Welcome to the Recyclepedia

Recycling is a complicated pain point in the waste sector. It’s something most residents don’t realize; recycling rules used to be simple and straightforward, and many think they still are. But with the global market changing in 2018, municipalities have taken over the recycling process and much of the responsibility for ensuring materials are recycled properly is now on the consumer. And when the consumer isn’t educated, contamination rates are high and recycling rates are low.  

Further complicating educational efforts is the introduction of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). A policy intended to shift responsibility away from municipalities and residents, EPR aims to hold producers responsible—physically and/or financially—for products in the post-consumer stage. As producers’ requirements will differ from municipalities’, this will change recycling rules and education, disrupting municipalities’ current means of educating their residents on proper recycling practices.  

The Importance of Community Recycling Engagement  

Globally, 2.1 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste (MSW) are produced annually. That number is projected to rise to 3.8 billion tonnes in the next 25 years. Managing this waste also costs billions of dollars in the U.S. alone, not to mention the added detriment to the environment, climate, and people’s health.  

Only 19% of the MSW is recycled, which leaves the remaining 1.7 billion tonnes to be incinerated or sent to landfills.  

Making a Difference with Recycling Education Platforms  

Education is the key to reducing waste and increasing recycling rates. More educated residents produce less waste and recycle more. And it goes beyond that: they recycle more items correctly.

When municipalities implement targeted, informative recycling education, residents respond. In Tacoma, WA, safe battery disposal awareness increased by 7.3% during one three-month-long campaign. Louisville, KY intensified their education efforts by leveraging the Recycle Coach app, increasing outreach efforts, and fostering community partnerships; their recyclable materials increased by 74%. Newark, DE reduced plastic bag contamination by 82% after implementing a one-month campaign on our app.  

Sustainability Toolbox: How can Waste Education Benefit Your Community?  

1. Do your research.  

a. What are problem waste management areas for your community?  

b. What do your contamination rates look like? Are they higher or lower than the national average?  

2. How involved are you with your community?  

a. Do you actively use social media platforms?  

b. Do you get out and interact with members of your community?  

c. Do you know how to reach different age groups with pertinent information?  

3. Determine the benefits of a waste education platform.  

a. Is it within your city’s budget?  

• Are there grants that you can apply for to implement the platform?  

b. Are there problem areas that aren’t being addressed, leading to fewer recyclables and higher costs for your waste management sector?  

c. Is your department spending significant time answering resident inquiries regarding waste pickup schedules, what items go where, and what to do with their bulky items?  

Easy to use and catered to your location with hyper-local waste information, a waste education platform like Recycle Coach can be used by anyone in the community.  

Waste Management Communication  

One of the most convenient aspects of Recycle Coach is the ease of communication. Municipalities can reach users through notifications and reminder messages, and users can submit any problems they encounter—such as a missed collection, a damaged bin, incorrect information, and more—all through the app. As a result, our partners see a measurable decrease in phone calls, allowing for time spent on other tasks.  

Reports also allow our partners to see how their residents are performing through detailed reports on material searches, educational activities, reported problems, and more.  

If your community is facing high contamination rates and your department is unsure of how to handle the educational aspect of waste management, consider an education platform to alleviate stress on your staff, the materials recovery facility, and your community’s residents.  

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.  

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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.

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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.  

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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.

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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.

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‍‍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.

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