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H ARTFORD R ECYCLING : U RBAN C HALLENGES & O PPORTUNITIES Analyzing Hartfords use of social marketing to shape behavior and increase citywide recycling Marilynn Cruz-Aponte Assistant to the Director of Hartford Public Works Marilynn.Cruz-Aponte@hartford.gov or 860-757-9962 Slide 2 We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. -Aristotle Slide 3 O UTCOMES Symposium Objective: To bring focus, attention, and interest to key members of the national recycling community as we look to ways to change behavior and make recycling second nature. Session Outcomes: To provide demographic data that explains the challenge associated with activating and sustaining recycling in the City of Hartford. To describe the proven strategies effective in changing behavior and increasing recycling participation and diversion of waste by residential households in Hartford. Slide 4 H ARTFORD S R ECYCLING R ATES After a decade plus of a stagnant recycling rate of 5-6% curbside diversion, Hartford doubled the citys recycling within 3 years. Slide 5 H ARTFORD S A PPROACH What strategies did Hartford DPW employ to create behavioral changes that increased recycling citywide? 1. Preliminary Assessment Phase Plan 2. Experimental Pilot Program Pre-test 3. Recommended Citywide Expansion Implement 4. Feedback / Evaluate Modify Slide 6 P RELIMINARY A SSESSMENT : W HO L IVES IN H ARTFORD ? Resident Demographics & Economics 124,500 86% of color-Hispanic, Black, Asian, others 19% foreign born 52% Hispanic 38% Black- African American, Caribbean 47% speak language other than English at home 30% under 18 years of age, 9% over 65 years old $13,400 per capita income $24,800 median income for family of four 30% under the poverty level, $22,350 Limited home-based access to technology Slide 7 P RELIMINARY A SSESSMENT : C OMMUNITY P RIORITIES Competing Needs and Environmental Concerns Affordable housing, employment, improved education, reduction of crime Environmental concerns were associated with litter, vector control, housing conditions, neighborhood blighted conditions, vacant lots and parks maintenance Hartford had an active non-profit sector that advocated for quality of life and environmental justice for disenfranchised residents Hartford health statistics around asthma, in particular, drew attention to waste-to-energy, traffic emissions and set stage for dialogue about environmental impacts Slide 8 P RELIMINARY A SSESSMENT : DPW R ECYCLING P ROGRAM Stagnant Recycling - Call for Action 1. DPW Senior Management, CRRA, CCEJ, Elected Officials 2. DPW 1x per week, parallel collection, 1-6 family 3. 95 gallon refuse, 18 gallon recycling bin, no drop-off center 4. Approximately 24,000 households 5. 25 % of buildings, owner occupied 6. 75% of buildings, absentee landlords 7. 33% transiency every 5 years 8. Dual stream, 135#/HH, 5-6% rate, 38% set-out rate 9. Promotion-minimal, conventional, no change in message 10. No incentives or meaningful enforcement Slide 9 E XPERIMENTAL P ILOT P ROGRAM : P ARTNERS, G OAL, S TRATEGIES Partners: National Recycling Coalition, Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority (CRRA), Connecticut Food Association (CFA), Recycle Bank and City of Hartford collaborate on incentive-based, single-stream recycling pilot. Goal: To determine if changes in curbside collection program will increase recycling diversion. Strategies: Employed a mixed-collaborative approach. 1. Sound Public Management: Internal & External 2. Creative-Culturally Relevant Advertising/Evolving Message 3. Marketing Partnerships to Decentralize Public Outreach 4. Feedback System/Data to Drive Changes Slide 10 S OUND P UBLIC M ANAGEMENT : I NTERNAL & E XTERNAL Internal DPW Operational Changes/Organizational Capacity Solid waste planning leadership assumed by DPW during pilot and expansion requiring weekly staff meetings-conference calls to define program, diversion goals, outreach efforts and data monitoring for goal attainment Operational excellence sought through regular DPW employee environmental benefits, equipment, public information training Provision of tools, 64 gal cart with lid