Asheville Residents May Have Another Good Reason to Recycle

Beginning in October, Asheville residents may be able to add retail discounts to the long list of reasons to recycle. Already a leader in recycling in North Carolina, Asheville hopes to increase residents’ curbside recycling participation by distributing larger 95-gallon recycling containers and by implementing a points system. This system would allow residents to accrue points that would transfer to discounts at Bed Bath & Beyond, Staples, Dick’s Sporting Goods and several local stores. Read more about Asheville’s recycling efforts online at Asheville’s Citizen-Times.com.

Source:

“Bigger cans, retail discounts to boost Asheville recycling”

By Joel Burgess

May 13, 2011

Asheville’s Homepage Citizen-Times.com

http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20110513/NEWS/305130036/Asheville-aims-boost-recycling?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Frontpage

Millbrook Exchange Community Center Recycling Case Study

By Kristen Aubut

Director: Billy Aubut

Assistant Director: Staci Sawyer

1905 Spring Forest Road
Raleigh, NC 27615
(919) 872-4156
billy.aubut@raleighnc.gov

Millbrook Exchange Community Center has provided recreation services to Raleigh residents since 1972. With thousands of visitors to the park each year, Millbrook Exchange has to manage a lot of waste. MECC Director Billy Aubut estimates that, of all the waste generated at his park, paper is the most abundant waste material. Fortunately, this paper, and much of the park’s other waste, can be recycled. Billy and Assistant Director Staci Sawyer have taken it upon themselves to see that the waste generated at their facility is disposed of in the most environmentally sustainable manner.

“There is no sense in a bottle, can or piece of cardboard just sitting in the landfill. Why not make those materials into something new?” said Aubut. “Millbrook is setting a recycling standard that we hope other community center directors will begin to live up to.”

Through the Recycling in the Parks program, Raleigh Solid Waste Services (SWS) provided Millbrook Exchange with outdoor recycling containers for aluminum cans and plastic bottles. These containers sit in two locations around the park and are emptied weekly by Raleigh SWS. Click here for a list of other Raleigh Parks and Recreation facilities participating in the Recycling in the Parks Program.

Once the plastic bottle landfill ban went into effect in North Carolina in October 2009, Aubut and Sawyer wanted to make sure visitors had access to recycling inside the building as well. Aubut cut a hole just the size of a can or bottle in a trashcan lid and placed the lid on a blue container labeled Recycle Here. The container sits just outside the basketball gym doors for easy access by gym participants. Posted on the wall above the container is a flier encouraging visitors to recycle.
Aubut created this flier using images he received from Raleigh SWS.


Aubut and Sawyer also made sure that all community center staff members have easy access to paper and cardboard recycling in the office. Under each desk, they placed small blue recycling containers for paper collection. Cardboard is piled up and kept out of the way in a closet. Staff members know that their supervisors are on the lookout for recyclables in the trashcan!

Millbrook Exchange Community Center generates about two large bags of recycling each week. Every other week, Aubut and Sawyer take turns emptying the contents of the indoor recycling containers. When it is Aubut’s week, he tosses the bagged recyclables in his trunk. On the way home from work, he goes by either the Jaycee Recycling Convenience Center or the North Wake Multi-Material Recycling Facility. Aubut says it only takes about 10 minutes to empty the materials into the containers, and then he is on his way. Recycling does take some effort, but Aubut knows it is worth it.

Aubut and Sawyer hope that their recycling efforts will inspire their fellow community center directors to make recycling a priority in their own facilities.

The North Carolina Division of Environmental Assistance and Outreach has an abundance of resources to help you begin or maintain your recycling efforts at home, at work or on-the-go. Find these resources on our Recycle Guys, Recycle More NC, and RE3.org websites.

Recycle and Win…and Learn

Guest Blogger: Bianca Howard, City of Raleigh

Last fall, the City of Raleigh launched an incentive-based campaign to increase participation in curbside recycling. Approximately 107,000 households were eligible to win the contest. To take part, a resident simply had to place a special sticker on the green recycling bin and put it out on the appropriate day, filled only with materials accepted in Raleigh’s recycling program. Contest sponsors included Coca-Cola Bottling Company Consolidated, Harris Teeter, Inc. and the North Carolina state government division formerly known as Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance. Each week for 26 weeks, 10 winners were chosen and each rewarded with a $50 gift card to spend at Harris Teeter.

A few months have passed since the contest ended, and I’d like to share what I learned.

