San Francisco Recycles! and THEY MEAN IT!
By Karina | July 1, 2009
There was some big recycling news this month when San Francisco approved the most stringent and comprehensive recycling program in the country! This isn’t a huge departure from their previous recycling program - as I understand it, they’re basically just adding compost requirements. What’s new is the fines that will be imposed if inspectors see any inappropriately commingled materials. It’s so dreaded, however, that there is even an iPhone app to make it easier to recycle correctly!
The goal of the proposal is to cut about 2/3 of the waste sent to landfills, and to reduce to carbon footprint of the city and it’s residents. On the other hand, this is being perceived as a real big brother move. Why is that - just because it involves the possibility of someone looking into your garbage can? is this a secret privacy issue?
On the other hand, I think this is really interesting, especially considering that on the other side of the country the state of Georgia is using shame tactics to get it’s residents to recycle. In their own words:
This campaign is designed to raise awareness about the convenience and benefits of recycling, while also motivating behavior change among our target audience, 25-34 year olds. Funded by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs Office of Environmental Management, this campaign is one tier of a comprehensive strategy to boost recycling in the state and to keep valuable materials out of landfills and in Georgia’s mills and factories.
This is not your “traditional” recycling education campaign. This campaign takes all of the misperceptions and lame excuses about recycling, exaggerates them to show their absurdity and by doing so, tells all of the non-recyclers “you gotta be kidding!”
There are five individuals profiled on the site and they post blog content about why they don’t recycle, and give you a chance to write in and explain why reycling is a good idea.
So what do you think is the more effective means to get people to recycle: the financial incentives, or the shame foactor?
Related posts:
- NYC Subway Recycles
- Top 10-Car Owning Countries
- Truly Impressive Electronics Recycling Program!
- Recycling Nerd
- Be a NYC Recycling Volunteer!
- How To Recycle Everything
- Sustainability Lecture and Meet-up!
Topics: Waste |
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Interesting comment about people worried about security of their trash… I have a degree in criminal justice and as part of our course requirements, we had to go around town and dig through people’s trash when we did a unit on identity theft (just to see the crazy stuff people actually throw out rather than shred, that kind of thing) and of course we shredded everything afterward. My point though is that once things are thrown away, it’s considered abandoned property and anyone can go through it legally (this applies to once the dumpsters or bins are at the curb to be taken away, not trash that’s right outside the back door, that kind of thing). Once you put trash out to be picked up, you have no legal rights to it - at least where I’m from (Kansas).
As a resident of southeast Tennessee who has recycled for over 20 years I can tell you that getting anyone around here to take environmental issues seriously is very difficult. I think education from a very early age is the only way, maybe the children can teach their parents (well).
Everyone is motivated by something different… morals, money, what’s convenient v. what’s inconvenient, tradition, culture, what’s trendy/cool, etc.
It’s all about hitting the RIGHT buttons.
I think it’s awesome if they really can cut back 2/3 of what they send to the landfills.
[…] … with laptops and DVD players respectively. The accessory works with iPhone 3GS, 3G , 2G San Francisco Recycles! and THEY MEAN IT! - tinychoices.com 07/01/2009 There was some big recycling news this month when San Francisco […]
i agree with Ann C… kids need to be taught from an early age to recycle … however as for all the adults right now… i think fines will definetly work
Hooray for SF! I lived there for 20 years before moving to New York, but I still feel pride, especially now. Although I wish that more of its residents would take public transportation rather than drive. Oh well.