Newsroom

When residents have a recycling question, their first stop is most likely Google.

Even if your municipality’s website offers detailed guidelines or downloadable recycling PDFs, most residents will turn to the easiest and fastest path to information—searching online.

While they may get a correct answer, search results aren't always reliable. Often, top results provide generic, conflicting, or confusing information, leading to contamination, loss of recyclable materials, frustration with recycling rules, and even spikes in service call volume.

The Problem with Search Results for Recycling Questions

Search engines are designed to return the most helpful content, but that doesn’t always mean the most accurate local answers. If a resident googles something like “Are coffee cups recyclable in South Plainfield, New Jersey?,” they might get a correct response:

Even if the query is clear and direct, Google may choose to serve an article with national guidelines or advice from a different city or state. AI-enhanced features, like Google’s AI Overview, can further complicate things, as this feature can misconstrue data. For example, if a resident googles, “Are glasses recyclable in Boise, Idaho?” they will get the following result:

In reality, glass is not accepted in Boise, Idaho’s regular curbside collection.

It's even more complicated if a resident googles something more general, like “Are batteries recyclable?”.

Rules often vary from municipality to municipality, and as MRF technology continues to evolve, it’s likely that the answer won’t match your local rules. Residents may read that result, toss the item in the wrong receptacle, and continue incorrectly disposing of that item.  

Beyond commonly misunderstood materials, our research shows that residents are looking to do better when it comes to even the trickiest of materials. Their searches include:

• Aerosol cans
• Old makeup
• Styrofoam
• Lightbulbs
• Unused fireworks

The list goes on. To make sure your residents know how to handle curbside sorting correctly, you need to meet them where they are, and that's by providing a quick, easy solution.

The Difference the “What Goes Where” Tool Makes

Recycle Coach’s “What Goes Where” search tool allows residents to search for any item to check if it belongs in the recycling, compost, or trash. All results are catered to local rules, so residents get the correct answer for every item.

Our partners can browse most-searched items, compare search stats to other locations, and gain insight on problem contaminants, which can all paint a larger picture of what items need to be focused on when educating their residents.  

‍

The bottom line: you don’t need to compete with Google. By providing residents with centralized information that’s easy to find, navigate, and use, you can reduce resident confusion—and contamination.

Bulky waste is a big challenge for local programs: missed pickups, confusion about what’s accepted, and endless resident phone calls, not to mention the time required to facilitate payment. But for our partners, a smarter digital tool is helping to cut down on the time needed to provide communities with a five-star experience.

‍

South River, NJ: 75% Fewer Calls

Before launching the Recycle Coach web app, South River’s team was fielding ongoing phone calls for bulk item pickups.  

Since integrating the tool, they’ve seen a 75% drop in phone calls—and a spike in web app users.  

‍

Cal-Waste: 18 Extra Mattress Pickups in One Week

As a private hauler serving communities across California, Cal-Waste wanted to boost efficiency and reduce confusion for residents trying to get rid of bulky items, like furniture and mattresses.

With the bulk pick-up tool now integrated into their app, Cal-Waste has seen a notable uptick in requests, especially when it comes to mattress pickups.

In a single recorded week, there were 18 more mattress requests than their weekly average.

‍

Atlas Disposal: 50% of Total Requests and a Successful User Acquisition Tactic

Within the communities Atlas serves, bulky requests tend to vary week to week, but requests from the tool now account for about half of all resident bookings.  

The team has had positive feedback about the ease and convenience of using the tool for requests from residents. In turn, Atlas has been able to increase users by directing them to the app, thereby educating and keeping more residents informed on their curbside collections.

‍

‍‍Why It Works

Self-serve scheduling: Residents don’t need to call. They just click, select their item, and schedule the pickup.

Mobile & web friendly: Whether on desktop or phone, it’s an easy experience that builds trust and cuts down on mistakes.

More time to focus on what matters: With fewer resident inquiries to handle, staff can spend more time on high-impact work.

Learn more about the Bulk Item Pick-up Tool here.

‍

Waste education and outreach is a challenge for municipalities, haulers, schools, and businesses alike. Reaching audiences with timely, pertinent information is both important and effective, yet it’s often overlooked due to time constraints and lack of marketing knowledge.  

Below, we’ve outlined five tips to help you connect with your community.  

‍

Expand your education programs

Digital resources aren’t something everyone has access to.  Expand your educational outreach to schools and teach children the importance of proper recycling and waste disposal.  

When it comes to local events, focus on fun and unique ways to engage children, like providing activities and giveaway items. Our partners in New Jersey have printed off our children’s activity packets to distribute to parents, providing them with age-appropriate resources that make learning about recycling fun and simple.

