How Recycle Coach Technology Can Help Raise Recycling IQ

Recycle Coach is a set of communication tools that help municipalities reach residents with important recycling information.

If you’d like to learn how these tools can help you in your recycling education efforts, here is a list of Recycle Coach features that can help raise the recycling IQ of your residents…

A) What Goes Where? search tool 

The “What goes Where” tool allows residents to type specific items into a search bar to find out how (or where) to dispose of a certain item. For example, if someone were to type in the term “pet waste,” they would be directed to the proper disposal information for this specific item. Similarly, if a resident were to type in “paint,” they might be directed to the following message:

“Household hazardous waste should be brought to the following drop off locations…”

We custom build this tool to the disposal requirements of your municipality, which means that your residents have 24/7 access to a database of collection information. This search tool can be embedded in your municipality’s website and can also be a main feature in your municipality’s Recycle Coach mobile app. What this means is that your residents are able to search, click and learn about your recycling program, on demand, at times that are convenient for them.

B) Custom reminders and notifications

Along with a standard reminder system, reminding residents about collection days and recycling events, comes a custom reminder and notification system. This feature, sent to residents via email or through your municipality’s Recycle Coach mobile app, allows you to send out customized messages with specific collection and event information. After Christmas day, for example, you’d be able to send out a custom reminder outlining where the Christmas tree drop-off locations are in your municipality. Similarly, in the fall, you can attach messages like these alongside recycling reminders, on the day before or an hour before pick-up on pick up day:

“Pumpkins, straw, cornstalks and leaves are collected with yard waste. Please do not put these materials in the garbage.”

This feature is flexible and extends as far as you’d like it to. You can write messages about upcoming events, cancelled collections, and even waste reduction or composting tips! Not only is the content of these messages important, but your residents also have the power to decide how they want to personally receive the reminders with the following options: text, push notification, email or even voicemail.

C) Educational content

Recycle Coach has an entire team dedicated to creating educational recycling content. Every month, a series of blog articles, newsletters and other educational material are published to our website. By sharing our content with your residents, you are providing them with engaging learning materials completely free of charge. Articles ranging from how to properly dispose of e-waste to how to compost effectively, are great ways to modernize your recycling education process and populate your municipalities social media channels, without having to create the material yourself.

These are Recycle Coach features and tools that can help you elevate the recycling IQ of residents in your municipality. Which feature would you find most useful for your program?