instructions, single- stream ease and convenience External Public Policy Mayor, City Council were committed to public policy promoting waste diversion efforts, funding capitol costs, resources aligned embracing goal of becoming a green city. Slide 11 C REATIVE & C ULTURALLY R ELEVANT A DVERTISING RADIO & TELEVISION ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN: BELONGING MESSAGE Go Green, Use Blue MESSAGES DIRECT COMMUNICATION RECYCLEBANK PRINTED ADVERTISING Hispanic/Black Radio Telemundo, NBC Interviews, PSAs Minority Media Sessions Neighborhood Stories Movies 15 sec PSA For Pilot, belonging For expansion, belonging Currently, be the HERO! Promote heroic habits Transcultural, no translation Target mailings Postcards Tax bills E-Blasts Incentive rewards system Activation Mailer Cart Delivery collateral Business Rewards Partners Community newspapers Local magazines Editorials by leaders Billboards, buses Seasonal Press Releases Slide 12 M ARKETING P ARTNERSHIPS PARTNERSHIPS DECENTRALIZED CAMPAIGN: Community Leadership Resident Engagement Grassroots Investment ARTS EVENTS PUBLIC EVENTS 311 & Recycle Bank RECYCLING ACADEMY CCEJ Peer Educators CRRA Trash Museum Knox Park Foundation Hartford 2000 NRZs Public Library City Muni-Green Team Mayors Office ACOTE Fund Performance Art Ebeneeza Learns To Recycle Musical Play: Hartford Recycles First night: Resolve To Recycle Proposed: Story Books Vecinos Unidos Feria de La Familia Knox/KAB Cleanups Marathons/Walks Resident service requests Feedback system to DPW RB 30% rate participation RB data, targeted mailings RB data, door-to-door reg Tenant & Landlord Ed Enforcement Slide 13 F EEDBACK S YSTEM : DATA S OURCES D IRECTING N EXT S TEPS DPW various data sources to target future diversion goals Data from 311, internal & external management, RB and WTE Data indicates service gaps, non-participants, target populations 3-6 multi-dwelling, approx 6,400 or 30% of DPW service population 7+ investment rental properties School buildings with potential 700 tons annually Small businesses (Mom & Pop) integrated into 1-6 family Tenant & Landlord education needed Property management firms enforcement & accountability Promotion of recycling center free recycling drop-off Transiency on-going FY 12 goal ambitious 6,300 tonsa 50% increase over FY11 Requirement: focused Slide 14 R ECYCLING C HANGES : 2008 AND N OW 18 gallon bins curbside Dual stream recycling Plastics 1 &2 only Parallel collection 135 #/HH 11.25 #/mo Citywide recycling: 5.2% Program: no changes Promotion: minimal 64 gallon carts for curbside recycling Single stream recycling Expanded to plastics 3-7 Parallel collection continues 288 #/HH 24 #/mo Citywide recycling: 12.4% Active communications & action plan, flexible-changing message based on feedback - 311 and Recycle bank data 2008 NOW Slide 15 F UTURE S TRATEGIC I NITIATIVES The following strategies will be implemented during the current fiscal year to increase diversion: 1. Sound Public Management Collection re-routing New recycling inspector TA to BOE in establishment of school recycling system 2. Creative & Culturally Relevant Advertising Recycling Hero Campaign Annual Communications Campaign Plan New website 3. Marketing Partnerships Revised Trash Museum Field Trips: Daycare Parents & Kids CCEJ peer educators promotion of museum and recycling center 4. Feedback System 311 employee training to improve educational role of operators Recycle Bank data for targeted enforcement & education Slide 16 W HAT D OES S OCIAL M ARKETING C OST ? Social marketing costs can be broken down along same strategies: Public Management: Staff - one solid waste planner, one enforcement officer and collection crews. Creative-Culturally Relevant Promotion: $34,000/year Marketing Partnerships: $7,000/year Feedback System: 311 operators serve all city agencies and Recycle Bank data part of rewards contract Slide 17 T HE STAGNATION OF THE RECYCLING MESSAGE & RATES RESULTS WHEN THERE IS NO ENERGY PUT INTO KEEPING THE PROCESS GOING : EVALUATING ; RE - DESIGNING COLLECTION SYSTEMS / PROMOTING IN NEW WAYS ; TARGETING NEW SECTORS. N OTHING BECOMES A HABIT IF IT IS NOT COMPELLING OR RELEVANT.