Yesterday's News® Brand Cat Litter Invites Americans To Rethink "Litter!"

ST. LOUIS, July 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- While the majority of Americans say they recycle, the frequency with which they do so is still surprisingly low, according to the results of a recent survey conducted on behalf of Yesterday's News®, a cat litter brand made with recycled paper products.  Eighty-seven percent of the adults surveyed report that they recycle, however only half (51%) say they recycle everyday.  And, when unsure if an item is recyclable, the survey revealed half of adults (50%) say that they are most likely to just throw the item away and roughly one in six (18%) say that they would put it into the recycling bin anyway.

To help educate Americans about the benefits of recycling and encourage them to recycle more, Yesterday's News is launching its Rethink "Litter!" Recycling Campaign.  The campaign invites Americans go to the Yesterday's News Facebook page Facebook.com/yesterdaysnews to take a pledge to recycle two paper products a week for twelve weeks.  Recyclable paper products include newspapers, magazines, junk mail and phone books, among others. For every pledge received, the cat litter brand will make a $1 donation (up to $5,000) to Keep America Beautiful – an organization focused on litter prevention, waste reduction and recycling. In addition, the Yesterday's News brand will make a $10,000 donation to the nonprofit.  While on the Facebook page, consumers can also enter a weekly sweepstakes for a chance to win a $50 Giftback® Card, redeemable at giftback.com, with 10 percent of the purchase donated to Keep America Beautiful

The Rethink "Litter!" campaign also offers educational information on recycling, including tips on ways to recycle more and the types of products and materials that can be recycled. The Yesterday's News survey found that many adults are unaware that certain household items are often made from recycled paper. A third (34%)reported that they would be most surprised to learn that cat litter can be made from recycled paper, followed by greeting cards (8%), egg cartons (6%), and phone books (5%).

In addition, while the majority of Americans surveyed say that they understand that cell phones (78%) and motor oil (67%) can be recycled, many are unaware that items such as trophies (36%) and crayons (36%) are also recyclable.  And, over two-thirds of Americans mistakenly think pizza boxes (77%) and juice boxes (73%) can be recycled.  Consumers should check with their local recycler or municipality to learn which materials can be recycled in their area.

"Despite all of the available information available on recycling, nearly half of all adults surveyed (47%) say they haven't learned anything about recycling in more than six months, and 12 percent report that they have never learned anything about recycling," said Adam Hobler, Yesterday's News® assistant brand manager. "We believe that taking small steps to help preserve the environment makes a big difference, and we invite Americans to join us in our commitment by taking a pledge to recycle more paper products this summer."

In addition to issuing the pledge, the brand will travel to Springfield, MO, home to the Yesterday's News plant, in an effort to put a spotlight on the importance of recycling. A team of Yesterday's News Rethink "Litter!" recycling crusaders will challenge Springfield residents to step up their recycling efforts by recycling the same amount of paper products in one day that the plant typically receives in one week.  

The Rethink "Litter!" Recycling Campaign runs through October 4, 2011 and is part of a larger brand initiative to help educate consumers about the importance of caring for the environment.  Yesterday's News will offer tips, facts and online contests throughout 2011 to help support its commitment to the environment.  

For more information about the Yesterday's News Rethink "Litter!" Recycling Campaign, or to take the pledge, visit Facebook.com/yesterdaysnews.

About the Survey

The survey findings are from an Ipsos poll conducted May 2-5, 2011.  For the survey, a national sample of 1,004 adults aged 18 and older from Ipsos' U.S. online panel were interviewed online. Weighting was employed to balance demographics and ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the universe. A survey with an unweighted probability sample of this size and a 100% response rate would have an estimated margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points 19 times out of 20 of what the results would have been if the entire population adults aged 18 and older in the United States had been polled. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.

About Yesterday's News® brand cat litter

Yesterday's News is a cat litter made from recycled materials including paper and sawdust. On average, 44 million pounds of paper is recycled into Yesterday's News each year. Yesterday's News brand cat litter is manufactured by Nestlé Purina PetCare Company which promotes responsible pet care, humane education, community involvement and the positive bond between people and their pets. The North American headquarters for Nestle Purina PetCare is located at Checkerboard Square in St. Louis, Missouri, where Ralston Purina was founded more than a century ago. The company is part of the Swiss-based Nestlé S.A. – the world's largest food company.

SOURCE Yesterday's News