COVID-Safe Waste Reduction and Recycling Outreach

About the Program

Category: Civic Education and Public Information (Best in Category)

Year: 2021

Public educational outreach is key to reducing recycling contamination and solid waste generation. For years Mecklenburg County Solid Waste (MCSW) has invested in robust marketing efforts. Public tours were offered at county facilities including the Material Recovery Facility (MRF), compost collection site and landfills. In March of 2020, all in-person gatherings were halted to prevent the spread of Covid-19. To overcome this barrier, the department quickly responded by converting presentations into safe and accessible virtual programs. To date, four unique webinars have been designed and delivered: Recycle Right, Reciclemos Bien, The 7 R’s of Waste Reduction and KidsCan Recycle.The new information delivery method has been well-received based on post-event client satisfaction surveys. Diverse groups of adults and children as young as four years old have enthusiastically participated. Presentations have been requested by schools, large private corporations, homeowners’ associations, faith-based communities, trade organizations and civic groups. Over a twelve-month period, 36 presentations were delivered to 1,600 virtual participants. In addition, recordings of the presentations were featured on eight online events. It is estimated that recordings have been shared with over 25,000 additional residents, based on reported post-event electronic distribution. Demand remains steady with registrations ranging from 40-200 participants per webinar.