QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
- Q. Can recycling help decrease my costs?
- A. By disposing fewer tons, disposal charges can decrease. Owners
and managers often can save money by reducing trash pick-up frequency
and/or bin size.
- Q. Will I have huge start-up costs?
- A. Not necessarily. Start-up costs can vary considerably and need
not be large. In all cases though, the higher your diversion, the shorter
your payback period will be.
- Q. We just completed a big educational
program. When do I need to do
another one?
- A. Start tomorrow. Because of high resident turnover in multi-family
communities and the difficulty of identifying individuals that are not
participating, education efforts must be continual and more intensive
than with single-family homes. New residents will need concentrated
educational efforts to help them up the learning curve. In-person contact
is best. Some coordinators even spend time with residents going through
their trash and going over what is and is not recyclable.
- Q. Which MFC waste reduction system
works best?
- A. There is no one system that works in every complex or community.
Building layout, area fire and health codes, and zoning regulations
may dictate program design. Special considerations may also need to
be made for typical residents. For example, programs designed for senior
citizen housing should take into account that residents often have limited
strength and mobility. Finally, the program may need some adjusting
to get it just right. You may find that you need more collection containers
than originally planned, or that your signs are a bit confusing. Listening,
evaluating, and adjusting will help you create a high diversion, cost-saving
program.
- Q. Why is designing a convenient program
so important?
- A. Residents and staff may not want to participate if they perceive
the program requires more time or effort than just throwing materials
away. Placing recycling containers close to trash containers and allowing
residents to commingle recyclables will enhance convenience.
- Q. Our residents want to recycle but the maintenance staff
are opposed. How can we sell the program to them?
- A. Involve the staff in program planning. Staff may have insight
into how to solve problems, increase participation, and make the program
more efficient. Asking for and using staff advice can create program
buy-in, potentially save money and help you reach higher waste diversion
levels.
|
