South Plainfield, NJ boosts engagement with the borough's waste initiatives by empowering their residents through educational outreach and community programs.
Community cleanup events, Adopt-a-Spot programs, and parade floats: South Plainfield, NJ pulls out all the stops when it comes to educating their residents on proper waste disposal.
A long-time Recycle Coach partner, South Plainfield is home to approximately 27,000 residents. It’s nestled against southern Newark and is one of many boroughs that make up the Metropolitan New York Area, but it sets itself apart with its unique take on engaging its residents with its community recycling program.
A Tool for Everyone
When Kristina Nieradka, Recycling & Clean Community Coordinator, took on her new role, she realized that—like many of us—she could improve on her recycling knowledge. She turned to the Recycle Coach app for help, and now reflects on this when speaking to residents: “I put myself in their position and say, ‘I’m not an expert either. We’re all continuously learning about recycling, and it’s an everchanging market, so let me look at my Recycle Coach real quick’.” For Kristina, Recycle Coach helps her with the tricky items she doesn’t have to deal with every day—both as a resident and as a Borough employee.
Engaging Residents
One of Kristina’s projects is called “Adopt-a-Spot”: a litter clean-up program that empowers residents, businesses, and organizations to take on a designated area of their own to keep clean throughout the year. Kristina not only provides the adopter with a sign to recognize their contribution, but also PPE, garbage bags, vests, and trash grabbers. “They’re bright orange garbage bags,” Kristina explains, “because I want residents to see them. I intentionally leave them out for a couple days after a cleanup so they can see that all this litter was in this location… They’re a mini marketing technique for me.”
In addition to Adopt-a-Spot, South Plainfield also hosts community cleanups that attract hundreds of volunteers. And the tool they use for signups is the Recycle Coach app. “Recycle Coach is the definition of convenience,” says Kristina. Wanting to expand the cleanup and attract more volunteers, Kristina was looking for new ways to make signups easier for South Plainfield residents. Doubling as a way to drive more traffic to Recycle Coach, the community clean-up volunteers are also learning new ways to keep their community clean through the app.
Going Above and Beyond
Making every action count toward community environmental preservation, the borough even has “recycling vigilantes” popping up: concerned citizens taking it upon themselves to clean up their community, enact recycling rules, and contact the Recycling Department with their concerns. “People love to be a part of something in their community,” Kristina remarks. But the task of educating people on recycling is a unique one: educating people “who already think they know everything” can be extremely difficult. And after she noticed incorrect items being put in their recycling bins, Kristina found a new way to reach her residents.
South Plainfield is home to New Jersey’s biggest Labour Day parade, drawing thousands of attendees. Kristina made the decision to enter a float in the parade. Teaming up with high school environmental students, she and the students designed an interactive float where they held commonly misunderstood materials above a trash bin and recycling bin, then asked the crowd where they should go. It was such a success, they won “Best Float,” and it once again showed that thinking outside the box is what gets residents interested and involved in recycling.
Recommendations
Ease of use is what drew Kristina to Recycle Coach, but it’s getting the word out that can be a challenge. For anyone considering implementing the Recycle Coach platform, Kristina recommends that the best way to get people on the app is to use it yourself: play around with it, figure it out, and see how convenient it really is. Show not just your residents, but also your staff how easy it is to use, and if you have any questions, just ask your CSM for clarification. They are always there to help. “There are so many possibilities there. It’s a platform we all have: why not use it?”
We are all looking for quick and easy solutions, [and] Recycle Coach provides that service to not only residents, but Borough Employees as well. As a Borough employee, my job is to service my community to the best of my ability, but I have a secret sidekick… Recycle Coach. I am one of Recycling Coach's biggest fans! Not only do they have a phenomenal app, they have employees that go above and beyond to ensure that we are all a success and able to perform our job with ease.
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