The Power of Recycling Networks for Your City – RecycleCoach.com

The world is changing. Recycling networks offer municipalities the chance to get in on the ground floor of smarter, cleaner, self-aware cities. There is power and order in building a hyper-connected community that is able to work together on a specific set of problems.

From big cities to small towns, having a local recycling network embedded in your community is the key to solving many of your municipalities recycling and waste management issues.

The average town in North America has about 6000 residents in it. Imagine if each of these individuals was part of your local online community, a micro-network of people who listen when you want to rollout new programs, introduce new technologies, or impact change!

Smart cities were once a future concept, but they’ve arrived. Let’s explore what these amazing networks can do for your municipality in the fight against recycling contamination.

Smart Cities: Where Networks and Data Improve Systems

A smart city is a happy city – and that’s the eventual goal. Smart cities use technology like artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and big data to understand more about how things work, how people behave, and how systems interact with each other.

Using modern technology, information is collected and processed – then used to make things better. A great example of this is how the City of Palo Alto has improved their parking system. The city noticed that the majority of traffic on their roads was due to people not being able to find parking.

They installed sensors (IoT tech) in parking lots and garages, measured and tracked how people found parking spaces (big data), then created a way to direct drivers to available spots in real time (AI). The system reduced traffic, improved the environment, and made it easier for drivers to park.

A smart city has the capacity to learn, automate many processes, and drastically improve how services function for everyone. Networks are a critical part of this equation – without a connected community, you don’t have access to data and therefore have no insights to act on.

Many experts have spoken about the importance of networks in modern society. Today, we’re taking a look at how local networks can be created with the right recycling software, and how these can improve municipal recycling programs.

#1: Directly Connected

When you have a community recycling network, you have a direct line to the residents who are either recycling, or recycling incorrectly every day. This gives you unprecedented access to everyone who is taking part in your various recycling initiatives at any given time.

• Send important recycling announcements or updates
• Collect queries and complaints in a more efficient manner
• Free up the time of your municipal employees

City recycling is smarter when you have instant access to the residents who are recycling and engaging with your team. When your residents belong to a network it fosters a stronger sense of community – as you give them the tools to make a positive impact.

#2: Inspire a Mass Movement

A smart city uses network connectivity to encourage important changes that can result in large-scale movements. Inspire thousands of people to recycle better in the fight against climate change.

• The best recycling apps connect people to purpose
• Influence local residents to recycle more, and to reduce contamination

In social psychology, if a group of people are connected, it will influence others to behave the same way. Even those not connected to the app or network are likely to change their behavior if they live with people who do.

#3: Collective Organization

A network of people can organize faster, make decisions quicker, and cater more for the collective good of the local area. Because the network connects your municipality with the needs of your residents, services like free recycling pickup can be coordinated and improved.

• Let residents know about ‘Recycling in my area’ opportunities to recruit volunteers
• Organize fundraisers to get local initiatives started
• Streamline when and how recycling/waste employees interact with residents

From organizing an effective community park cleanup, to rerouting trucks that have missed road collections, the power of the network lies in immediate and organized action.

#4: Cooperative Education

An established recycling software program that connects devices to people has real value. Ongoing education is so important in the battle against waste. Your community will learn different ways to recycling better, reducing wish-cycling and increasing the value of your recycling materials.

• Deliver ongoing education through your local network
• Tailor real-world recycling education to your community
• Work co-operatively to improve the entire local recycling system

Networks also help your municipality collect valuable group knowledge on community engagement, behavior and more. This can be used to discover problems that are unique to your city.

#5: Community Data Insight

Municipal recycling programs are rarely custom-made or based on empirical data. When you have a residential recycling app that acts as your local network, your municipality is able to collect data – which can be converted into insights, actions and amazing progress.

• Simplify decision-making and direct your efforts where they count most
• Use evidence as the basis for improving your recycling programs, initiatives and processes

Actionable insights drawn from your community recycling network will bring about radical and measurable change. By tracking, analyzing and understanding your community – your municipality will be able to improve everything from calls, collections and drives, to rates and material sales.

Become a Smarter City: Embrace a Local Recycling Network

Networks connect, inspire, organize, educate and deliver insight to municipalities that want to design smarter recycling systems that work.

A recycling app like Recycle Coach is a great start – not only do we help you connect with your local community, we also connect you with millions of other users in North America.

It’s time to embrace the power of networks to boost your city recycling systems. Become a smart city in 2020, and use big data to make your resident’s recycling better.