The education and outreach team in Las Cruces, NM makes it their goal to visit all 40 public schools in their district every year. Children go home to their families with quizzes, certificates, and learning packets, along with a better understanding of how waste disposal works. In the future, it’s their plan to incorporate Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) tours for field trips.

‍

Think outside the box

Innovation is invaluable. Expanding your efforts into every avenue available to you allows you to connect with residents of your community wherever they are. Partner with your local community centres, libraries, radio and TV stations, and sports venues to spread the word about proper recycling and waste habits.  

The team at the Mercer County Improvement Authority makes use of the local minor league baseball stadium to reach families: “[There is] a lot of foot traffic during the summer months. And we have a six-foot-by-six-foot board message board that we pay for every year just to get the message out. Calendars, QR codes for Recycle Coach—we encourage them to download the app.”

‍

Make learning easy

People want to do good, but they’re busy. Making waste education simple and accessible encourages greater participation in the community, leading to lower contamination rates and more recycled materials. Meet residents where they are, both at their community and in their homes, and—most often—on their phones.  

“You don't want to add to the stressors of life,” says Dan Napoleon of Mercer County. “You want something that's user friendly. Everybody has a smartphone, so when you can find out when your recycling day is, special events, even your solid waste days, it just makes it a lot easier.”  

When you’re educating your community, keep things uncomplicated. Avoid lengthy PDFs and posts and keep your information hyper-relevant. Focus on key contaminants in your community by keeping your waste messaging local and avoiding broader, general waste information that may not be applicable.

‍

Make use of your social media

Social media is still an effective tool that has the capability of reaching many of your residents. Having a strong social media presence gets the word out about waste practices, educates your residents, and allows you to form a connection with them. Post weekly tips for troublesome materials, experiment with humour and memes, and grow your page by posting video-based content. Yes, this might mean passing the phone to your Gen Z employee or summer student!  

In Glendale, CA, the outreach team runs monthly Recycle Coach reports to help guide their social media. These reports tell the team what areas residents could use improvement in. Using this information, they know what to focus on and how to interact with their residents. Running compost pail giveaways, organizing environmental programs, and offering webinars are just a few ways they’re making their social media about interaction and engagement.  

‍

Interact with your residents

You can do your best to educate your residents through social media posts, flyers, posters, and ads, but interacting with residents allows you to really connect with them to get the message through. Responding to your residents’ comments on social media, hosting events, and going out into the community to meet with your residents in person can open up the possibility of your residents feeling comfortable asking questions, learning more, and caring more about the recycling process.  

The Solid Waste and Recycling team in Frederick County, MD prioritize interacting with their residents because their “residents want to have this interaction... They want to be involved, and they want to better their skills.” Connecting residents with the recycling process will create a more proactive, clean community.  

‍

In 2022, the OECD performed a study on global plastic recycling rates. The findings showed that only 9% of plastics are recycled worldwide. To put that in perspective, nearly 350 million tons of plastic are created each year. That means 318,500,000 tons end up in landfills, are incinerated, or are left entirely uncollected. These numbers aren’t even including paper (global recycling rate: 60%), glass (global recycling rate: 21%), e-waste (global recycling rate: 22.3%), and other discarded materials.  

There are several reasons why recycling numbers are so low; for example, many regions aren’t equipped with proper recycling facilities and programs. But one major thing that bars materials from being properly recycled—in any recycling facility around the world—is contamination. And the key to reducing contamination is education.  

What is Contamination?

Contamination refers to the materials that cannot be processed for recycling due to being in contact with non-recyclable materials. This can be non-recyclable plastics, such as Saran Wrap or plastic bags, broken glass, food, or any other non-recyclable material.  

Contaminated recycling is rejected at the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) and is typically sent to the landfill. As MRFs do not have the resources to separate every recyclable item from every non-recyclable item, sometimes entire loads are discarded when there is too much contamination.    

Contamination Solutions

1. Every location has different recycling rules. Recycle Coach helps your residents and customers understand what’s recyclable and what’s not. Our What Goes Where tool allows users to search our database of over 400 items, with a repository of 15,000 search terms. We allow users to easily learn how to recycle right in their community.  

2. Help avoid “wish-cycling.” Many people mean well when it comes to recycling and put anything they hope will be recycled into the recycling bin. This is detrimental to recycling efforts, as it leads to contamination. Recycle Coach allows users to understand which items are not recyclable, as well as what can be done with them, such as composting, donation, hazardous waste drop-off, and general waste.  

3. Use clear labelling in your workplace. To help your own employees recycle more effectively, place your waste bins in easy-to-access, high-traffic areas. Apply labels above the bins to more clearly demonstrate what is accepted and what’s not.  

Using Recycle Coach allows users to learn about proper waste disposal. We make real differences in the communities and organizations we partner with, making for greener, more waste-informed residents and customers. Check out our Success Stories for real life examples of how we can help communities like yours.  

