Greensboro Recycling Survey and Recycling Program Assessment

Greensboro Recycling Survey and Recycling Program Assessment Alex Arnett Waste Reduction Supervisor City of Greensboro Todays Topics Part I: Recycling Survey Why we conducted a survey How we did it What we learned from it Part II: Recycling Program Assessment Assessment purpose Key findings Recommendations

Part I: Recycling Survey Recycling Survey: The Need Program Rebrand/ new outreach Need to know: Residents knowledge level Barriers to recycling Attitudes Behaviors Recycling Survey Process

Created survey in-house Printed 90,000 copies in-house Mailed via water bill Received responses: Direct mail Returned with water bill payment Survey available online Survey Response Overwhelming responsearound 10% Most popular response method: with water bill payment Data Entry Used Survey Monkey to enter data Over 8,000 paper

responses- needed help Hired temps, enlisted light-duty employees About 10 weeks to enter all data Survey Response Map Recycling Survey Response 9 Survey Results Whats Acceptable Quiz Portion C Average

Material Cardboard Glass Bottles 95.56% 94.60% Grade 95.56% A 94.60% A Newspaper, Magazines, Catalogs Aluminum Cans 94.54% 93.23%

94.54% 93.23% A A Chipboard (Cereal Boxes, etc) 86.57% 86.57% B Office and School Paper, Junk Mail Steel/ Tin Cans Milk & Juice Cartons

Plastics #3-7 Plastics #1-2 Pizza Boxes Aluminum Foil & Pie Pans Aerosol Cans (empty) Plastic Bags Paper Towels, Tissues Styrofoam Empty Motor Oil Bottles Yard Waste Tires, Rubber Clothes Food Waste 80.61% 78.61% 75.23% 72.73%

63.59% 59.94% 52.93% 45.41% 26.11% 25.02% 20.23% 8.92% 4.39% 3.54% 3.12% 1.26% 80.61% 78.61% 75.23% 72.73% 63.59%

59.94% 52.93% 45.41% 73.89% 74.98% 79.77% 91.08% 95.61% 96.46% 96.88% 98.74% C C C D F F

F F D C C B A A A A OVERALL Percent Percent Correct 81.00%

C Write-In Responses I AM A HARDCORE ENVIROMENTALIST AND THERE COULD NEVER BE TOO MANY MEASURES OR EFFEORTS TO SAVE THE PLANTET. I COMMEND THE CITY OF GREENSBORO ON ITS EFFORTS TO KEEP THE GREEENS IN GREENSBORO. Write-In Responses Put simply, I sometimes don't recycle - on purpose - because the City does not REQUIRE it. It's my form of a passive protest because I feel strongly that by recycling currently I am condoning the fact that it's an optional activityUntil common sense is legislated

however, I will continue to intentionally not take measures to recycle when I easily could. Write-In Responses Percent 25.0% 20.0% 15.0% 10.0% 5.0% 0.0% s s g g g e

e b t m r n n n d o i i m i i n a J

o lc l l i e u o c c a t d f l M i y

y y G o ec p c c yro t e g o e e t u m n a

R R t R G i o o l c S / b y c o C lk y ks

l u t r i a y d p c P m ce e d E s ed ee han a R F Ac W T

n u d f a n lti n e e u S Co ot M e v om

r o P pr Im Percent Attitudes Everyone knows that recycling helps the environment Less sure about where recycling goes, financial benefits of recycling Feel unsure about what to recycle (know the basics, unsure about specifics) Part II: Recycling Program

Assessment Program Assessment: Purpose Rebrand Identify strengths and weaknesses Establish performance benchmarks Make recommendations that: Strengthen program and improve performance Improve customer service and access to programs Make financial sense, i.e. return on investment 17

Program Assessment: Key Indicators Metrics Community Input Programs Education and Outreach Marketing Policy and Code Enforcement Performance Measurement Technology

Metrics Contamination Rate Recycling Pounds Per Household Set-Out Rate (participation rate?) Recycling Rate 19 Metrics- Map Summary Resident confusion and lack of knowledge Low participation, non-participation High contamination (20%)- two kinds of contamination

Key Recommendations Blue Cart Conversion project Direct mail marketing Code enforcement upgrades New policies Multi-Material Drop Off Center Implementation Questions? Alex Arnett City of Greensboro- Field Operations

Waste Reduction Supervisor [email protected] (336) 373-2342