1. People don’t read! We mailed contest rules and stickers to all eligible households. This piece listed all 14 acceptable items, as well as a few examples of things that are not recyclable in the green bins. Despite this information distribution, it was surprisingly hard to find winners. Plastic bags and non-bottle plastics, like produce boxes and sour cream tubs, were the most common items that kept recyclers from being rewarded.

2. Promote the winners. Several times as I conducted the Prize Patrol, residents would stop me and say, “Oh, I wondered if that contest was really happening.” We didn’t advertise the winners because newspaper advertising seemed really expensive. In hindsight, we should have at least listed the winners on the City of Raleigh website. We squandered an opportunity to build on the increased awareness in recycling and keep participation high after the six-month contest ended.

3. Recycling went up! Was it the thrill of saving $50 on groceries or simply population growth? I don’t have the statistical skills to tease out all the factors that may have contributed to the 10.7 percent increase in tonnage we saw during the six months of the campaign. Compared to the same period in the previous year, requests for recycling bins grew by a whopping 33.9 percent.

What will we do differently? This incentive-based campaign opened my eyes to weaknesses in our education program. People don’t take the time to read, or maybe they don’t understand the words we use. Contamination wasn’t limited by geography or income, shattering my personal myth that residents in more affluent northeast Raleigh are perfect recyclers. We’re applying our experience to the educational campaign for our transition to biweekly recycling using carts. Check out the graphic that adorns the new cart lids. When it comes to knowing what to recycle, do pictures speak louder than words?

News Release template – Recycling Myths

[Insert town] - It’s easy to come up with excuses not to recycle. Some think it isn’t effective or economical, its takes too much time or that it’s just going to decompose in a landfill anyway. But the truth is those excuses are myths. Recycling is easy, effective and economical. Get informed and start making a real difference.

“Recycling can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, decrease our dependency on foreign oil and create jobs,” says Kelley Dennings, education and outreach project manager with the N.C. Division of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance. “It is an easy way to make a difference for our environment.”

Myth #1: Recycling is not economical
- False! An array of companies across the state help turn discarded materials into everyday things, all the while creating jobs for our citizens and investing in our economy. In fact, North Carolina’s “recycling economy” is one of the fastest growing job engines in the state. With more than 14,000 North Carolinians employed in recycling, it is imperative that every household, business, industry and government agency throughout the state help these companies grow and hire more people by making a commitment to recycle as much material as possible.

Myth #2: Recycling is difficult
- False! Many people believe that recycling is too difficult or time consuming, but recycling is easier than ever. Labels or caps no longer need to be removed before recycling plastic or glass bottles. Crushing products saves space but isn’t required. Newspaper inserts no longer need to be removed. All you have to do is remember to toss your recyclables in a bin. How easy is that?

Myth #3: Trash decomposes in a landfill
- False! Landfills are designed so that little oxygen or moisture flows through the garbage - two essential components of decomposition. These highly engineered facilities are not meant to break down trash, but rather bury it. This design helps prevent decomposing materials from contaminating ground water and nearby soil. Although some degradation does occur, it takes decades or centuries (depending on the material). Thus, recycling creates more space in landfills and lessens the chance of trash leeching into our soil and water.

Now that these myths have been debunked, it’s easy to see that you can make a difference by recycling. To find out what you can do locally, visit [insert website], for more information about recycling in [insert town].

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Suggestions for Tailoring Myths News Release to Your Community

Quote ideas:
-[Insert town] has commingled collection which makes recycling even easier. Commingled recyclables are taken to a material recovery facility where the recyclables are separated from each other.
-[Insert company name] is a recycled content manufacturer or recycling company in [Insert Town] and employs [number] of people.
-[Insert town] does or does not have a landfill. By having or not having a landfill . . . .

Other news release templates can be found here.

News Release template – Water conservation and composting

THINK WATER CONSERVATION, THINK COMPOSTING

[Insert town] – Composting is a great way to improve your soil’s moisture-holding capacity and also reduce water loss. It’s a creative way to conserve water but still keep your garden looking fresh and colorful.

Composting is the natural breakdown of organic materials. The product, compost, is the rich organic soil that is made as microorganisms decompose yard and kitchen wastes.

“Composting is easy and it’s a great alternative to throwing away food scraps,” says Kelley Dennings, education and outreach coordinator for the N.C. Division of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance. “Between backyard composting and vermicomposting, there’s a convenient method for any household.”

