With a long history of success, Mercer County, NJ knows just how important it is to get creative and think out of the box when it comes to resident awareness.
Our partnership with Mercer County, NJ goes back to 2012, before we went by Recycle Coach, and even before our state-wide partnership. Mercer County, home to New Jersey’s state capital, Trenton, is a densely packed county comprised of over 385,000 residents. Since partnering with us, the county has continuously come up with innovative ways to encourage residents to recycle and use the resources they have available to them.
Mercer County takes environmental education seriously. Having transformed their department over the past twenty years to one that makes a dedicated effort to bring on like-minded staff who can think innovatively, they are avid marketers of Recycle Coach and recycling education.
Dan Napoleon, Director of Environmental Programs, says the secret to their success is “thinking outside the box.” They utilize high-traffic areas, capitalizing on placement, setting up advertisements on waste containers and on community message boards.
Most recently, the MCIA implemented a marketing campaign that involved wrapping an elevator with recycling information and a Recycle Coach call to action. Eye catching and informative, it encourages users to be more involved with their municipality’s recycling. Taking advantage of other popular events, they also use the local minor league baseball stadium to not only advertise recycling best practices, but to also collect all recycling at the end of every game.
They might like to go big with their projects, but they don’t forget the small stuff. Using social media, calendars, QR codes, and even “Recycle Nights,” the MCIA encourages recycling and the use of Recycle Coach through multiple avenues to reach a wider audience.
Not only has Mercer County had 2 million interactions over the past 12 months, but they also have a 77% correct response rate on the app. Their recycling habits reflect this: their contamination rate is 12%--six percent lower than the state-wide average’s 18% and half the national average of 25%.
With two million resident interactions with Recycle Coach content over the past year, Mercer County is proving just how effective getting the word out can be.
You don't want to add to the stressors of life, so when residents can take their phones out and find out when recycling day is and other events, it just makes it easier. We've seen an increase in recyclables and our contamination rate is at 12%, below the state average.
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We’re a proud partner to 1,500+ municipalities across North America and beyond. From local problems to larger initiatives, we’d love to have a conversation. Send us a note and we’ll be in touch as soon as possible.
