Recycling is one of the best ways to preserve the environment. Unfortunately, many communities do not have a recycling initiative available. In particular, some municipalities contract with waste management companies who do not offer any form of recycling pickup.
Fortunately, you as a citizen of your community can do some things to foster a local recycling program. The following are some things you can do to encourage your fellow citizens to recycle even when no public programs are available.
Provide Education to Your Local Leaders
One of the first things you can do is meet with your local leaders to request a local recycling option for your community. You should appear at your local city council meetings armed with facts and statistics on the benefits of recycling and how it can positively impact the community.
Build Awareness in Your Community
The next step is to build awareness in your community about the benefits of a recycling program. Write posts on your community’s local social media sites, if available, about your desire to form a community-wide recycling initiative.
In addition, you may want to write an editorial for your local newspaper on your desire to foster a recycling program for your community. As you write, explain the benefits offered by recycling and how a program can offer local jobs to the economy.
Create Your Own Recycling Initiative
If your plea to your local leadership does not pass muster with your local leadership, you can choose to start your own recycling initiative. This can be done in a variety of ways. The key is to start small, especially if you do not have a team to help you. You should start by finding people who can get involved with the initiative.
You can target several groups of people to help generate interest in recycling. Your first group should be those who do not recycle at all or those who are not aware of the benefits of recycling. This can be difficult to discern, but you can safely assume that many in your local community do not have recycling on the forefront of their minds if your community has no recycling initiatives.
You may also want to work with your local agricultural office to help build awareness around recycling. Request permission from the local school district to create a program about recycling that you can present to students. Parents are often willing to take part in something their children are interested in, so this is a great way to build a recycling initiative and grow interest.
In your message, be sure to highlight things families can do in their own homes to recycle, such as composting food scraps, reducing the use of single-use products, and reusing bottles and other containers. This is a great way to get started until you have a solid recycling program established.
Partner With Neighboring Communities
If your local municipality does not want to begin a recycling program, consider coordinating with a community near yours that does offer recycling. You may be able to set up a co-op or drop off point to encourage your own community to recycle. There may also be a possibility to set up recycling bins in the more public areas of your community.
For instance, you can ask for permission to place recycling containers near the trash bins in your local parks or around town. This will help encourage your community to place recyclables into the correct receptacle. Keep in mind that you will need to have an established plan of how these bins will be emptied and who will process the recyclables.
Building a recycling initiative in your community is hard work, but it has many benefits. If you need assistance with this or have questions about recycling, please contact us at Cleanlites.