The first step in composting is choosing the method that works well for your household. Backyard composting is best for those that can pick a location outside that is convenient, shaded and well-drained. Those choosing to backyard compost may want to use a compost bin: it keeps the material in a confined area, retains heat and moisture, deters pests and reduces the effects of wind and rain. You can build your own bin or purchase one from a business in your community, a local government or online.

Vermicomposting, or composting using earthworms, is an ideal substitution for those without room for a large compost pile or bin. Worm composting should be done in a wooden or plastic bin with holes to ensure oxygen flow and can be used both in and outdoors. After three to four months a worm bin’s compost can be harvested and used inside with your houseplants or outside in your garden.

So give that water hose a break and give new life to your garden. To learn more about composting, vermicomposting or to buy a compost bin in your area visit http://www.p2pays.org/compost/composting101.asp.

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Suggestions for Tailoring Compost News Release to your Community
Quote Ideas:
-[Insert Town] has a yard waste facility where you can learn more about composting
-[Insert Town] will be having a compost demonstration on [Insert Date] and will also be selling compost bins at [insert location]

Quote source ideas:
-Master Gardener
-Cooperative Extension Agent
-Soil and Water Conservation Specialist

Other news release templates can be found here.

Local Government Social Media Example

Guest blogger – Mandy

The City of Concord recently launched the Community Swap Shop, a Facebook page where citizens in and around Concord can go to advertise items they want to give away. The page is designed to promote REUSE, one of the three Rs.

"The Community Swap Shop is win-win-win," says Mandy Smith-Thompson, Concord's environmental educator, "People can visit the site to get rid of things they no longer want, avoiding disposal cost. Others can visit to get things they need for free, and by doing so, citizens are helping to divert usable items from the waste stream, keeping them out of the landfill."

The city of Concord also has a separate Facebook page designed to share information with the public. "Friends" of Concord can also use the page to communicate directly and conveniently with the city. If you haven't already, to log into Facebook at www.Facebook.com to check out these convenient resources!

Local Government BMP – Regular landfill Tours

The Wake County Solid Waste Management Division is now offering monthly tours of the South Wake Landfill and its associated facilities to the general public. Tours are offered on the second Monday of each month at 2 p.m. Reservations are required and space is limited. To make a reservation or for more details, go to this link or call (919) 856-6006.

Could your office do this? There is nothing more rewarding than taking someone to the face of a landfill and seeing their eyes bug out when they realize “this is where my (and everyone else’s) trash goes.”

Local Government Disposal Ban Activity Survey and Group Purchase of Ban Stickers

DPPEA requests your help in tracking local government activity surrounding the upcoming disposal bans. The information you share can be of help to your peers in offering examples of effective ways to react to the bans.

Thanks to a suggestion from Blair Pollock in Orange Co., DPPEA has created a disposal ban sticker targeting plastic bottles and aluminum cans that could be placed on disposal containers. DPPEA intends to produce these high-quality stickers for distribution around the state and welcomes local governments to participate on a joint purchase for any dedicated supply they may want. The approximate cost will be around $.08 per sticker.

Please complete this survey providing us with information about any disposal ban education that your local government has completed or plans to provide. Also include your thoughts on the idea of a disposal ban sticker (sample artwork can be found in the survey). Please reply to the survey by Friday, Sept. 11.

RE3-tro Look for Downtown Raleigh Recycles

Guest Blogger: Bianca Howard

The city of Raleigh has offered curbside recycling collection to downtown businesses since August 2006. In February of this year, the crew traded in their old recycling truck for one that allows them to empty garbage and recycling carts at the same time. The vehicle, called a split-body rear loader, helps the crew save time and fuel by not having to return to the office to switch trucks.

Last month the truck got a makeover by replacing the familiar chasing arrows with new “Message in a Bottle” signs. While the recycling program includes more than 130 businesses ranging from pawnshops to public relations firms, this ad acknowledges the 42 restaurants and nightclubs among our customers.

What do you think of the image? Does it inspire you to recycle?

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UPDATE – Communication methods

At the Carolina Recycling Association Conference in March, DPPEA asked local governments to complete a survey regarding their communication methods. Overall, Web sites (87%), flyers (79%) and tabling at community events (74%) were used most often.

When asked which communication method was the most useful, billboards scored the highest with TV ads coming in second. Web sites and tabling at events tied for third. With this information, it seems like more local governments should be using billboards as a communication method.

