America Recycles Day and Lansing's Public Service Department will kick off a student recycling program at 9:15 a.m. today in the Host Room of Wainwright Elementary School, 4200 Wainwright Ave. in Lansing.

The City of Lansing's Waste Reduction Services division celebrates this event every year as part of a nation-wide effort to encourage Americans to recycle and purchase products made of recycled materials.

Recycling bins have been placed in the classrooms and offices of each of the 14 schools participating in the event. Students collect and sort recyclable materials and set them out for pick-up on the assigned collection day.

Waste Reduction Services offers many examples of recycled-content materials to help residents aid this initiative, including: cardboard or boxboard packaging that is gray on the inside; aluminum cans which contain an average of 50 percent recycled content; glass bottles, steel cans and paper products such as Green Forest brand and pet products like CareFRESH and Kitty Flush.

Lansing area schools interested in starting a recycling program should contact Lori Thomas, City of Lansing Assistant Recycling Coordinator, (517)483-4599.

For more information on America Recycles Day, visit www.americarecyclesday.org