Recycling in Apartment Complexes Assessing Student Recycling Behavior and Response to Audience-Specific Displays

Transcription

1 Recycling in Apartment Complexes Assessing Student Recycling Behavior and Response to Audience-Specific Displays Alanna Smith Alena Hall Arima Rose Claypool Hannah Goodwin Tom Fang 1

2 OCSWMD Waste monitoring Target low-performing multi-family apartment complexes Outreach representatives Literature in multiple languages Spring 2011 Capstone Waste audits Increased signage Recycling Ambassadors through PSS Distribute recycling totes 2

3 Goal Coordinate with OCSWMD to increase the quantity and improve the quality of recycled materials, and reduce waste in Chapel Hill student-dominated apartment complexes 3

4 Literature Review Contaminated Waste Targeted Signage Social Behavior Change 4

5 Project Strategies Educational Outreach Educational Visuals 5

6 Project Strategies Resident Surveys Data Collection 6

7 Methods Target Audience: College Students Selected apartment complexes 7

8 Methods Quality Management Configuration Number of Units Recycling Programs Pick Up Date Ease of Access Management Communication Apartment Demographics Current Yields Attributes A single manager or management office is preferred. The management already organizes events for their residents, and there is a central meeting location for all residents such as a clubhouse or leasing office. Chapel View has 224 units, housing 358 people. Chapel Ridge has 180 units, housing 544 people. Granville Towers houses 1,278 students in both single and double rooms. Some signage exists, and the property houses an appropriate number of easily accessible recycling carts. Each location receives collection services Wednesday. All properties are located along several bus lines, so ambassadors who do not have cars can easily access their assigned complex. Management already has active communication lines with their residents through and granted us access to these lines of communication. While no preference existed, almost all residents read and speak English so multilingual materials are not necessary. Chapel View and Chapel Ridge are considered mediumyield complexes that show room and promise for improvement. Granville Towers reveals historically poor recycling rates, so our initiatives will aim to significantly improve the data collected at this location. 8

9 Baseline and Follow-Up Recycling Waste Audits 9

10 Selecting Signage Materials 10

11 Recycling Contamination Displays 11

12 Organizing Recycling Outreach Efforts Promotion of Recycling Ambassador pickup service Sign-ups for the pick-up service Distribution of educational recycling information 12

13 Survey Design and Administration Online survey measuring Students current recycling habits Perceptions of recycling programs 13

14 Week-by-Week Recycling Collection Pre-Intervention, 10/3-10/4 Pre-Intervention, 10/10-10/11 Post-Intervention, 11/7-11/8 Post-Intervention, 11/14-15 Total Sum (kg) Total Paper Sum (kg) Total Can Sum (kg) On average, the weekly total base recycling increased from kg to kg, the weekly paper recycling decreased from kg to kg, and the weekly can and bottle recycling increased from kg to kg. 14

15 Recycling Collected (kg) Week-by-Week Recycling Collection Pre- and Post-Intervention Waste Audits /3-10/4 10/10-10/11 11/7-11/8 11/14-11/15 15

16 Total Recycling Collection Total Pre-Intervention and Post Intervention Recycling Yields Can(kg) Paper (kg) Post-Intervention Pre-Intervention Total (kg)

17 Contamination Data & Results Four contamination categories: presence of plastic bags un-rinsed recyclables garbage items improperly sorted recyclable items. 17

18 Contamination Results Plastic Bags Non- Recyclable Items Un-rinsed or nonemptied Recyclables Paper in Bottles/Cans Bin Bottles/Can in Paper Bin Total Pre-Intervention Total Post-Intervention Percent Change % 36.15% % 14.66% % Total contaminants: decrease of 340 total items, representing a 37.28% decrease. The audits revealed a decrease in plastic bags, un-rinsed or non-emptied recyclables, and misplaced bottle and can recyclables. However, the amounts of non-recyclable items and misplaced paper recyclables increased. 18

19 Survey Results Role of demographic and behavioral profiles of residents Evidence of strong traditional recycling habits Need for increased education regarding county convenience center Consider potential response bias Educational outreach v. education visuals Moving forward: Connect outreach message to resident reasons for recycling 19

20 Limitations Outreach difficulties Limited data Confounding factors, weekly recycling collection Weather Holidays Population fluctuation Contamination study, bias and systematic error Only looked at top foot of recycling Night, reduced visibility 20

21 Recommendations Weekly recycling audits Continue outreach efforts Expand recycling program 21

22 Conclusions Collection of baseline audit data Success pilot of UNC Recycling Ambassadors program Established relationships with apartment complex managers Gathered insights into reasons for existing student recycling behaviors 22

23 Acknowledgements Dr. Elizabeth Shay Briana Steele UNC Institute for the Environment OCSWMD Blair Pollock Muriel Williman Our partners at the apartment complexes The Odum Institute Teresa Edwards 23

24 QUESTIONS? 24