If you manage waste management services at the county level, you’re probably painfully aware that most people think waste management and recycling are a local concern.
Garbage is picked up at the curb and delivered to a landfill or processing facility nearby. Recycling is something people do at home: cleaning and sorting their plastics, tins and paper into the appropriate bins, but few of us stop to think about what happens to it afterwards. Most residents would be surprised to learn that their e-waste, hazardous waste collection and recycling are typically overseen not by their local municipal governments, but at the county level instead.
For county administrators, this disconnect can cause problems. Residents typically report issues to local government, where they can be lost in the shuffle. Municipalities each have their own way of doing things, so program consistency can be hard to maintain. Communication is especially challenging because, while counties make the rules, all the action happens elsewhere, which means the administrators who need to know get left out of the loop.
So how do you fix these communications problem? Traditional solutions such as paper and radio ads can help to close this gap, but they are expensive to run. Also, these channels are increasingly reaching more senior demographics while Millennials are engaging online and via mobile. It’s also hard to track how effective they are.
Luckily, the my-waste® app (powered by Recycle Coach) offers a clear and simple way to solve your communication and education problems, throughout your jurisdiction.
