Waste will always be seen as waste—until it is put in a different perspective. Most consumer products are seen as single-use and then trashed. What many people don’t realize is some of these products have the potential to be infinitely more valuable.

Chances are you’ve used products made possible by Strategic Materials, Inc., (SMI) possibly, without even knowing. SMI is in the business of glass recycling. You might be wondering, “How does that impact me?”

Globally, we produce a lot of waste. Right now, most products are made, used once, and find their way to a landfill. However, many of these products have the potential to be reused—to change forms—rather than being “destroyed” and wasted.

Tennessee has a pollution problem. The Tennessee River is one of the most plastic-polluted rivers in the world. It is one of the most biologically-diverse ecosystems in the world—but also contains more microplastics per gallon than any other river.

Tennessee CLEAN took a detour to Texas for the Resource Recycling Conference in Austin. The Resource Recycling Conference has become the place for industry leaders to discuss the latest ideas and innovations in recycling and sustainability.

More than 90 businesses, organizations, and local governments have signed on as founding members of the Tennessee CLEAN Coalition. These groups will help bring new ideas and solutions to Tennessee’s litter problem.

On July 23rd, Memphians and travelers got a chance to hear about Tennessee CLEAN during visits to Memphis brewery, Wiseacre Brewing Company. Wiseacre donated space at their breweries so we could spread the word about our litter prevention initiative.

A new mural encouraging people to support the Tennessee CLEAN Act was recently unveiled at Patagonia’s Nashville location. The mural is part of a collaborative effort to spread the word about Tennessee CLEAN and address the litter problem in Tennessee.

Tennessee Wildlife Federation’s policy staff was honored to present the Tennessee CLEAN campaign to Tennessee’s science teachers at the recent 2021 Tennessee Science Teachers Association (TSTA) Professional Development Conference.

Tennessee Wildlife Federation’s CEO, Michael Butler, recently testified to members of the General Assembly about the tremendous amount of litter plaguing our land, waters, and wildlife as well as about the Tennessee CLEAN campaign.