver $183 billion in economic activity each year and contribute 603,000 jobs in communities nationwide. Learn more at recycledmaterials.org/.