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You carefully sort your waste and reuse it as much as possible because you care about the environment and want your efforts to have an impact.
If so, you’ve probably realized how disheartening it can be if, after all this effort, you notice that your community’s neglect far outweighs your care. You need their participation if it’s worth it. So how do you improve recycling efforts on a larger scale, like at the community level?
1. Make sure all public areas have recycling bins
If this is a cause you’re dedicated to, there are a few things you should know about how community members usually operate. One of them is that they choose the most accessible way around an item.
The reason people throw trash on the floor is probably that there are no trash cans nearby. In this vein, people mix their waste and make it difficult for recyclers to do their job because there are no specified bins for specific types of waste.
That’s why it would be a good idea to buy or visit your nearest recycler, ask for recycling bins and place them in places where there is usually the most traffic and, therefore, the most high probability of waste. The curbside recycler can then periodically come and collect the waste.
If your area does not have a recycling program, you can visit the nearest waste disposal company and arrange for a program to be set up. You could even enlist businesses in your area and set up a professionally run recycling center. Obtain the additional information you need to set up such a center, then proceed to create it.
2. Write a column in your community newsletter
If your community has a specialized newsletter, chances are that even if they buy the national newspapers, they will still buy the local paper to keep up to date with community news.
Take advantage and talk directly to members of your community. Tell them the best practices for community recycling and home recycling. Efforts in individual households will begin to show that enough people are adopting this practice at the community level.
Your column should give clear, well-written advice that shows people how easy it is to take care of their community and the environment in general through recycling.
If you don’t have a local newspaper, now might be the time to start one, even if it’s just a blog that you then market to your community, so they know its address on the Internet and can consult it for news on the district.
3. Teach kids and their parents about recycling
“Catch them young” works here too. If you focus on all the schools in your area, this can be a great long-term plan to ensure people in your community continue to take recycling seriously over the years.
In addition, children are generally enthusiastic. Chances are, if you properly introduce them to recycling while they’re in school, they’ll approach it with an enthusiasm that’s likely to be infectious to their parents.
Give them colorful bags and label what they should contain when they are home. You can even use the same colors for the bins you place on the streets to make it easier for kids to participate with this color coding.
You will probably find that parents in your community will understand their children’s enthusiasm.
4. Clearly communicate your goals
For sustained participation in your recycling program, you must ensure that your goals are well communicated. These are meant to be goals that the whole community will consider useful.
Let them know the impact of inaction and what you hope to accomplish as a community. If you hold your stocks for a given period, how much can you make? Set broad community milestones and have fun ticking the boxes as you slowly reach your goals.
5. Create a recycling club
You can’t be the only one who’s enthusiastic about recycling in your community. Consider starting a club where like-minded community members can gather and do activities such as repurposing crafts, clean-up projects, and clothing drives, among others.
Your club can help you monitor your community’s efforts and keep the recycling campaign alive in your neighborhood. I hope you create activities that inspire new people to join your club or at least become interested in recycling on a personal level.
Conclusion
Recycling at home can be great, but recycling as a community can be even better. The good thing is getting the necessary energy to your neighborhood isn’t that difficult.
You only need to make sure a few things are in place before your community recycles most of its waste. I hope you can use the tips in this article to start a successful recycling campaign in your community.