The Ottawa Valley Waste Recovery Centre is a recycling and composting facility working with Algonquin Provincial Park. We have implemented a recycling and composting program at various stations throughout the Park (including lodges, restaurants and campsites). We are faced with some operational issues but I'm wondering how to increase participation as we may roll this program out to more places in the Park. How do you get people to carry over their behaviour from home to their campsite? We all know what it's like to be away on vacation so I think it might be challenging for the less committed to follow the recycling and composting program. I've heard of campsites using stickers like "I'm a Green Camper" and stuff like that. I would think this is along the same lines as the "I Compost Too" on our blue boxes. I was just wondering if anyone has had experience in dealing with seasonal or camping recycling and composting programs. I'm also interested in how it has worked operationally (do they use plastic bags in the compost, how was the material transported, stored, etc.). The listserv may not be the best place for the "operational" conversations so anyone interested can e-mail me directly.
Thanks,
Elizabeth Kenrick
Communications Supervisor
Ottawa Valley Waste Recovery Centre
900 Woito Station Road Pembroke, ON K8A 6W5
(PH) 613-735-7537
(FX) 613-735-1837
[email protected]
www.ovwrc.com
Waste Diversion at Provincial Parks
Sign in or Sign up to comment
...
Dear Elizabeth:
There are three things that sell consistently. Sports, sex and humor. Of the three humour seems to engender a higher recall. When combined with one or both - much greater success. Seems to be a focus on one and three might be a good idea. If you have ever seen the Don't Mess With Texas program, they managed to capture all three tastefully. Recall was high and so was the public's response. All at low cost. My suggestion is that you inspire a little community activity by hosting a contest in the park to promote campers to participate in creating the slogans they think will attract people. Make the prize a year pass? Along with a little publicity. We ran a kids video contest for ten years on conservative issues. We have a reservoir of extremely creative clips from kids that we are now digitizing and will be putting on the Internet. We are also working with a director to get funding for a documentary on the impact the contest had on the kids - we know some went on to much greater things.
Good luck
L. E. Johannson
B.E.S., (Hons) M.Sc., FRSA