As cities across North America grapple with evolving sustainability mandates, ensuring waste and recycling information is easily accessible continues to be of the upmost importance.
In 2022, Senate Bill 1383 was passed, required municipalities across the state to offer access to composting and provide composting education to residents. Since the bill was enacted, the city of Glendale, CA has been trying to reduce waste and increase and improve its recycling and composting efforts.
Cutting Through the Noise on Waste Sorting
With more than 90,000 single-family homes and a population nearing 200,000, the city needed a scalable way to broaden its recycling and organics messaging and complement the traditional methods it was already employing in the community, including flyers, videos, and website updates.
In 2023, Glendale partnered with Recycle Coach, a digital platform that brings hyper-local recycling rules, reminders, and education directly to residents’ smartphones. The platform integrated with the city’s website, connected to their collection schedules, and provided a real-time search tool for disposal questions across all waste streams.
By leveraging monthly Recycle Coach reports that shed light on material searches, engagements, and just how well residents understood their local rules, Glendale’s outreach team was able to fine-tune their messaging strategy across all communication channels.
These outreach efforts, combined with educational content on the Recycle Coach mobile and web apps, help provide metrics to confirm that efforts are working to cut confusion about what is recyclable and compostable.
Key Results
In Glendale’s first year of partnership with Recycle Coach, resident interactions with the mobile and web app surpassed 130,000, demonstrating sustained interest and adoption across a variety of educational modules, including material searches, quiz questions, and notifications.
Of those interactions, more than 5,700 material searches were performed, with “food items” ranking as the top search term, allowing the city to see a dedication amongst residents to composting the correct items.
Now, the city boasts an adoption rate of nearly 12%, with more than 24,000 residents using the Recycle Coach app annually to find the information they need, when they need it. In addition to mobile users, strategic placement of the web app on relevant waste and recycling web pages ensures Glendale residents can access information wherever they are.
Why It Matters
Glendale’s success mirrors broader trends in smart city innovation: using tech to engage and inform residents across all demographics.
Prioritizing resident education is a must for municipalities looking to curb wish-cycling behavior, improve resident participation, and lower contamination. Residents want to do better. They just need the right tools.
With the help of real-time analytics, waste leaders can make informed decisions, target key contaminants, and track the impact of outreach efforts.
Learn how Recycle Coach can help your city cut waste confusion and keep residents engaged and informed. Visit recyclecoach.com/solutions to see why we’re trusted in more than 1,700 municipalities across North America.