What are your thoughts? Do you use billboards to communicate with the public?

N.C. Report: Waste Slows Down, Recycling Speeds Up

N.C. Report: Waste Slows Down, Recycling Speeds Up
by Scott Mouw, CBAS Section Chief

Two positive developments have emerged from the North Carolina Solid Waste Annual Report, submitted in January to the General Assembly by the Divisions of Waste Management and Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance. First, the rapid growth in disposed waste so far this century slowed down considerably in fiscal 2007. After jumping almost 2 million tons since 2001, the amount of material entering landfills increased a modest 100,000 tons last year. The decline in the waste growth rate was also enough to decrease the state per capita disposal rate for the first time in six years.

A host of different factors help explain the landfill slowdown, mostly related to the construction and demolition waste stream. Fiscal 2007 saw the beginnings of moderation in the construction market, with a cooling off of housing starts across the state. Second, two large demolition projects – one at Cannon Mills in Cabarrus County and the other at Ft. Bragg – ended in fiscal 2006. These projects helped cause an almost unprecedented jump in disposed tonnage from fiscal 2005 to fiscal 2006 of about 700,000 tons (the only other previous increases along this scale were caused by hurricanes Fran and Floyd).

Beyond the effect of reduced construction and debris tonnage, recycling can claim part of the credit for the decline in waste growth. Local governments in North Carolina set new records in material recovery, for the first time achieving a statewide per capita recycling rate of more than 300 pounds per person. Municipal and county recycling tonnage increased six percent, reaching close to 1.35 million tons – the highest recorded recycling total to date.

Ironically, this growth has occurred as the actual number of curbside recycling programs has declined statewide, mostly due to small towns dropping the service. However, because large urban areas with curbside programs continue to expand, the actual number of households receiving curbside service has stayed the same (and is expected to increase in fiscal 2009 as Fayetteville and a few other cities add curbside). In addition, local governments actually recover more tonnage from drop-off programs than curbside and total local government recovery efforts were helped in fiscal 2007 by a healthy rise in other programs, such as school recycling, electronics collection and commercial/industrial pickup services.

Because no formal state mechanism exists for receiving non-local government recycling data, the Solid Waste Annual Report does not include an overall state recycling rate calculation. But anecdotal evidence suggests that increases in private recycling efforts also may have contributed to the decline in the waste disposal rate in fiscal 2007. Although the data will not be available for a number of months, fiscal 2008 may continue the trend of flat growth in disposal as the economy continues to slow down and as recycling efforts, such as the implementation of the ABC recycling law, increase.

The full report can be viewed online at:
www.wastenotnc.org/swhome/AR06_07/AR06-07.pdf. If you have any questions, contact Scott Mouw at (919) 715-6512 or Jim Hickman at (919) 715-6528.

Great example of social marketing by Brunswick County

I always talk about how part of social marketing is trying to understand your audience - knowing the barriers they face when trying to change their behavior. How do you do that? Surveys and focus groups. Kudos to Brunswick County for surveying its residents about recycling. Read more below.

Brunswick County surveys interest in recycling
Brunswick weighs net cost of service, residents' interest
By Steve Jones - sjones@thesunnews.com

SHALLOTTE, N.C. --
Brunswick County residents answering an online survey about curbside recycling show a shift in thinking from a similar survey 10 years ago, said Stephanie Lewis, assistant director of the county's Operations Services Department. In 1998, the county's residents weren't interested in recycling. In the current survey, the majority of those who've answered so far would be willing to pay $5 a month for curbside recyclables pickup.

"I think we've had a marked change of attitude," Lewis said.

If the trend holds through the June 15 deadline for filling out surveys, Lewis said county personnel will ask commissioners to start curbside recyclables pickup countywide. The county's household recyclables program now relies on goods collected at drop-off locations.

Lewis said the county either breaks even or loses a little money on the sale of the household recyclables it gets now through the drop-off program as well as municipal curbside and school recycling programs. But the savings from recycling come on the back end, when a smaller volume of trash means a longer life for landfills.

Commissioners understood the value of saving space when they approved an expansion of the recycling effort at the county's construction and demolition landfill. By setting up the recycling operation, the county added a couple of years before it will have to invest in a new landfill.

The county's household trash, though, goes to a landfill outside of the county, and the same economic incentive doesn't apply. Bill Sue, Brunswick County commissioners chairman, said curbside recycling doesn't make much sense to him if it's not going to generate enough money to pay for itself.

