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When it comes to sustainability in business, examples are a great place to start. Your green team will see how these industry leaders are helping employees, customers and partners go green. With these eco-friendly brands lighting your way, you'll develop amazing in-house practices of your own! Here are six outstanding examples of workplace sustainability to get you started!

1. Patagonia: Environmental activism

Patagonia as a brand has always taken sustainability in the workplace seriously, with eco-friendly manufacturing, distribution and recycling practices across the board. According to the 2019 Patagonia Sustainability Report, they have also taken steps to conduct waste audits to better understand what can be recycled and composted in their bins, among other things.

As one of the most progressive eco-friendly brands, Patagonia gives employees access to a host of opportunities as part of their Employee Internship Program. From 5km runs that support local environmental groups to bike-to-work programs and volunteer opportunities‚ Patagonia allows employees to work for the good of the planet through activism. Encourage your employees to raise money for environmental causes; consistently offer your employees opportunities to volunteer; and have a broad range of green programs that positively benefit the earth.

The Impact

While other brands struggle to retain top talent, Patagonia only has 4% employee turnover. They attribute it to allowing passionate employees to be activists for the environment‚ a central role and mission statement for the company. As a result, the greener they go, the larger they grow.

2. Nike: The lunch program

Nike's sustainable shoes are famously made from plastic bottles and other material scraps‚ contributing towards their vision of a future where old materials create new shoes. It's clear that Nike's sustainable business and innovation teams want a zero waste future. But how are Nike office workers at their Headquarters contributing to their company-wide sustainability goals?

Beyond Nike's sustainable products, they have internal waste management practices that change how employees work. At the World Headquarters, their Reusable Dishware Program prompted employees to stop buying and bringing disposable lunch containers to work. Here are some excellent lunch program ideas for sustainability in the workplace:

- Eliminate non-recyclable coffee cups

- Host "plastic-free lunch days" where employees don't bring plastic to work

- Institute a program that encourages reusable dishware to reduce waste

The Impact

With this one green program, Nike reduced single-use containers (cups and bottles) by 16,000 pounds per quarter‚ and waste per employee was down by 11.5% at year end.

You can read the Nike Sustainability Report here.

3. Disney: Food waste energy

There are hundreds of sustainability requirements in the workplace for Disney employees, and while it's challenging, it has helped the company achieve amazing results with their various initiatives. These sustainable business practices include special funnel-equipped recycling cans to collect liquid waste, and collection of 20 different commodities for a 99.8% landfill waste diversion rate.

Most sustainable companies only dream of a food waste recycling program this efficient! Food scraps and oils from their parks are mixed with biosolids to create biogas, which then creates electricity and fertilizer. The park is then powered according to the principles of the circular economy.

Food waste can be converted into electricity/fertilizer for your company. Create a highly visible food recycling program for employees and consumers.

The Impact

Disney's biogas facility produces 5.4 megawatts of heat and electricity from 120,000 tons of organic material every year. That's enough to power about 2000 homes and contributes to decreasing Disney's power consumption and negative environmental impact.

4. Coca-Cola: In-house education

Coca-Cola is deeply committed to becoming a sustainable company, and they have come a long, long way since 2007. The Coca-Cola green teams have implemented many sustainable business practices that are making a positive impact in their industry.

Coca-Cola's Do One Thing Campaign was an internal program used to educate employees on the sustainability initiatives going on at the brand. The team's main role was to spread awareness and engage employees by getting them to share the one thing they would do for sustainability that Earth Day.

Here are some great green initiative ideas for office employees:

- Launch an education program on Earth Day

- Find creative ways to get your employees thinking about their impact

- Promote sustainable thinking in small ways

A great way to educate your employees about recycling is to give them access to the "Ask Milo" tool, which instantly tells them if an item can or can't be recycled. Our Find My Municipality tool is also a useful resource to discover your local collection requirements.

The Impact

Most recently, Coke announced a new goal to help collect and recycle a bottle or can for every one we sell by 2030. They want to create a circular economy, where new materials don't have to be used for product creation, and existing plastic is reused instead.

Coca-Cola's World Without Waste Program has the company progressing towards sustainability solutions. So far, 88% of their packaging is recyclable. The real issue, they found‚ was that it was ending up in the environment and not being collected and recycled. Lack of recycling education is a serious corporate concern!

