2007 Municipal Recycling Supplement - Doing More for Less

The phrase, "Doing more for less," doesn’t normally conjure images of a recycling success story. But, if you ask someone from Baton Rouge, La., you’ll find that in the world of recycling, more recycling can be done with less if you have a solid strategic plan, work tirelessly, incorporate effective outreach, enjoy dedication from everyone involved and heed the valuable lessons learned along the way.

In mid-September, the efforts of the past three years and their ensuing results were recognized as the National Recycling Coalition (NRC), Alexandria, Va., awarded the Recycling Office of East Baton Rouge Parish the Beth Brown Boettner Award for Outstanding Public Education. The award recognized Baton Rouge’s efforts to educate community residents about waste reduction and, particularly, the city’s newly expanded single-stream recycling program. The prestigious annual award, honoring a recycling program that shows innovation and leadership in public education, is named for the Austin, Texas, city employee who developed one of the first major city recycling programs in the nation.

A committee of NRC members selected Baton Rouge based on results that are nothing short of amazing: a more than 30 percent increase in tonnage of recyclables collected curbside and a 49 percent reduction in costs for recycling. In short, Baton Rouge now has a state-of-the-art recycling program, providing greater convenience to residents, collecting larger volumes of recyclable materials and reducing solid waste management costs. In other words, more for less.

Curbside collection began in 1990 in Baton Rouge and over time averaged approximately 12,000 tons annually. All material had to be sorted into a two-bin system (one for paper, one for containers), and the program could only take only No. 1 and No. 2 plastics. Corrugated cardboard collection was limited to small pieces cut down to fit into the 18-gallon bins.

The previous program, though successful, was limited and not as convenient for residents as the 64-gallon carts and single-stream collection.

Back in 2004, the city was nearing a major milestone in its agreement with its solid waste contractor and was considering changes to the services provided as well as new procurement for the selected services. Many decisions (about $350 million worth over the 10-year period the service contracts could cover) had to be made, and the timing was right for a paradigm shift: an opportunity not just to procure new contractors, but also to look at how things could be done differently to divert more material and, potentially, save some money.

With the political will to make things happen and to seize the opportunity, the city initiated the long and critical process that led to the eventual implementation of the single-stream program and its stellar results. The first step was a strategic review conducted by the national solid waste management consulting firm Gershman, Brickner & Bratton Inc. (GBB), based in Fairfax, Va., and presented to the Baton Rouge Council in August 2004. The strategic plan provided critical information needed for decision-making and guided the city/parish toward designing a balanced waste and recyclables management system.

City/parish management reviewed the recycling program options available and made recommendations, and GBB was then tasked with managing the procurement process.

City/parish management, assisted by GBB, reviewed GBB’s analysis of available program options and made recommendations. The director of public works selected specific options, which were endorsed by elected officials and the public. Bid specifications were prepared, and the complex bid process was conducted, generating a range of competitive bids for the city.

The result of the extensive procurement process is a partnership with a local firm, The Recycling Foundation, using equipment from Stamford, Conn.-based Van Dyk Baler Corp., which enables the city/parish to have an expanded mix of materials collected and processed into saleable products for recycling.

The Recycling Foundation’s new material recovery facility (MRF), which can process about 18 tons of recyclables per hour, is the first of its kind in Louisiana and rivals single-stream facilities in the most progressive recycling cities in the United States. The company won the recycling contract by offering to pick up and process recyclables for $1.47 per household per month, a 50 percent cost reduction from the $2.92 per household per month with the previous contractor.

July 31, 2006, Baton Rouge started implementing the new single-stream recycling program. New 64-gallon wheeled recycling carts were delivered to residents, who were either recycling with green bins or who signed up to receive a cart during a six-month period, and residents were urged to "Do Your Part, Use the Cart," as part of the new program.

With the arrival of their new carts, residents no longer had to separate their materials into green/red bins and were able to recycle new materials, such as plastic food and beverage containers (No. 1 through No. 7) and all sizes of folded/flattened cardboard.

