Recycling Utopia: Communications Strategies to Maximize Participation and Minimize Contamination

October 29, 2025 (webinar)

• Do your residents always know the difference between recyclables and trash?
• Do you wish there was an easier way to help them make the right choice?
• Do they even care?

If you answered “yes” to any of the above, then check out this video as Paul Varga, Communications Manager for Frederick County Division of Solid Waste & Recycling, and Darin Sheasgreen, Waste Reduction and Recycling Specialist for Recycle Coach, share proven and practical strategies you can employ to ensure your residents put the right stuff in the right bin! 

Listen below...

Highlights:

Change Behaviors by Removing Barriers

To boost recycling participation and reduce contamination, focus on making the right action easy and intuitive.

• Simplify Access: Use mobile-friendly tools like Recycle Coach to deliver clear, real-time guidance.
• Meet People Where They Are: Push info via social media, SMS, and apps—avoid dense PDFs and hard-to-navigate websites.
• Target Confusion: Use search data to identify common problem items (e.g., batteries, textiles) and tailor outreach.
• Empower with Data: Analytics help coordinators refine messaging and respond to resident needs.
• Adapt to Transience: Provide localized education for residents moving between jurisdictions.

Tips for Creating Waste Related Marketing

When you have a clear goal, understand your audience, and use data effectively, your communication strategy becomes truly impactful.

1. Define Your Goal

• Set clear, measurable objectives (e.g., reduce contamination, increase awareness).
• Align messaging with local, state, and contractual guidelines.

2. Define Your Audience

• Tailor tone and format to demographics (e.g., feminine voice, short-form video for younger users).
• Consider generational differences in media habits and housing status.

3. Refine Based on Data

• Use analytics from social media, apps, and contamination reports.
• Apply a push-pull strategy: promote tools like Recycle Coach, then analyze usage data.
• Adjust campaigns, branding, and outreach channels based on engagement metrics.

*This is a FREE webinar brought to you by Maryland Recycling Network. Have a topic you'd like to share or hear about? Send us an email.

**Not a member? Support the three Rs (Reduction, Reuse and Recycling) in Maryland by joining today!