The program has three goals: to make all Coke packaging 100% recyclable by 2025; to use at least 50% recycled material in their packaging by 2030; and to collect a can or bottle for each one sold. They aim to work to support a healthy, debris-free environment. This starts with green practices at work.

5. Intel: E-waste recycling bins

Intel has a sustainable work culture that has consistently seen them rank among the world's most environmentally friendly companies. As a company, they recycle 75% of their total waste and have a plan to be zero-waste compliant. It's ambitious, but entirely possible because of their reward program.

Unlike most sustainable companies, Intel links a segment of their employee's compensation to their recycling metrics. In other words, Intel rewards employees who uphold their recycling ethos. At their California campus, for example, e-waste recycling bins make it easy for employees to dispose of their digital recycling.

Consider workplace sustainability ideas like these:

- Place e-waste bins in prominent areas at work and reward employees for using them

- Give your employees individual recycling targets to achieve each month via an app

The Impact

There are a lot of sustainability activities for companies that peter out because of lack of motivation. Intel's highly motivated employees are contributing to their goal this year of becoming a zero waste company. When your employees win, you win.

6. Apple: Consumer engagement

The Apple sustainability drive has seen the brand ramp up their recycling to include customers. Spotting that the materials used to make their devices have persistent value, the company took steps to integrate this into their business model. Now, Apple and environmental sustainability go together like peanut butter and jelly. By recycling electronics, Apple can either reuse materials or make money off the materials they can't reuse.

The Apple sustainability strategy involves consumers in their recycling process by making them eco-conscious and eager to participate. One tactic was to donate money for every recycled device to Conservation International.

Check out other examples of corporate sustainability initiatives from Apple here.

Tips: 

- Involve your customers in your recycling programs

- Develop ways to "close the loop: on your waste materials

- Run imaginative campaigns that motivate your customers to participate

The Impact

It can take years to achieve full sustainability in business. Examples like these remind us to look to our employees and our customers for support. Apple recently created a robot called Daisy that can take apart 200 iPhones in an hour. They continue to encourage inventors to create new ways to access and recycle materials so they can close the loop and achieve total environmental efficiency.

These six environmental sustainability examples should give you some ideas on what your company could be doing to strengthen your green practices at work. You may find your company smaller, and with fewer resources than Patagonia or Nike‚ and that might have been a barrier in the past, but it's not anymore. For the first time, your company has access to tools that give you the kind of knowledge, cohesion, and practical analytics that you need to create incredible recycling results at the office.

It starts here, and it starts today‚ with Recycle Coach at Work. You can't put a price on sustainability, but you can invest where it counts. Your recycling program can be stronger, simpler, and better than ever with the right tools. It's time for company to be part of the solution.

Sustainability in the workplace is about finding what suits your employees and customers, then designing the programs that will help your green team create a zero waste future for your company.

Have you ever wondered about the history of city recycling? As someone who oversees your local community recycling programs, it's good to know where you've been, so you can see where you're going.

The coronavirus pandemic brought many things into sharp focus for Public Works Directors and other leaders who work to keep our cities clean and functional. As recycling centers slowly opened back up, residents heaved sighs of relief. But will it last? The recycling industry has been in crisis for some time. It's clear that reform is needed to revive an industry plagued by vanishing partners, dwindling budgets, and impossible targets.

Today, we're taking a moment to re-orientate. With a brief history of recycling, we're offering you a convenient timeline for perspective and to propose a new way forward. Our hope is that you not only use this article as a historical resource, but that you build upon its ideas to help reshape the future of the recycling industry. Here is a condensed history of city recycling, and where it could go in an ever-changing future.

500BC: The first waste program was established in Athens

The earliest account of recycling is in 500BC, when the first municipal dump program was formed in the Western World. Trash had to be disposed of at least a mile from the city.

1776: Recycling is used as feedstock during the war

The evolution of recycling dates back to 1776, when patriots pulled down a statue of King George III, melted it down, and used it to create 42,088 bullets during The American War of Independence. Paper was also recycled as a vital commodity due to lack of raw materials.

1897: New York establishes the first crude recycling plant

A material recovery center was built in New York, and usable material was separated from trash in picking yards. There, scrap metal, paper, rubber, twine, and more were recycled.

