How can you encourage proper trash disposal in public spaces?

Working hard and smart to enhance waste management across the public space. New bins installed with clear optics, and proactively collect trash, targeting hotspots during high-traffic events to ensure a cleaner and greener environment for everyone.

Ad campaigns have a significant impact on our community and setting cultural norms. City of San Francisco is a great example of effective ad campaigns that have impacted diversion from landfill by making it “cool” to ♻️ recycle and to care about our shared environment. School reduce, reuse, recycle educational campaigns create significant impact on our cultural views on the three ‘R’s. Learning from that young age creates life long habits and views.

Smart bins provide a modern solution for waste disposal in public spaces, coupled with interactive educational content. These bins have sensors, and technology, that engage users through screens or apps, guiding them on proper waste disposal methods. Screens can display informative content: videos or infographics, illustrating recycling's importance as users approach. Real-time feedback informs users of disposal choices and environmental impact. Gamification, such as quizzes, can encourage engagement, reinforcing proper disposal behaviors. This integration of technology and education not only promotes correct disposal but also empowers users with sustainable waste management knowledge, fostering environmental stewardship in public spaces.

I think most people don't mind being sustainable, but you must make it easy for people to be sustainably responsible. For example, I am LEED accredited and have a few sustainable certifications, but I detest the idea of putting my batteries in a separate bag or container to dispose of my used batteries. Why can’t the trash bins have a lil spot to put batteries in. I’m just saying if you want increased participation make it easier for folks to participate.

Many times when we reference keeping public spaces clean, our minds are drawn to open spaces, such as public parks. However, I’d argue that tax-payer owned buildings are the best place to start when it comes to setting the example for community engagement on litter abatement. When city & county buildings offer convenient access to proper waste diversion, complete with color-coded bins, bags, and signage, residents & business owners understand their government facilities are leading the way, which makes habit change a bit easier to digest. This can help increase recycling participation & lower contamination levels for cleaner, higher quality materials for MRFs to process.

I recommend 'pack in, pack out'. If I can carry it in, why can't I carry it out and back to my home or to work, to reuse it there if possible. Or if it's not reusable, to recycle it in the system already set up for me and by me. Or if it's not recyclable, to be dealt with responsibly via disposal (which isn't really disposal...it's just 'dumping it into a hole in the ground to create problems for future generations to deal with'.

I agree you can get feedback, conduct surveys and interviews, gather opinions of staff and end users, but the best data comes from the data. A random waste audit will tell you which contaminants are hard for people to identify as recycling, landfill or compost. Once you have the waste audit data you can adjust educational materials and collection bins to create simplicity in waste disposal.