How to Get Residents to Comply with Recycling Program

HUD encourages and supports a range of environmentally friendly practices, such as the use of renewable energy sources and green construction and renovation techniques. Many sites are taking steps in the right direction, finding that when they use such practices, they can trim operational costs, reduce health risks, and improve comfort for residents.

Recycling is another practice that HUD promotes, urging sites to actively involve residents. While that can be a challenging effort, the benefits are evident. Sites that have successfully engaged residents in recycling often find savings in their waste management costs, and residents take pride in maintaining a cleaner home and helping the environment.

“HUD is trying to go more ‘green,’” notes Judy Monnier of the Oakland Housing Authority (OHA) in Oakland, Calif. “Our whole society is going that way. Oakland has a zero-waste goal, and our residents wanted to get on the green bandwagon.”

One of the keys to recycling success at HUD-supported sites is the buy-in of the site manager. In fact, the site manager often is the linchpin that holds the recycling program together, explains Kirsten Liske of Ecology Action in Santa Cruz, Calif., which has worked with dozens of multifamily complexes to start or strengthen recycling initiatives.

Site managers have low turnover, so they can bring institutional consistency year-to-year and put the infrastructure in place to keep the program going, says Liske. “Recycling becomes a part of the way they do business.”

To begin or boost a recycling program at your site, our experts offer the following pointers.

Publicize Your Program

Make it known and make it fun, say those who have been successful implementing a recycling program.

“We did a lot of outreach in the form of flyers and doorhangers, quarterly community meetings during which we gave away gift cards, and contests,” Monnier says. “And we did informational presentations about the benefits of recycling, like ‘Did you know that you can run a TV for three hours on the energy saved by recycling one soda can?’”

The OHA received funding from the California Department of Conservation to initiate a pilot program for resident recycling; the program began in March 2008 at two sites comprising 542 apartments in 53 buildings. The funding helped to pay for common area recycling containers, training sessions, and equipment to haul recyclable materials. An intern from Civicorps helped with presentations to the residents, Monnier says.

Liske finds that going door-to-door with information is the most effective strategy, though her organization also has held events with food and games. “Those are good to garner attention,” she says, “but going to each household is more expedient. We also try to have recycling on the agenda of community meetings or have a special community meeting devoted to recycling.”

Use Young People as Ambassadors

Sharon Russell-Mack, manager of the 331-unit Orchard Gardens in Roxbury, Mass., a development of the Boston Housing Authority, found great enthusiasm and success by involving young people to lead the way toward recycling. After working with the City of Boston to initiate pickup service for recyclables, Russell-Mack turned to the kids. The program officially kicked off in March 2009.

“We held recycling events where we explained to residents what could be recycled and what couldn't,” she says. “We did games to test their recycling IQ and had prizes. The youth coordinated the games. They made posters that we put around the buildings and at the Dumpsters. They were very creative and very excited about helping.”

Russell-Mack says she believes having the kids play such a visible role had a positive effect. “Their involvement made it very personal for our residents,” she says. “We saw a real commitment to our site. The kids are still involved and help out our maintenance staff. I think the recycling program is growing because of that.”

Solicit Feedback

Be sure the communication about your recycling program isn't just a one-way street, Liske notes. Ask both your residents and staff for feedback. Encourage them to tell you what works and, more importantly, what may not work about your program. Always follow up on comments and suggestions.

“If the recycling bins are overflowing, maybe it's a logistics issue or a matter of capacity,” Liske points out. “If your residents or staff report that, take steps to address it. You don't want anything to discourage participation.”

Formalize Program in Lease Agreements

Liske encourages sites to have language in their house rules and/or lease agreements about their recycling programs. This not only shows their commitment to recycling, but also underscores the residents' role and responsibilities. “Tie recycling to the security deposit,” she suggests. “Indicate that the unit's recycling bin is as important a fixture as the refrigerator.”

For model language you can adapt and use at your site, see our Model Agreement: Have Residents Acknowledge Site Recycling Rules.

Monitor Your Progress

In working with the multifamily housing complexes, Liske says Ecology Action conducted both baseline and follow-up surveys so that they would be able to measure the impact of their recycling program efforts.

“The baseline survey showed that just 2 percent of waste disposed was diverted to recycling,” Liske says. “Our follow-up survey showed it was up to 18 percent. Not where we'd like it to be, but still it was up.”

Be Realistic—and Persistent

Monnier reports that many residents were enthusiastic about recycling when the program launched. But there also were many who were not interested at all.

“Residents in low-income housing have many hand-to-mouth issues, and their apartments are small,” Monnier points out. “We knew the challenges going into it. The program is getting better over time.”

In fact, 2009 proved to be a better year than 2008 in terms of recycling diverted from regular waste—and savings for OHA, Monnier adds.

“I believe what is working is word of mouth,” she says, “and the realization that getting rid of excess paper and cardboard can help keep apartments neater and also improve access to garbage enclosures.”

Insider Sources

Kirsten Liske: VP, Pollution Prevention/Zero Waste Group, Ecology Action, 201 River St., Santa Cruz, CA 95060; (831) 426-5925; kliske@ecoact.org.

Judy Monnier: Sr. Management Analyst, Oakland Housing Authority, 1619 Harrison St., Oakland, CA 94612; (510) 874-1617; jmonnier@oakha.org.

Sharon Russell-Mack: Manager, Orchard Gardens, Roxbury, MA; c/o Boston Housing Authority, 52 Chauncy St., Boston, MA 02111-2375.

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