1904: The first aluminum recycling plants open

A more modern moment in the history of recycling came in 1904, when aluminum can recycling factories opened in Chicago, Illinois--the first of their kind in America.

1916: Waste reclamation service implemented during WW1

The famous recycling slogan, "Don't Waste It, Save It," was created during World War 1. Due to large-scale material shortages, the government created a Waste Reclamation Service.

1930: Residents survive the Great Depression by recycling scrap

The Great Depression was an infamous time of shortages, so residents were encouraged to recycle or reuse everything from scrap metal, to cloth, paper, sacks and more. The saying "use it up, wear it out, make do or do without" became a popular phrase.

1940: Recycling supports the war effort during WW2

Like in WW1, recycling became critical to the war effort during WW2. Available materials were commonly recycled, reused and rationed.

1970: "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle": Gary Anderson creates the Mobius Loop

Who invented recycling? No one in particular. As long as there have been raw materials, there has been recycling. But 23-year-old Gary Anderson created the modern concept of recycling with his Mobius Loop logo, which is associated with the "reduce, reuse, recycle" slogan.

1970: The Earth Day movement sparks change

One of the biggest movements in the history of recycling happened in 1970, with 20 million people taking part in the Earth Day marches. US Senator Gaylord Nelson raised national awareness about increasing waste and the need to recycle. April 22^nd is still globally recognized as Earth Day.

1972: The first recycling mill was built in Pennsylvania

How has recycling changed over time? After the wars and marches, recycling started to be commercialized. In 1972, the first recycling mill was established in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania.

1981: Woodbury, New Jersey opens the first curbside recycling program

In Woodbury, New Jersey, the very first curbside recycling program was opened in 1981. The concept was simple; residents' recycling would be collected for processing at their homes.

1992: U.S. curbside recycling programs exceed 5,000

By 1988, there were 1,050 programs in the US; by 1992, there were 5,202. This was a fast growth period for the spread of the now popularized city curbside programs.

1995: There are 10,000 recycling centers nationwide

By 1995, over 10,000 recycling centers existed in the US. At one point California recycled 80% of its aluminum cans. Two out of three cans were recycled in the US at this time.

2000: The EPA confirms that recycling lowers greenhouse gas emissions

Another critical point in the history of recycling came in 2000, when the Environmental Protection Agency confirmed the link between waste and global warming. They declared that the best way to lower greenhouse gas emissions and slow climate change would be to recycle.

2006: Dell Computers starts the first e-waste recycling program

Dell computers sparked the e-waste recycling movement by offering residents free recycling services for all of their products.

2018: The China Import Ban

Over the next decade, laws were passed and innovations came to light that improved the industry. Then, China moved to ban 24 categories of recycling imports, which crippled the U.S.--and global--recycling systems. With a new 0.5% contamination standard, China declared that America's recycled materials were too contaminated to use any longer. With nowhere for the recycling to go, and no buyers‚ the system began to experience seismic shifts, breakdowns, and closures.

2019: The U.S. recycling system hits crisis point

Sixteen more materials from the China ban came into effect in 2019. Mass recycling program closures and plant shutdowns were reported. As programs became more expensive to run, municipalities were forced to severely limit or close them altogether. A recycling crisis was officially announced by leading industry experts.

2020: COVID-19 shuts down recycling plants

Even though recycling was deemed an essential service, the sweeping effects of the COVID-19 pandemic that struck in 2020 wreaked havoc on an already ailing industry. There were many closures, and municipalities had to dedicate more time, funding, and effort into keeping their city recycling programs alive.

2021 and beyond: ending "wish-cycling" and launching new models

Experts are now weighing on what the future of recycling could look like. There is a pressing need, now more than ever before, to continue recycling waste to reduce contamination levels and slow the harmful effects of climate change. In the coming years, the industry will need municipal leaders like you to come up with innovative solutions to unprecedented problems. This means improving the rate of technology adoption in the recycling industry, so that digital transformation can have a positive future impact. It means embracing technology-driven recycling education to install a data-centric approach to solving wide-scale "wish-cycling" in residential areas. Considerations like recycling plant automation, encouraging closed loop recycling policy and environmental protections, and finding new models to fund and expand your existing recycling programs is paramount to the future of this industry.

