Looking for Programs to Decrease Contamination in Recycling Bins

Theres info on our website that could help you. Here is one link: http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/lglibrary/infocycling/2003/summer/chulavista.htm. Use keywords recycle and contamination in the search engine.

Frank Severson
Integrated Waste Management Specialist
California Integrated Waste Management Board
United States
http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/

Hi Erica
This is pretty basic, but it's been working. One of the local authorities in our area (population about 26,000) has been having some success with sending letters to offending households (identified by the drivers of the collection trucks), notifying them that non-recyclable items were in their bins and including a leaflet with information about what is and isn't acceptable. Out of 130 letters sent this year there have been only 3 or 5 repeats. The staff member whose responsibility this is has also been visiting the areas which have the most problems, and checking the bins. In some cases householders have come out so he has been able to talk to them & go through the contents with them, & has discovered that the source of the problem is that people don't understand what is recyclable, and because they also want to 'do the right thing' for the environment they tend to err on the side of putting more types of material in than can be taken.
Another, smaller, local authority (5000 people)has visited offending households, and given them a warning, and their bin is removed if they repeat. He's only had to do this on a in a few cases. Tough love I guess.
Hope this helps

Barbara Hammonds
Taranaki Regional Council
New Zealand

Erica,

Not sure if you are taking about curbside or office recycling. If it's the latter, I would offer a fascinating study published last year by a professor of Psychology at Rutgers University relating to the lids of recycling bins. You can find a synopsis here: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/01/recycling-bins-34-more-effective-when-they-have-holes.php

Good Luck!

Honore Depew
Student Marketing & Outreach PSU Recycles!
Portland State University

There is a program I worked on years ago that is now managed by the NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water about a recycling worker, Murfy, having to deal with contamination. Information is available at http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/warr/murfyprogram.htm.

Russ Martin
Director
MS2
Australia
www.MS2.com.au