Our 2024 Recycling Survey results come at a time when the industry is facing major shifts.

Changing regulations, increased reliance on artificial intelligence, and expanding investment into circular economy initiatives. As the global push continues towards evolving guidelines, access to the right information will be crucial for resident participation and compliance.

Our Annual Survey, now in its 4^th consecutive year, tracks evolving trends, identifies common areas of misunderstanding, and highlights where more education is needed. Residents are quizzed about the recyclability of items based on their local guidelines, covering everything from common household materials like plastic bottles to more challenging items like drinking glasses and lightbulbs.

Environmental Impact

Residents across North America are showing continued interest in responsible waste management at home. The latest survey found that 82% of respondents believe recycling has a positive effect on the environment, a metric that has grown every year since the survey’s inception in 2021, speaking volumes to the investment local governments are putting into education.

Solving For Contamination

Contamination remains a challenge.

The overall correct answer rate for material recyclability measured at 68.9%, a slight decrease compared to previous years.

As many regions have set aggressive goals to increase recycling participation rates, proper education must be in place to combat misunderstanding and ultimately, lost materials.  

Jeff Galad, President of Recycle Coach, underscored the importance of providing accurate and accessible information, not only for recycling, but across all waste streams:

“Our mission is to help solve local waste and recycling challenges by providing residents with the information they need, when they need it. That may be information on whether or not a material can be recycled, what to do with organics, or how to properly dispose of bulky furniture and e-waste.”

Opportunities for Improved Material Recovery

Survey data reveals that misconceptions about local rules continue to result in the loss of valuable recyclables. Key findings include:

• 74.8% of respondents answered correctly when asked about plastic bottles, jars, and jugs, despite their acceptance in most programs.
• Aluminum foil containers, Tupperware, and plastic cutlery also ranked among materials that stumped residents.

Providing Communities with the Right Tools

Recycle Coach remains committed to empowering local governments with the tools they need to deliver effective education across all waste streams, including organics, yard waste, and bulky pick-up.

By leveraging on-demand digital technology, cities can ensure their residents have access to accurate, localized information when they need it most.

For the full 2024 Annual Survey results, please click here.

‍

Tourists are some of the biggest offenders in waste production, generating—in some areas—as much as twice the amount of waste as locals. They aren't provided with the same information as residents, nor do they have the same access to proper waste bins in a lot of circumstances. This leads to recyclable items ending up in the trash, and trash ending up in the parks, on the beaches, and in the street.  

Below, we’ve listed some ways to help tourists and visitors to your city learn how to recycle and dispose of their trash the right way.  

1. Increase your signage

Put up posters in high traffic areas like town squares, parks, beaches, and other tourism-heavy spots. Rent out billboards, collaborate with local hotels, and put a statement on your website—both your municipal and your tourism sites. Encourage visitors to keep your home beautiful and dispose of their waste properly.  

Tip: Offer multi-lingual signage and make use of graphics in order to reach more people.

2. Encourage visitors to download the Recycle Coach app  

When you’ve partnered with Recycle Coach, the app isn’t only for residents; anyone can use it! All visitors need to do is put in the address of where they’re staying, even if they aren’t taking their waste to the curb. The What Goes Where feature will allow them to search how to dispose of any item they’re unsure of.  

3. Increase available garbage and recycling bins  

Do you have any parks, beaches, or other locations whose waste bins are always overflowing? That might be a sign to increase the number of them. If you haven’t already, invest in a multi-functional waste bin with separate spots for trash, recycling, and organic waste (if that’s part of your program).  

Tip: Make sure to use clear signage so everyone knows what goes where.

4. Promote local and eco-friendly businesses  

Boost your local economy by encouraging visitors to shop local. Go one step further by doing some research to see if there are local eco-friendly businesses, such as sustainable clothing shops, zero-waste stores, and eco beauty shops that you can promote.  

5. Create a task force

If tourist waste is an ongoing problem in your area, creating a taskforce of employees to focus on the problem, create campaigns, and form solutions may be an effective next step.  

‍

Want to know more? Learn about Recycle Coach and how we can help your community dispose of waste properly and efficiently here.  

‍

In a recent poll conducted by Keep America Beautiful, 9 in 10 Americans reported that they recycle regularly. While 72% of these respondents recycle at home using curbside or community bins, only 51% recycle at public spaces, and approximately 40% recycle when visiting other people or when they’re at public events.  

There is a reason for this: those that feel negatively toward recycling find that they experience anxiety and stress surrounding the concept and practice. In general, recyclers feel more confident in recycling at home, where they know the rules better and feel assured that the items they put in their recycling will actually be recycled.  