Corporate and residential sponsorships are a route forward, putting sustainable growth back in the hands of the private sector as the public sector recovers and re-orientates. The recycling industry is too important to shut down.

Consider the history of recycling, the battles fought and won to protect the earth and its people. Let's chart a new course to rework the systems that we have to keep these essential city recycling programs alive.

‍What are the origins of the 3 R's?

‍The 3 R's--reduce, reuse, and recycle--are a product of the increased environmental awareness of the 1970's. Early in the decade, close to 20 million Americans celebrated the first national Earth Day to increase awareness around environmental issues. As conservation efforts grew, the federal government responded by forming the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Congress passed laws such as the Resource Recovery Act.

A quick summary of the 3 R's

‍Here's a quick summary of what each item in the waste hierarchy stands for:

‍Reduce: Cutting back on how much waste is created is important to reducing what goes to landfills. Single-use plastics and food waste are two areas where we can have a significant impact in reduction.

‍Reuse: By finding new purposes for items, residents can extend the life of products and help the environment. Examples include:

• Turning empty glass jars into flower vases
• Donating clothing to local non-profit organizations
• Converting a plastic bottle into a bird feeder

Reusing is sometimes called repurposing, refilling, or upcycling because materials are not recycled, but a better use can be found for them. Residents can also bring their own containers to grocery stores to help reuse materials and reduce packaging. Get more upcycling ideas here.

‍Recycle: We all know the benefits of recycling it reduces landfill, conserves natural resources, saves energy, and prevents pollution. But what is recycling exactly? The EPA defines it as the "process of collecting and processing materials that would otherwise be thrown away as trash and turning them into new products."

Recycling starts by choosing to reduce waste and then finding the proper place for materials that are being disposed. The most common categories include paper, plastics, glass, and batteries.

‍Introducing more R's

‍As our knowledge of waste management has expanded, the waste hierarchy has increased to 7 R's.

‍Refuse: Many products that we purchase have unnecessary packaging, mostly plastics. Encourage your residents to ask questions before purchasing a product, such as:

• Is this product available somewhere else with less packaging?
• Do I need this product?
• Is this product sustainable or recyclable?

Repair: Consider repairing products that you own, instead of throwing them out. For example, can shoes with worn soles by re-heeled so they can be used for a longer time?

‍Regift: Sometimes we receive gifts that don't match our lifestyle or preferences. Instead of throwing these items away, consider giving them to someone who will appreciate it. You can also consider hosting a swap party where you and your friends can exchange items so they will be used and cared for.

‍Recover: Consider how the natural process of decomposition can be used to give back to the environment. Organic materials such as grass clippings, leaves, and food scraps can be composted to create nutrient-rich material to be added to gardens. This step is sometimes referred to as rot. You can also learn more about residential composting here.

‍The 7 R's in action in San Francisco

‍Over the last decade, San Francisco has worked towards creating a sustainable zero-waste city with a few impressive records:

• Highest landfill diversion rate of any North American city at 80% (2012)
• Greenest City in North America under the Green City Index (2011)

By 2020, San Francisco's goal is to reduce waste diversion to zero. They plan on creating a comprehensive waste reduction system that focuses on waste reduction through reuse, recycling, and composting. They'll achieve this by:

• Educating residents on placing waste in the right bins: garbage, recycling, or composting
• Advocating for a producer responsibility system, where producers are responsible for the product's entire lifecycle
• Encouraging residents to put the 7 R's into action

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Share Your Story With Us! Does your municipality use the 7 R's for waste reduction? How effective is it? We'd love to hear from you.

Did you know that plastic waste has become a significant global environmental and disposal challenge? Single-use plastics are the largest culprit of our disposable consumer lifestyle.

Globally, 335 million metric tons of plastics was produced in 2016. Half of this was used for single-use products. That means that 17 million barrels of oil was used to make plastic water bottles. To put this into context, this is enough oil to fuel 1 million cars annually.

What are single-use plastics?

‍Single-use plastics, also known as disposable plastics, are materials that are used once before being discarded. These includes plastic items such as grocery bags, water bottles, forks and spoons, food packaging, and more.

What is their impact?

