Tennessee launches statewide recycling messaging program

Tennessee launches statewide recycling messaging program
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Tennessee has launched a statewide education campaign designed to unify recycling messaging.

Recycle Right Tennessee launches today, April 30. The website www.recyclerighttn.org explains the program, which was developed by the Southeast Recycling Development Council (SERDC) through funding from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. Through the program, communities across the state with curbside recycling programs or convenience centers can have a recycling guide created for their websites for free to help residential participation, North Carolina-based SEDC says.

“We want Tennessee residents to know that recycling is alive in their community, but contamination continues to be a problem in many programs,” says Jennifer Dabbs, SERDC director of outreach. “Recycle Right Tennessee is here to help simplify and unify the message. It makes the presentation and management of this information much easier for communities.”

Last spring, SERDC conducted research into the state’s network of material recovery facilities (MRFs) and community recycling programs operating either curbside or convenience center drop-off points. The goal of the study was to create a “common suite” of materials and identify the primary contaminants found in recycling streams.

Studies have found that more than 50 percent of residents rely on the internet to find information on recycling, the organization says.

SERDC says the research found that while communities and MRFs were on the same page as far as items collected, how that information was being relayed on websites revealed a disconnect. Most online community resources that were evaluated scored average or below average in easily conveying the message. Websites had too much text, and the important information that residents were searching for was often missing or at the bottom of the page.

SERDC’s research, in addition to three regionalized workshops with communities across Tennessee, prompted the creation of the unified messaging program, Recycle Right Tennessee. The program’s website features information on the program, outlines common contaminants found in single-stream recycling, such as plastic bags and batteries, and enables communities to sign up for the program.

Recycle Right Tennessee answers two common questions: “What can I recycle?” and “How do I recycle?”

The site specifies the material types collected:   

• cans;

• bottles;

• containers;

• paper; and

• cardboard.

It also specifies that items should be clean, empty and dry, and advises residents to check with their local programs for specifics.  

SERDC says it also is working with convenience centers, which may have different recycling collection requirements and additional areas for recycling material not typically collected in curbside programs.

Dabbs says, “Recycling is important on so many levels. Not only does it save landfill space, those materials are resources that become feedstock for new products. Recycling creates jobs and provides tax dollars to communities.”

Tennessee communities can visit www.recyclerighttn.org/join-today to sign up to use Recycle Right Tennessee. Recycling guide layouts are available for curbside and convenience center programs. Participating communities will receive links to their own webpages, which they can post on their websites, once they have been completed. The recycling guide also will allow residents to print a flyer for their own use. SERDC offers guidance for communities on simplifying their existing website pages, as well.

SERDC partnered with The Recycling Partnership, Falls Church, Virginia, to add the ability to print labels for curbside bins and convenience center signage using the same imaging, ensuring consistent messaging to residents.

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Source: Recycling Today
Tennessee launches statewide recycling messaging program
<![CDATA[Tennessee has launched a statewide education campaign designed to unify recycling messaging. Recycle Right Tennessee launches today, April 30. The website www.recyclerighttn.org explains the program, which was developed by the Southeast Recycling Development Council (SERDC) through funding from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. Through the program, communities across the state with curbside recycling programs or convenience centers can have a recycling guide created for their websites for free to help residential participation, North Carolina-based SEDC says.“We want Tennessee residents to know that recycling is alive in their community, but contamination continues to be a problem in many programs,” says Jennifer Dabbs, SERDC director of outreach. “Recycle Right Tennessee is here to help simplify and unify the message. It makes the presentation and management of this information much easier for communities.”Last spring, SERDC conducted research into the state’s network of material recovery facilities (MRFs) and community recycling programs operating either curbside or convenience center drop-off points. The goal of the study was to create a “common suite” of materials and identify the primary contaminants found in recycling streams. Studies have found that more than 50 percent of residents rely on the internet to find information on recycling, the organization says.…