Recycling seems like a straightforward easy to understand concept.  One may think the recycling is just repurposing waster for reuse.  However, that is not the case.  Recycling initiatives can be time consuming and require extensive planning and management.  While working for Huntingdon County Planning and Development I worked with the local private garbage collectors on forming a contract to offer recycling to the county’s communities for a low cost.  This experience taught me that recycling is complicated.  This blog utilizes resources from across ICMA and the internet to provide tips how to make recycling a little easier for your community.

1. The first tip is to begin your research on the EPA website.  This section of the website provides a multitude of tools for local government recycling programs.  
2. Your community should look beyond waste to repurpose and reuse.  This Florida community recycled  land of an old golf course and turned it into a park.
3. One of the more time consuming portions of a recycling program is writing the RFP.  This ICMA document provides an example of an RFP for recycling collection services from Meadows, Illinois.  You can utilize this to make your RFP.
4. The city of Tulsa, Oklahoma found it can promote recycling by engaging their citizens.  By doing regular “recycling audits” this can help educate the citizens about educations.
5. The final tip is to work with the private sector. This community reached out to its private businesses to help them promote recycling and save money by offering free on-site waste assessments. 

How does your community utilize recycling? Please post your comments below.

Douglas Shontz

Knowledge Network Intern