‍Plastics are made from fossil fuels and leave a large carbon footprint. Once plastics are used (sometimes only once), only a small percentage is recycled, and plastics take hundreds of years to disintegrate. Plastics can also cause damage by polluting our oceans, damaging marine animals and birds, leaching toxins into food and drink, and entering our food chain through microplastics and nanoplastics. Plastics now make up 90% of all trash floating on the ocean surface and plastic pieces outnumber sea life 6 to 1. This has caused dead spots with floating garbage in the Mariana and Kermadec trenches of the Pacific Ocean.

‍What are Some Possible Solutions?

‍There are several steps you and your community can take to reduce the usage of single-use plastics. This will include a combination of awareness campaigns and public outreach to increase knowledge on the subject, along with policies to create an incentive for people and businesses to act. Since each municipality is unique, there will be different answers to this issue. Below are some possible solutions.

1. Organize a community event

‍You can work with residents to bring awareness to the impact that plastics have on the environment. There are several events that you may be interested in organizing for your community, including:

• World Oceans Day: On June 8^th, communities around the global will be coming together to protect the ocean by preventing plastic pollution. There are free resources available to plan your event such as cleanups, festivals, lectures or readings. You can also use the #WorldOceansDay hashtag on social media.
• Plastic-Free July: The month of July has been dedicated to raising awareness about single-use disposable plastics and how people can reduce their usage. Millions of people and 159 countries have participated to avoid landfill waste and reduce their eco-footprint. You can join the challenge here and access their free setup toolkit here. Follow them on social media by using the #choosetorefuse hashtag.
• International Coastal Cleanup Day: For the last 30 years, Ocean Conservancy is calling on people to collect and take a note of trash that is ending up on the coastline. This event will be held on September 15th. You can follow on social media and use the #CoastalCleanup hashtag.
• Host A Film Screening: You can also host a short film screening to encourage your residents to begin talking about the impact of plastics. Two films to note include the Bag It Movie and The Story of Bottled Water.

2. Create public education campaigns

‍Develop education campaigns for the general public on how they can reduce their single-use plastic consumption. These campaigns can include posters, banner ads, social media posts and more.

The messaging can focus on conscious consumer choices residents can make to reduce their plastic footprint. Some examples include:

• Bottles: Use a reusable bottle of tap water instead of buying plastic bottled water
• Bags: Bring your own canvas tote bag instead of using plastic grocery bags
• Straws: Say no to plastic straws at restaurants or with your to-go drinks
• Packaging: Purchase food from small stores or bulk food stores instead of using pre-packaged foods

3. Consider plastic policies and the 7Rs

‍San Francisco, CA is an example of a city that has an 80% waste diversion rate. It is the first city in the U.S. to ban plastic bags in 2007 and it also banned harmful styrofoam products such as food packaging and to-go containers last year. Its goal is to become a zero waste city by 2020.

Most consumers are aware of the 3Rs: reduce, reuse and recycle, but you may also want to consider sharing the 7Rs with your community.

These include:

• Repair: Upgrade or fix materials before disposing them.
• Regift: Share or pass along items to someone else.
• Recover: Upcycle to help recover materials and energy.
• Refuse: Say no to materials or items that you don't need such as plastic straws.

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Share Your Story With Us

‍Does your community run promotional campaigns to help increase awareness around single-use plastics? How effective is it? We'd love to hear from you!

Did you know that we produce 2.1 billion tons of waste annually worldwide? Of this, it's projected that we'll generate 60% more clothing and textile waste by 2030 over 2015. However, we can work together to reduce this type of waste.To get started, we've put together a blog to provide you with a deeper understanding of what textile waste is, what causes it, and learn ways to reduce this type of waste. There are many options available, which means you and your team can select the best option for how to reduce textile waste with your residents and with your local community.

What is textile waste?

‍Textile waste are materials, typically clothing, that have been disposed of as they've been deemed unfit for use. Textiles can include items such as clothing, purses, belts, linens, shoes, drapery, and more.

What is causing an increase textile waste?

‍As consumers, we continue to increase our fast fashion purchases and we're spending less time owning the clothing that we buy to keep up with the most recent fashion trends. Fast fashion is when retailers provide consumers with the latest trends at a lower price and sometimes made with lower quality materials. This leads to us throwing out our clothing at a faster rate than previous generations.In the U.S., textile waste increased to almost 40% from 1999 to 2009 and it's estimated to reach 35 billion pounds by next year. In Canada, it's estimated that 85% of used clothing and textiles go directly to the landfill, even though some people are donating these items to charity to be reused.

