Los clientes están confundidos acerca del reciclaje de materiales. ¿Cómo puede guiarlos para prevenir problemas de contaminación?

Education is key in my opinion. Generally individuals and businesses will do the right thing when it comes to recycling. Cross contamination can be simply lack of knowledge of what stream goes where. As an example I thought that I was doing a great job with food waste going into the county supplied green bin. Only 2 years later did I find out that some of the items that I put in were not acceptable and most of my weekly efforts were for not. This can happen in commercial and industrial accounts as well. Continuous education and friendly reminders would go a long way. After all years after launching a program it’s only human to forget. Reminders would help refresh.

1. Provide Clear Recycling Guidelines Benefit: Clear instructions help clients understand what materials are recyclable and how to prepare them for recycling. Implementation: Create a simple, easy-to-read recycling guide that lists accepted materials, common contaminants, and preparation tips (e.g., rinsing containers, removing lids). Distribute these guides through email, social media, and physical handouts. 2. Use Visual Aids Benefit: Visual aids can simplify complex information, making it easier for clients to recognize recyclable items.

Education is always the answer but we must be mindful that no one cares as much as we (in the industry) do. This means we need to keep it direct, simple, and appropriate for the audience demographics and reading/education level. Attention spans are limited and there's a lot of competing information that may not be as accurate as what you provide but it may be more entertaining and engaging, so you're facing an uphill battle! Don't be afraid to show personality and err on the side of breaking up complex topics into multiple touch-points instead of info-dumping into one large piece of content. Short-form videos like TikTok are excellent for this type of education. You can build playlists of your own content so people can continue to engage.

One thing our waste company started to do was create customized guides or industry specific guides with actual pictures of the items that customer or type of customer produced onsite, and what to do with the items to ensure they were recycled. For example, cardboard boxes that are wax lined from produce shipping could not be accepted. Pictures of these marked as NOT RECYCLABLE in the dumpster, were added to the guide. Placing the laminated guide close to the backdoor that leads to the waste bins helps. Overall, customizing guides for restaurants, apartment buildings, various types of manufacturers and their materials, Construction sites, can greatly reduce contamination issues. Next, you have got to work on the buy-in with ALL staff.

Symbols, graphics, and infographics are incredible tools. Remember: not everyone has the same reading level, attention span, ability, or language ability. Using visual aids can be a great step towards accessibility for all types of people within your community.

In addition, try to follow some type of schedule for these updates where possible. Does your local Recycle center update their material acceptance list annually (common with County, Municipalities)? Create and send out a new guide shortly before or after their guidelines take effect. And even if they don't have a change for this year, send out a new guide with the new year on it indicating no change, but be consistent. You may even make minor design improvements. You will see dedicated customers looking out for it if you're late. And that's a good thing!

Build relationships with your customers, clients, or citizens by continuing to inform them and provide ongoing relevant information so that you aren't scrambling to grab their attention when guidelines do change and it becomes important to inform them of these changes. Stay in their news, their feeds, and their playlists. Continue to reinforce good habits, bust myths, and dispel misinformation.

Trends show that audience members expect engagement with brands. They enjoy these parasocial relationships, which means recycling centers, zero waste endeavors, and waste haulers have a wonderful opportunity to turn "rules" into "entertainment" and "conversation." Go live to answer questions and take feedback. Use what you learn to develop more content and answer questions in the future. Allow them to see operations and understand how complex this industry can be.

If your brand's reach isn't as large as you'd like it to be, consider inviting your local influencers to come to your site for a demonstration and hands-on experience. Capitalize on their influence within the community to capture more attention that you would building that content on your own. You may consider actual social influencers, as well as school Principals, Mayors, city council members, CEOs, and other influential people that have a following in their leadership roles.

One of the most important things to a successful recycle program is the creation of Buy-in/commitment from all client staff. This cannot be stressed enough. If people see this as a trivial part of their job, they will not give it the necessary attention to detail for true success. This is especially true of any that are responsible for collecting and loading waste/recycle containers for pickup (janitorial staff, facilities, other). Make sure these ones are fully educated on the processes, and what contamination to look for that could be expected on their site. As mentioned, different types of businesses have different materials to recycle. For example, are their large amounts of cardboard? Teach them how to break down the boxes.