In other words, if there isn't a customer willing to pay more for the collected recyclables than it cost to collect them, it doesn't look like a good financial deal.

"We looked into it once," Sue said. But there were no buyers for what would be collected.

Brunswick County residents pay for their curbside garbage pickup when they pay their property taxes. The countywide system, which serves about 75,000 homes in both incorporated and unincorporated areas, is run through the county, although some cities may have a separate curbside recycling program.

Lewis said Brunswick County took in 1,200 tons of recyclables between the first of this year and the first week in May. Routing them back into useful products saves energy, creates jobs and boosts the economy, she said.

"Things made from recycled materials are made more cheaply than things made from raw materials," she said.

Recycling Reward Programs

Guest Blogger - Katie

In an effort to encourage residents to continue and enhance their recycling efforts, some municipalities offer recycling reward incentives. Programs are advertised on Web sites and through brochures handed out on the recycling route. The programs are usually paid for by the municipality, sponsored by local businesses or included as part of the contract bid with haulers. The longer the incentive can be provided, the better.

Asheville
The city of Asheville and Curbside Management Inc. are jointly sponsoring the “Feed the Bin and Win” contest, which is giving away $100 a week for 16 weeks. Residents served by the city's curbside recycling program are eligible for the contest and can enter by submitting a completed enrollment card. Enrollment cards and a contest brochure are delivered to each house along a pre-determined collection route. Both are also available on the city Web site. Each week, one enrollment card will be randomly drawn. If the selected household sets out its recyclables and meets the recycling guidelines, then the resident will win $100. If the $100 is not won, the prize will roll over to the next week, giving the next household a chance to win $200.

Morehead City
Each month 10 addresses are randomly picked from the tax record and checked to see if those residents are recycling. The first one “caught” recycling is awarded a $50 cash voucher that is credited toward their solid waste bill. At the end of each year all the monthly winners’ names are placed into a hat. One is drawn to receive a $500 cash prize awarded by Waste Industries. The award was included in the original bid for solid waste services. Only those residents who participate in the city’s roll out cart collection service, which includes curbside recycling, are eligible for the “Recycling Rewards” program.

Winston-Salem T
he city’s Recycle Today program and Waste Management Inc. jointly sponsored a contest to promote household recycling with a "Feed the Bin and Win" contest. Residents of Winston-Salem, in single-family households that are served by the city's curbside recycling program, completed an enrollment form and mailed it to the mayor's office. Each week, one enrollment form was drawn. If that person's recycling was out by the curb, following the recycling guidelines, they won $100. If the person whose card was drawn did not set out their recycling that week, or it did not meet the guidelines, the amount rolled over and the next week the amount increased to $200. The program ran for 16 weeks.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT BROCHURE SAMPLE – Raleigh

Did you know the city of Raleigh is working hard to recycle in the downtown area?
Here is a great brochure about the project.

































Next time you are having a drink at one of our local joints - ask them if they recycle.

Where have we been? Part 2

We presented lots of recycling information to a group of concerned citizens in Polk County, NC. What a fired up group! Polk County recycling will soon get a boost and I am positive it will stay maintained thanks to this group’s energy. Read all about the event here.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT BROCHURES

Through my travels to local governments in NC, I pick up many recycling brochures. Need ideas? Check these out from Black Mountain, Buncombe County and Asheville.

Fayetteville Gets Curbside Recycling

Read more about it here:
Fayetteville Observer
WRAL

LOCAL GOVERNMENT BROCHURE SAMPLE – Rutherford County

LOCAL GOVERNMENT BROCHURE SAMPLE – Kernersville

The town of Kernersville has created a great campaign called “Supersize it.” It provides residents large roll carts (32-64 gallon) for recycling bins instead of small curbside 18-gallon recycling bins.

Check out this great stat!
Kernersville recycled an unprecedented 99.56 tons of waste in November 2006 which is the highest amount since the inception of the residential recycling program. The amount recycled last month was twice as much for this same time two years ago.

Get Caught Recycling – Onslow County Incentive Program

As part of Keep Onslow Beautiful’s County Office Recycling Program, a quarterly recycling check is performed called “Get Caught Recycling”. During the check, they randomly draw a department to inspect for recyclers. If they do not see recyclable material in a waste bin and do see recyclable material in a recycle bin, the employee gets a gift from Keep Onslow Beautiful as a “thank you for recycling.” This woman was “Caught Recycling”.