Anxiety in Younger Generations

Overall, younger people feel more confused, overwhelmed, and anxious than older people when it comes to recycling. 42% of Gen Z and Millennial respondents agreed with the statement “I get anxious trying to figure out if something is recyclable or not,” while 46% of Gen Z respondents agreed with feeling “overwhelmed and unsure about where to put items in public recycling bins.” This trend continues throughout the poll: of the 2 in 5 Americans who have skipped recycling an item for fear of doing it incorrectly, Gen Z leads the pack with 58% of these respondents.  

A Lack of Trust

While recycling education used to be straightforward and simple (“reduce, reuse, recycle!”), everything changed dramatically several years ago. Before 2018, North America used to send our much of our collected recycling materials over to China. When that agreement ended, we were responsible for our own recycling. From there, every municipality had different rules. Courses had to be modified for students, and during this time, studies and exposés came out showing that huge percentages of recyclable materials are not recycled at all.  

This lack of transparency around recycling allowed for rules to be overlooked or even unknown to recyclers. This caused many people, especially those belonging to younger generations, to become apathetic toward recycling.  

Clear, standard education surrounding recycling seemed to disappear; confusion and “wish-cycling” took its place. Older generations, who were always taught that recycling is beneficial, continued to do it. Younger generations, feeling overwhelmed by the changes, the doubts, and even the lack of convenience, slowly dropped off on their recycling habits.  

Making Changes

With smartphones being a part of our daily lives--particularly for younger generations--we’re afforded the opportunity to learn on the go. Recycle Coach allows for simple, effective recycling education. Municipalities, haulers, schools, and organizations can take advantage of waste information being easily accessible and in younger generations hands at all times.  

Recycling education can make all the difference. Knowing what you can and can’t put into the recycling bin helps keep contaminants out of the recycling stream and allows for a smoother recycling process.  

Recycle Coach provides a space for our partners to educate their residents, clients, and students. Our “What Goes Where” tool, educational resources, and waste pickup calendar allow users to learn how to recycle waste properly and become confident in their recycling knowledge.  

‍

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Recycle Coach have teamed up to provide residents access to digital technology, aimed at revolutionizing waste management across the state. The llinois EPA is committed to help all Illinois residents understand how to properly recycle or dispose of household materials. This initiative will include a statewide study, a tool kit, an interactive map, and a smartphone app to identify recyclables and what to do with non-recyclables. The tool kit, map, and app will each be tailored to the unique opportunities available to participating communities.

Key Features and Benefits:

• Statewide Coverage: All Illinois communities now have access to Recycle Coach's comprehensive digital tools, ensuring that residents have access to timely collection schedule reminders, material search capabilities, and hyper-local educational content.
• Accessible through Mobile and Desktop: The initiative includes an interactive web widget for all local government websites and access to the Recycle Coach mobile app. These resources will guide residents on how to properly dispose of household waste, identify recyclables, and manage non-recyclables.
• Community-Specific Solutions: Recycle Coach will begin with a statewide needs assessment, working with the Illinois EPA and local entities, such as county and municipal solid waste coordinators. Recycle Coach technology will be customized to cater to the needs of 12.5 million Illinois residents and 6,835 units of local government.
• Environmental Impact: The program aims to decrease contamination at material recovery facilities, increase the diversion of materials from landfills, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Proper waste management will also mitigate contamination of waterways and land.

The Illinois EPA is excited to offer this innovative technology that will provide Illinois residents with advanced tools to allow them to increase and improve recycling throughout all our communities,‚said Illinois EPA Interim Director James Jennings. We look forward to the full implementation of this program, which will expand the amount of recyclables properly diverted from Illinois landfills.

We're thrilled to welcome the State of Illinois to the Recycle Coach movement‚ says Jeff J. Galad, President of Recycle Coach. The Illinois EPA has demonstrated their environmental leadership by adopting robust digital tools that provide hyper-local waste and recycling information, notifications and education to every community, thus every resident.

Recycle Coach is available at no cost to Illinois communities. Local governments can request an onboarding meeting by emailing successgroup@recyclecoach.com. A secure web app will be provided for municipal waste websites, and residents will be encouraged to download the free Recycle Coach app.

About the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):

The mission of the Illinois EPA is to safeguard environmental quality, consistent with the social and economic needs of the State of Illinois, so as to protect health, welfare, property, and the quality of life.

The Illinois EPA works to safeguard natural resources from pollution to provide a healthy environment. By partnering with businesses, local governments, and the public, the Illinois EPA is dedicated to continued protection of the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the land we live on.

‍

Press Only Inquiries, please contact:

Illinois EPA Contact:

‍Kim Biggs

Public Information Officer

‍kim.biggs@illinois.gov

‍217-558-1536

epa.illinois.gov

Recycle Coach Contact:

‍Jeff J. Galad

President

jgalad@recyclecoach.com

‍www.recyclecoach.com