Several months ago, I wrote a blog entry called “Knowing what you’ve got” to try to help people understand that recyclables are commodities and to encourage people to recognize the various grades of material they might have. However, in re-reading that post, I wanted to return to that topic to help people understand how to use that information to market their recyclables.
Student move out day is coming (sooner than you realize). When the students are moving out, where do you want them to put their unwanted stuff? How do they know where to go and where to throw away/recycle/re-purpose that stuff?
A sign on a recycling bin trying to convey information as you walk past. Yes a picture is worth a thousand words. But what words is that picture saying? Is it conveying the information that you want people to understand?
One of the cardinal mistakes that most people make is to assume that because you have a funding need and someone else has funding to give that you are automatically a good match. Too often, I think that presumption leads to frustration and ill will. A successful funding match needs a little more.
In my earlier “Has Your Recycling Program Evolved” posts 1 and 2, I talked about the stages that each recycling program goes through in its evolution. One of the reasons that people often get stuck in one of the earlier phases is because of the capital investment required to advance to the next phase of the operation. So how do you get the funding that you need to advance to the next phase of your program?
Hopefully before reading this you have sorted out the who, what, when, where, why and how of your recycling education. Now, the best way to explain this is with some hunting references and analogies. For those of you who are opposed to hunting for food, before you start dusting off your old Ted Nugent hate mail to resend to me, and lest this content gets lost in any controversy about hunting, let’s assume I am talking about nature photography. The analogies work either way.
Wanting to divert something is very different than being able to viably do so. Without an understanding of logistics, you run the risk that your recycling/solid waste/sustainable materials management master plan has little more viability than a condo-dwelling child’s “I want a pony” wish list to Santa.
New students are coming. If you can imprint positive recycling behaviors on them right away, those behaviors are likely to carry with them their entire time on campus. If you miss that window and they imprint on negative behaviors, you will spend the next 4 years overcoming that negative imprinting.
What is the goal of your education program? Who is your target audience? What do you hope to accomplish with your education program? Do you have the right tools and approach to get what you need?
Beyond personal interests and motivations though, there is a series of “business decisions” that drive all of the decision-making at any institution or business. Understanding these drivers is often the key to getting the support that you need for your program.
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