The value of community

Engaging with communities and educating residents not just on the benefits of recycling but that the system even works are among the greatest challenges facing the recycling industry, and the voices of doubt often ring louder than those touting its successes.

Much of the critique focuses on curbside recycling and widespread consumer confusion on what can and cannot be placed in the bin.

According to the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) "2021 Economic Impact Study", the U.S. recycling industry contributes almost $117 billion to the U.S. economy each year while also supporting 506,000 well-paying jobs and 130 million metric tons of processed commodities.

However, getting that message across has proved difficult, and it ranks among the highest priorities for many in the recycling industry.

“As we move forward, it’s important we create training tools and documents that can assist members in how best to engage with their community and community leaders,” ISRI Chair Brian Henesey tells Recycling Today in this month’s Industry Leaders Q&A.

“Outside our industry, there is a societal push within communities for involvement and being a good player within a community.”

"It’s become increasingly clear that without a genuine partnership between recyclers and their communities, the system cannot function as intended."

Another organization leading the charge for community engagement is the Falls Church, Virginia-based Foodservice Packaging Institute (FPI), which highlights its community partnership program as “the vehicle that pulls everything together” when it comes to material recovery. (Read more about FPI’s efforts here.)

It’s become increasingly clear that without a genuine partnership between recyclers and their communities, the system cannot function as intended.

Recently, LRS, based in Chicago, took its involvement a step further with the launch of its Blue Cart Recycling Map, an interactive tool created in partnership with the Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation that shows the journey of recyclables from the point of pickup, through the material recovery facility and finally to the end markets that use these commodities.

“We collaborated on collecting data and information and making sure that this properly communicated a transparent story,” LRS Manager of Sustainability and Social Impact Joy Rifkin says. “This increased transparency is a learning tool, something residents can look at [and] community members can utilize, and a way for us to share that we want this process to be open and transparent.”

Material recovery is dependent on that transparency—on showing consumers the value of our industry—and improving the relationships with our communities is the only way forward.