We're so happy at EcoVibe to see so many of our customers coming together with their communities to help tackle this waste crisis. We thought we would pull together ideas inspired by our lovely customers on how you can get your community together to act against waste in our environment!
We're hope you're as excited as we are - we love being a part of this sustainability transformation and we know that you will love it too.
Petition the local authorities to add more recycling bins
Draft an email to your local council and ask them to add recycling bins in public spaces. If you can create a survey and circulate it around your local community to pinpoint exactly where these spaces would benefit from recycling bins – the better! Suggestions may be: your local parks, popular sidewalks or at public transportation stops.
Use your community media to communicate
Utilise your community newspaper. If you’re a budding journalist enthusiast – why not appeal to your wider community in the local newspaper? You can create a variety of communications including sharing the benefits of recycling, explaining how the recycling supply chain works, recycling rates from month-to-month for the area etc.
Target your non-recyclers alongside the council
Contact your local council to figure out where empty recycling bins are collected in the area. Try to understand the barriers to recycling in your community and these specific areas. Perhaps it might be a conversation or an online forum? You can use public space in the area to advertise how to recycle effectively e.g. community billboards.
Continue to educate your local community
Educating the community – using good ‘old social media! (Or a snazzy website). By sharing information online with your local residents and businesses about how to recycle, you can encourage your community to increase their participation in recycling programmes. For example if your community has a local facebook page or group. Or maybe even a community Instagram page with links to important information like who to call for waste questions and delayed/missed recycling pick ups.
Set goals for recycling – people love to see success
Think realistically about the goals you think your community can achieve for recycling. Use resources from your local council and online to put together a targeted action plan and how they tie to benefits that residents and businesses can understand e.g. recycling more helps keep council tax down!
Engage the new generation of waste warriors
Recycling workshops in schools. Start their green behaviour young – our children are going to be the future generation of eco-friendly leaders! Offer to help teachers in your local community run recycling workshops and explain to children what the benefits are of making sure we recycle. They can then bring that knowledge back home to their parents and friends.
Create and organise a community waste action group
Create a community waste action group. Try to find a venue to host a big waste swap shop or free to collect point once a quarter. This reminds your community that they don’t need to throw away those electronics, old kettles and toasters! It’s also a fun bonding activity for the community as you can get everybody involved. People to advertise, people to pick items up, people to actually run the community waste shop. Go wild!
Give thanks back to your local authorities and waste management crews
Make sure you give back thanks to your local waste management crews and officials. They’re doing a very hard job which can often go unnoticed! By empowering them and making them feel like the work they’re doing is for a greater good, everybody’s efforts can be celebrated.