After being with Recycle Coach for just one year, Centre County knows what works for their county and its ever-changing population.
Centre County, Pennsylvania has their hands full with overseeing the waste and recycling education of over 158,000 residents, who produce 15,000 tons of recycling annually. Home to Penn State University, Centre County’s population is constantly in flux, and new members of the county need education every year.
The county knows what works for them, and they proudly continue to separate their recycling by hand. They want to do everything they can to ensure a clean, efficient environment for the MRF employees. This means employing targeted, consistent messaging to county residents that continuously reminds them of their duty to practice proper recycling.
Amy Schirf, Education Coordinator at the Centre County Recycling and Refuse Authority, explains that they make use of every avenue they can to get the word out about Recycle Coach. This includes venues, vehicles, events, and frequently used items, such as coffee cups and flyers. Centre County ensures that residents are regularly reminded of Recycle Coach and encouraged to download the app. They meet their residents where they are to make it easier for everyone; the more people who know about Recycle Coach, the less stress it is on the county’s recycling and waste team.
After just one year with Recycle Coach, Centre County has seen user participation go up 130%, including a large influx of users at the beginning of the school year. And not only that—over the past year, they have also sent out 20,000 reminders to residents concerning waste collection. The county’s users are learning quickly; the weekly “We Wanted to Know” questions have a 70% correct answer rate, and this number has been going up as residents learn more.
“My main job is to educate our residents, students, businesses—anyone who will listen on proper recycling practices—because we process about 15,000 tons of recycling each year, and most of it is done by hand… So the better I educate, the better it is for [the crew]. And Recycle Coach has helped a lot.” —Amy Schirf, Education Coordinator
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