As with any new recycling initiative, outreach was the key to success. Initiatives included grassroots press, user fee inserts in residents’ monthly water/sewer bills, bag stuffers in local grocery stores, paid and donated ads in local papers and displays in all city/parish libraries. The iconic World War II image of Rosie the Riveter was used as the mascot, and a great deal of media coverage was generated right off the bat.

As one of the 2007 Curbside Value Partnership (a national consortium of curbside recycling communities and stakeholders sponsored by the Aluminum Association and Can Manufacturers Institute working to develop and share best-practices related to communications and business principles) cities, Baton Rouge launched a major ad campaign in November designed to boost recycling participation and tonnage even further. The campaign, titled, "Cart It! Create a Recycling Tradition," encourages folks who are not recycling to begin doing so through print, radio and grassroots media placements. Hopefully, this campaign will help the city/parish of Baton Rouge realize the remaining 20 percent tonnage increase needed to reach its 50 percent goal.

Baton Rouge is also working with the locally owned dairy Kleinpeter Farms in a cooperative ad campaign designed to increase recycling participation.

While the ambitious objective of increasing tonnage by 50 percent has not been met yet, it serves as motivation to fine-tune the program in order to grow recycling at a steady pace throughout the remaining nine years of the contract and to meet the lofty objective sooner rather than later.

High expectations helped put in place programs to quickly set the pace towards the ultimate goal and to focus the efforts of everybody involved in positioning Baton Rouge has having one of the most progressive and cost-effective recycling programs in Louisiana.

The first major hurdle was gaining acceptance from elected officials and the public to proceed with a procurement strategy according to the strategic plan prepared by GBB. Acceptance was obtained after extensive information exchange and meetings with all stakeholders involved. Taking the time to explain, share and obtain feedback on the concepts being presented was key to gaining consensus to proceed. The manner in which information from the strategic plan was presented (special thanks goes to Microsoft PowerPoint presentation software) also helped those reviewing the plan to understand it.

The greatest hurdle in the overall project was getting through the contract writing, bid and award process. In order to foster creativity from business partners during the bidding process, which would ultimately be beneficial to the city, GBB and the city had to think outside the box and do more than simply ask for price quotes and set conditions.

Resistance to change is human nature and was also a factor during implementation. Being in touch with citizens and understanding their reactions is key to fine tuning a recycling program. Baton Rouge encountered some bumps in the road with resistance to change, mainly from residents who thought the new carts were too large for small garages. Baton Rouge responded by making a smaller cart available on request.

Other lessons learned through the experience included:

Cart distribution. City officials should make sure residents understand the message that they need to copy down the serial numbers on their carts. The city should also keep an electronic database of carts delivered by address/serial number. Use door hangers to provide details and alert residents one week prior to delivery that their carts will be coming.

Outreach. If budget allows, put a sticker listing all items accepted through the curbside program on the inside of the cart’s lid. Baton Rouge placed these stickers on the outside of the lid, and they are beginning to peel off, despite manufacturer assurances that they would not.

Grassroots. Library displays announcing the program, along with brochures and public meetings/presentations, were very helpful, as were presentations at local homeowner association meetings.

Negotiation. The recycling contractor bought the carts and is responsible for their delivery and maintenance. This added benefit was obtained through the RFP negotiation process.

Media. Print media were used extensively to advertise the details of the program, including user fee notices, door hangers, brochures attached to each cart, ads in dailies, weeklies and monthlies, billboards, etc.

From the get-go, Baton Rouge was dedicated to making things happen, increasing recycling and lowering costs. The success story can be attributed to GBB’s in-depth strategic planning, local leadership, effective networking with local leaders, a creative grass-roots public outreach effort and partnerships with community businesses. The city put in the necessary resources and efforts and turned its operation into a model other communities now look up to.

So, what’s your first reaction, now, when you think of "Doing More for Less?"

Harvey Gershman is president of Gershman, Brickner & Bratton Inc, Fairfax, Va., and Susan Hamilton is director of recycling for East Baton Rouge Parish.