‍What can be done to reduce textile waste?

‍The good news is that there are many people and organizations working to reduce textile waste. You can encourage your residents to participate in National Textile Recovery Initiative by:

‍1) Creating Awareness Around Slow Fashion Purchases

‍Instead of buying the latest fashion trends every month or every season, you can encourage residents to consider purchasing higher quality clothing pieces that last longer, also known as 'slow fashion'. This requires a change in consumer behaviour and a lifestyle change to buying clothing and textiles for their quality and longevity. This behaviour is sometimes called 'zero waste fashion'.

‍2) Organizing A Community Clothing Swap‍

You can encourage residents to organize a community event where people can exchange clothing that is gently used and in generally good condition with others. This encourages clothing to be reused and allows people an opportunity to swap items without spending money. When setting up the event, it helps to develop rules on how the clothing swap will work and also have a plan in place on how to donate any remaining items post-event.If your residents are currently in spring cleaning mode, they may also be interested in the #threadcycling trend and how to dispose of textile items.

‍3) Encouraging Clothing Donations

‍Most residents may not be aware that they can donate their old clothing and stained textiles to charities and non-profit organizations. Some communities may have programs where they can schedule clothing to be picked up at the curb or clothing can be dropped off at charity boxes.If clothing is damaged or hasn't been worn before, consumers may still be able to give them to charities or non-profit organizations. They'll determine if the item can be reused / repurposed or if it should be recycled. Unwanted clothing and textiles are sometimes sent to recycling plants. Once at the plant, textiles can be cut and used as industrial rags, ground down and reprocessed, or be declared unusable. As you encourage residents to become more aware of textile waste and fashion recycling, they might have more questions about what items can be disposed or recycled. You can send them to the Recycle Coach app to find out what goes where.

People make a lot of assumptions about today's youth--college and university students in particular. "Millennials are lazy, entitled and self-absorbed," an early Time Magazine article screamed. But the truth is far more complex, and the current college crowd continues to defy the stereotypes.

So, how do college students really feel about recycling?

The good news is that today's young people have grown up with a sense of global awareness about sustainability and the importance of green living. There are also aspects of their collective behaviors that, properly directed, can turn them into leaders for positive, sustainable change. The downside is that students still aren't recycling as much as they should, so we decided to take a look at their overall attitudes to see why this is the case. As it turns out, most of the barriers to recycling for students are much the same as everyone else's. The five key issues inhibiting student recycling are:

1. Education

‍There is both good and bad news regarding current students' awareness of sustainability and environmental concerns. A 2015 study for the Journal of Building Construction and Planning Research discovered that 86.4% of students surveyed had heard of sustainability, though only 35% felt they knew what it really meant. Only about 18% of the survey group felt they had a strong understanding of the concept. The study concluded that while media is bombarding today's students with information about environmental concerns, awareness remains superficial. In other words, they know there's a problem, but they aren't really clear what to do about it.

On the other hand, a 2014 study from the University of Iowa determined that 51% of students in their dataset recycle as much as possible, while only 9% said they don't recycle at all. Among the latter set, the two main reasons cited for not recycling were lack of available space and no available information on how and where to recycle. Taken in tandem, these studies suggest that while awareness and the desire to recycle exist, students need an actionable plan and facilities to help them see programs through. (For similar studies, see also: NIH, U.Guelph.)

2. Inconvenience

‍Like many of us, students won't recycle if they can't find an available recycling bin, if the ones provided are full, or if they lack instructional signage. A 2009 study from the National Institutes of Health found that a lack of available facilities was the number one reason students gave for not recycling regularly, and the same reason ranked number one or two in all of the studies we looked at.

3. Lack of information

‍The other top barrier to campus recycling is a lack of reliable, easily accessible information to tell them what goes where. For students, a lack of instruction affects their daily recycling behavior throughout the school year, but it is a particular concern when they are moving in and moving out. Even students with a strong education in recycling best practices might be at a loss when it comes to disposing of furniture shipping containers when they move in or offloading used mattresses and furniture at the end of the year.

4. Time

‍Students have their work cut out for them. Between juggling school work, social lives, and possibly a job or two, there's simply not enough time in the day to give their recycling behaviors critical thought.

