Tips & Tricks to Reducing Waste and Increasing Recycling Rates This Year

On average, it costs $30 per ton to recycle waste, $50 to send it to the landfill, and $65 to $75 to incinerate it (recoverusa.com). Therefore, disposing of waste can end up costing millions of dollars for municipalities and counties – not to mention the time and costs associated to opening new landfills once current landfills are used up.

That’s why local governments are realizing the importance of diverting more waste from landfills than ever before.

Here are some strategies that are currently being used to reduce waste and increase recycling:

• Collection crews leave postcards explaining why a recycling bin was not picked up. This leverages the opportunity to turn a mistake into a learning experience for the resident, so they can hopefully become better recyclers.

• The City of Halifax, Nova Scotia, brought peer pressure into their recycling programs by switching to clear trash bags. Since then, there has been 24% less garbage going to landfills.

“Just to put that in perspective garbage-wise, that’s 14,000 tonnes of material that’s no longer landfilled,” said Matt Keliher, Manager of Solid Waste Resources (source).

• Households who repeatedly recycle incorrectly receive a phone call or a fine. This provides a chance for residents to learn how to recycle correctly while discouraging the attitude of ‘if nothing happens, I’ll just keep doing what I’ve always done’.

• Some municipalities make it a requirement for recycling bins to be the largest bins allowed for curbside pick-up. By having larger recycling bins in comparison to trash bins, it subconsciously encourages residents to recycle more and think about what they’re throwing in the trash.

• Implement a collection program for food waste. This helps overcome the barrier of ‘composting is too hard’ or ‘there’s nowhere to put my compost’.

• Some universities and colleges have held “Get Caught Green-Handed” campaigns where individuals caught performing “green” activities such as refilling a reusable water bottle or recycling correctly are awarded.

• Provide residents with the ability to find out if any household item is recyclable using voice-activated digital assistants (such as Google Home or Alexa), Facebook messenger chatbot, a web app on your website, or a mobile app. This not only makes recycling easier for residents, but it also ensures they are receiving accurate information that comes from your specific recycling program.

Do you have any ideas or tactics to boost recycling rates in your city? Share them in the comments below!

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