Promotion & Education
Contamination and low participation are key challenges faced by the multi-residential (MR) sector. On-going promotion and education (P&E) directed at residents, superintendents and property owners is necessary towards overcoming them.
The distribution of instructional materials alone is rarely enough to inspire new or improved recycling habits. Effective P&E planning goes beyond informing an audience and takes into consideration ways of stimulating positive recycling behaviour. The most successful P&E incorporates carefully developed design and distribution strategies to help remove barriers and provide incentives to action. In addition, strong P&E programs include consultation (pre-project), tracking (monitoring and measuring), and evaluation steps – all of which are necessary to inform on-going program improvement.
By sharing P&E best practices, resources, project experience, samples and lessons, the CIF Multi-Residential Working Group – made up of municipal waste management representatives from across the province – aims to support increasingly effective and efficient MR recycling programs at the local level.
Sorting guides alone may not be enough to encourage a resident to act. Public education best practices go beyond basic material distribution as they strive to change or maintain positive recycling behavior through a combination of informed strategies. Read more