Why Magnets Don’t Work Anymore

Nothing conjures up images of in-home interactions than the family refrigerator covered in notes, artwork, and magnets. Letter magnets, poetry magnets, insurance broker magnets… recycling magnets. In theory, magnets that promote recycling make a lot of sense. The fridge is a high-traffic appliance, seen by many people during the day. The kitchen is also the place where […]

What’s the Deal With #hashtags

You’ve seen or heard of them: hashtags. In social media, a hashtag is a word or phrase that starts with a # (pound or hashtag symbol). This marks the word or phrase as a keyword or topic. (A hashtag phrase can’t have spaces in it). If lots of people use the same hashtag during a […]

Waste Communications Assessment: Using Data from Drop-Off Events

Many municipalities offer “mobile” drop-off events for “special” wastes such as hazardous materials, electronic waste, tires, and even paper shredding. These events may take place a few times a year, once a year, or in some cases, just once every couple of years. Residents love these type of events. For the most part, residents want to properly […]

Seven deadly sins of social media

Many municipalities are using social media to reach their residents. And it’s no wonder: in 2016, 78% of Americans have a social network profile. Social media is where people can be reached. Municipal social media programs tend to fall into three categories: Corporate. The municipality has a single, corporate account. All social media posts come from that account, […]

Deciphering the QR code

We’ve all seen them — those square, black and white, pixelated images that appear in print advertising and posters. These are quick response (QR) codes. If a person scans them using a QR “reader” or “scanner” on their smartphone, they are taken to a specific webpage to get more information about a particular product or service. […]

Mascots encourage waste diversion

Tony the Tiger. Mickey Mouse. Phillie Phanatic. Not only do these famous mascots help sell products, but they also help grow brand awareness, and create feelings of goodwill. As RARE points out in their guide to communications: “A costume of a mascot can be an engaging way to capture the attention of children and adults alike. […]

Common Waste Collection Practices

One of the interesting things about working at ReCollect, is that you get to learn about waste collection programs across North America. You start to recognize similarities between programs, similarities that are often based on regional geography. In Atlantic Canada, you see more municipalities with bi-weekly garbage collection, with garbage being collected in clear bags. In the southern US, […]