Local governments face many decisions as they develop recycling programs for their communities. This fact sheet identifies elements that should be considered in planning, implementing, publicizing, and evaluating recycling programs.
Why Recycle?
Implementing a recycling program offers several economic benefits. Recycling can
In addition, recycling helps to preserve environmental quality. It saves landfill space, preserves resources, conserves energy, reduces air pollution, and saves water.
What Can Be Recycled?
Many items can be recycled if markets are available for the materials.
Recyclable materials include:
Step 1- Preliminary Planning
Designate a Recycling Coordinator
The first step in developing a successful recycling program is to appoint a recycling coordinator to orchestrate the various program components. A full-time coordinator is the most effective. If you cannot afford to hire someone full-time, consider hiring a part-time person, assigning the responsibility to a current program administrator or public works employee, or recruiting a dedicated volunteer.
Survey Present Solid Waste Operations
Solid waste in your community may be collected by the public works department, a solid waste hauler contracted by the local government, or haulers who contract with individual households. Regardless of who collects the waste, you can determine how much solid waste is disposed of by checking local landfill records. Then conduct a waste characterization study to figure out how much of the waste could be recycled-that is, determine how much of the waste is made up of the various types of recyclable materials. Be sure to factor in the types and amounts of recyclables already collected by scout troops, commercial buy-back operations, and fund-raising drives.Locate Markets for Materials
To determine the availability of potential markets for recyclable materials, check the markets directory published by the North Carolina Office of Waste Reduction, contact your city or county recycling coordinator (the Office of Waste Reduction also has a directory of local recycling contacts), look in the classified pages of the telephone directory under "recycling," "waste paper," "plastic scrap," and "scrap metal," and consult local waste haulers.
Select a Collection Method
Are drop-off centers or a curbside recycling program (or a combination of the two) better for your community? Drop-off centers are commonly used in areas where individual household collection is impractical and cost savings are important. Advantages of drop-off centers are their low capital costs, ease in collecting more categories of materials than is practical with curbside collection, lack of need for staffing, and round-the-clock accessibility. However, drop-off centers are less convenient than curbside pickup, and as a result a lower volume of materials is usually recovered. Also, recyclables can be contaminated with unacceptable items; they are vulnerable to theft, vandalism, and litter; and they can become unsightly if not staffed.
The convenience of curbside collection results in a higher recovery rate than can be achieved with drop-off centers, and collection can be consolidated with solid waste pickup. However, curbside collection involves higher equipment and operating costs, it is labor intensive, and it is a more complex process to manage.
Choose a collection method based upon financial, equipment, and staff resources and upon housing density. Examine similar local governments' recycling programs to determine if their methods would suit your situation.
Define Equipment Requirements
Is your current equipment inventory adequate or will additional machinery be needed? Consider retrofitting existing vehicles, trailers, and dumpsters. Find out what similar local governments are using.
Conduct an Economic Analysis
Determine the costs of each collection method or program and assess current funding availability. Consider alternative funding mechanisms. Consult the Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources' guidance document on full-cost determination (listed at the end of this publication), and remember to factor in solid waste cost savings and anticipated revenues from the sale of recyclable materials.
Consider Regional Recycling
Contact local government recycling coordinators and talk to your neighboring communities about establishing a regional recycling program. Benefits include
Step 2-Designing Your Program
Identify Markets
The buyers of your community's recyclable items determine how the materials should be collected and processed. For example, purchasers of scrap glass, plastic, and steel may or may not accept labels on the containers they receive; some paper stock dealers accept colored or shiny advertising inserts with newspapers, whereas others do not. Find out how the buyers want materials prepared-for example,
Keep in mind that there are more marketing options with higher quality materials. Arrange for shipping the materials to market with your local government, a recycling collection service or processor, or the buyers, some of whom will pick up the materials.
Design the Drop-Off Center
Drop-off centers should be located in areas convenient to program participants. They should
Design the Curbside Collection Program
Decide how residents should prepare the materials— for example, whether they should be separated by type and how they should be packaged. Select the collection method and determine the equipment to be used. Decide how to address the needs of elderly or disabled individuals. Then determine the collection schedule and routes.
Once all these decisions have been made, you can establish the size and duties of the collection crew.
Choose Between Private and Public Collection
Many local governments are choosing to contract for solid waste management services. To help you decide whether to choose this option, discuss the advantages and disadvantages of public versus private collection with officials of other local governments who have experience with this issue. You can also obtain a free publication from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency entitled Public-Private Partnerships for Environmental Facilities: A Self-Help Guide for Local Government. It describes the benefits of working with the private sector and how to develop innovative financing approaches through public-private partnerships.
Step 3-Operating Your Program
When implementing your recycling system, anticipate problems and find ways to resolve them. Design the system to be flexible enough to adapt to unforeseen circumstances.
Public Education and Publicity
Begin communicating with and involving the public early in the process of planning the recycling pro- gram. Plan and implement a program kick-off to generate interest in and enthusiasm for the program. Inform the public of program requirements and solicit their support. Address the why, what, how, where, and when of the program. Provide easy-to-understand instructions on how to participate, and keep communications positive. Tailor the program to address specific populations, such as those who do not speak English, and address citizens' concerns. Borrow ideas for successful public education activities that other communities have used. Provide feedback on program accomplishments and make publicity an ongoing effort. In addition, develop a program to educate recycling program personnel, including collection crews.
A variety of publicity tools can be employed, such as:
Program Monitoring and Evaluation
Keep accurate and complete records of all activities, including amounts of materials recovered; revenues and costs; problems with collection, processing, or markets; and complaints by the public and staff members. Analyze program records to ascertain if:
In addition, set up a system for receiving and responding to suggestions and complaints. If your program uses a private contractor, make sure the contractor complies with work specifications.
Looking Forward
As you refine your recycling program, build on the enthusiasm you have generated for recycling and help direct it toward other waste management measures such as reduction of waste at its source, reuse of waste materials, composting, and procurement of recycled products. A creative, integrated approach to solid waste management will enable your community to reach its solid waste reduction goals.
Sources of Additional Information
Other Resources
The following publications are available from the Office of Waste Reduction, North Carolina Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources, P. O. Box 27687, Raleigh, NC 27611. Telephone 919- 571-4100 or 800-763-0136.
The material in this publication was adapted from Steps in Organizing a Municipal Recycling Program, published by the State of New Jersey Office of Recycling.
Prepared by:
Rhonda Sherman, Extension Agricultural Engineering Specialist
E-Mail: sherman@eos.ncsu.edu
Published by
NORTH CAROLINA COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE
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