Resident Files Get Going Thinking about starting a recycling program? Consider this expert advice.
- Teamwork matters. Create a relationship with a recycling company, advises Shannon Sibbitt, the development director of Conex Recycling. Go to those experts who’ve been through this, she says. Waste haulers typically will provide a pickup for recyclables in order to keep or gain the overall waste contract. Property managers can contact the National Recycling Coalition for information on local venders that provide recycling.
- Keep things simple. Make recycling consistent, functional, and easy for residents. “At least half to 75 percent of the reason they’re having trouble recycling at the properties is there’s no convenient method for the residents to take the trash out and to recycle,” says Mike Ferris, president of Valet Waste.
- Educate residents. Because apartments have a higher turnover than single-family homes, the EPA recommends making education efforts continual and more intensive than with residents of detached homes. “It’s really about education and reinforcement,” says John Stevens, BRE Properties’ development director. As soon as residents move in, Stevens provides step-by-step instructions on how the recycling process works at the building.