5. Priorities

‍Students entering a college or university environment are often overwhelmed by change and unstructured independence, and the idea of recycling can take a backseat. As they mature as students, they might find themselves under increasing pressure to perform well in class or bowing to social pressures to party, which pushes recycling even further down the priority list.

Dealing with distractions

The one key differentiator between today's incoming college students and older generations is digital noise. As social media natives, young people today consider distraction to be normal. Social media, digital apps, online games, and quizzes all offer a steady stream of personalized information and activities that students juggle alongside their schoolwork and real-world activities. They are also notorious multitaskers to a degree not experienced by their elders. When it comes to recycling, this means municipalities and schools have to work harder to cut through the noise and ensure that recycling remains front of mind.

Running a municipal recycling awareness program is always a challenge. Residents are increasingly difficult to reach due to busy schedules, and accessibility is reduced thanks to the wide range of communication channels they use. Meanwhile, your landfill is beyond capacity and special waste collection events are under-attended.

How to Engage College Students

Granted, working with college students can sound like more trouble than it's worth, but there are several reasons why you should consider developing some initiatives in that area.

First, today's college students are part of the Millennial generation, and while this group is notorious for their short attention spans, they are also famous for banding together en masse to support worthy social causes. What can be more worthy than saving our environment? Also, school administrations can be powerful allies in both the promotion and execution of college or university-based initiatives. By helping to integrate recycling systems into the school's day-to-day operations, colleges and universities can define best practices and set expectations for student compliance.Finally, today's college students will be managing households in the very near future. By setting them up to value and adopt regular recycling habits now, you will continue to see returns over time as they age and influence their spouses, children and neighbors. Some colleges are even expanding their zero waste programs off-campus and becoming thought leaders in the community at large.

Understanding the Millennial Mindset

‍In order to engage your student community, it's important to understand how they operate. One key differentiator between young Millennials and residents in older demographics is the way they utilize technology. The other is their social nature.We've all heard that young Millennials spend a lot of time on their smartphones, and the numbers drive home how pervasive this technology really is. Recent studies show that Millennials prefer texting over talking, are two times more likely to use mobile devices to access the internet for information, and 41% of them have either abandoned the landline or have never had one. Smartphones are so central to their social interactions that four out of five Millennials sleep with or next to their smartphones [Source: Forbes].

As a result, your college outreach strategy must center on mobile. For the most part, this means accessing them via social media. Text messaging is thought to be antiquated, but it is also an option. Apps are another key approach. Downloading an app requires effort (the act of clicking and installing) and desire for the service provided. This act of opting-in results in a powerful psychological connection which, in turn, typically results in high engagement rates. In 2015, college-aged students spent an average of 90.6 hours a month engaging with apps on their smartphones, plus another 34.7 hours each month on a tablet [Source: Business of Apps].

In the same way that their technology revolves around social media, Millennial college culture is also driven by group-centric activities, participation in social causes, and a need to feel like they belong. They were raised to have a can-do attitude, community spirit and believe they can make a difference. These traits make them ideal targets for recycling initiatives.We'll be looking at individual strategy and tactical ideas in later blog posts, but for now, the following checklist will help get you started:

• Use social media: Make sure your promotions have a social media component, and have resources available to respond to questions in a timely manner.
• Be authentic: Millennials do not like to be talked down to, and they are highly sensitive to inauthenticity.
• Don't Speak the Lingo: Unless you are a native Millennial marketer and understand the nuances of their slang, just keep the tone neutral and the language simple.
• Engage the group: Create promotions that encourage students to create their own groups and work together. Not only will this make your programs more effective, but they'll take initiative and build on what you've started.
• Give them the tools they need: And then get out of their way.
• Reward them for good behavior: Millennials like to know when they've done a good job. Appeal to their sense of social justice: Today's students care about the environment and each other. Show them how their activities make the world a better place, explain how to do it, and then watch them run with it.

Given their high levels of sociability, social activism, concern for the environment and accessibility through digital channels, today's college students are a great place to building a widespread recycling awareness program that will last well into their next life-cycles.Watch this space as we delve further into this topic to look at best-practices, tactics and strategies to make this energetic demographic an essential part of your municipal recycling outreach program's success.