Multicultural Outreach Recycling Initiative

About the Program

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

Year: 2014

When Gwinnett County GA launched a new and strictly voluntary Residential Curbside Recycling program in July 2010, research showed that a comprehensive public education program reaching across many cultures was necessary to ensure its success. The first step was to target outreach and educational materials to a large and rapidly growing Hispanic population aimed at increasing their curbside recycling participation rates. Gwinnett County’s Residential Curbside Recycling and Education Program has been in existence since July 2010 and has seen remarkable growth since its inception. With a comprehensive Communication Plan and Education Program already in place, the Marketing and Public Outreach staff began focusing their outreach efforts, looking for opportunities to engage school-aged children with the understanding that influencing behavior at a young age was the best method to ensure that the preferred behavior would continue. According to our Hispanic partners, many in the Hispanic community share the perception that events and programs sponsored by the government may threaten their ability to remain in this country. By participating in government events, which often include security and traffic control provided by the local police, some Hispanic residents have the misperception that they may be profiled and possibly deported. Finding ways to build trusting relationships with this community was a major challenge. The solution involved partnering with local entities ranging from the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta, La Raza FM, to the Atlanta Apartment Owners Association.