Multi-residential (MR) recycling and curbside recycling are different. Though both aim to achieve 70% diversion, the barriers to reaching this goal are distinct. In the MR sector, program uptake challenges can be due to (in no particular order):

• greater resident change over
• lack of ownership and dispersed responsibility
• language barriers
• inconvenience
• personal safety and accessibility
• lack of familiarity (in the case of those new to the province)
• reduced public accountability, and
• lack of support from management

Public education programs must be developed and distributed with these barriers in mind. Do you need to print materials in more than one language? Should you work with a group representing those with accessibility needs to identify obstacles to participation? How can you support MR champions to foster a community of recyclers? Think outside the box. Public education initiatives don’t have to replicate the activities of other municipalities. In consultation with residents, consider developing a new idea that addresses a barrier specific to that site while at the same time ignites resident and media curiosity.

Any marketer will tell you that understanding your audience is key to engagement. This is true for public education, too. Best practice public education strategies address the unique needs, values and experiences of the targeted demographic group.

Multi-residential buildings and complexes house a diversity of demographic groups. Due to the nature of the sector, it is common for residents with similar demographic characteristics to live in the same complex (student housing or a retirement residence, for example). This provides public educators with an opportunity to develop strategies for a more specific audience.

What may be obvious to you may not be obvious to others. Before you print and distribute a new MR promotion and education (P&E) material, make sure you have tested its message on a diversity of readers. Take it to the street, ask a property manager if you can solicit feedback from a building lobby, or gather a focus group to review it. Omitting this step can be costly.

For various reasons, multi-residential (MR) residents may think that municipal recycling expectations do not apply to their living situation. Addressing this demographic directly on your municipality’s website – a key digital communications tool – can help to encourage and/or reinforce recycling participation.

Webpage Development Tips

• Test content for common language and clarity with a diversity of readers that represent your MR demographic groups
• Ask for access to your municipality’s website statistics to determine the topics and key word searches currently used to find information on your waste management site. This information can give insight into how to title and organize content
• Ensure your web address is a simple one: easy to print on a poster, guide or bag (e.g. city.ca/waste/apartments). If shortening the name isn’t possible, consider creating a Bitly link for promotional use
• Ensure the link to your MR section is prominent on your main waste management page­­­­­­
• Populate your MR webpages with downloadable and adaptable materials (e.g. provide an “our recycling bins are located here: ______.” poster)
• Use photo images to identify recyclables and sorting activities
• If applicable to your municipality, post translated P&E materials to your site
• All relevant recycling information and P&E materials should be available in your MR web section; don’t assume residents will go to other areas of your municipality’s site to seek out more information
• Don’t forget to review and up-date your pages regularly; relative to print materials, in-house web content is inexpensive to produce and easy to change

Get to know your superintendents, residents, and multi-residential (MR) recycling collectors. As frontline stakeholders, they may have insight and ideas that could further your success. A good MR program will include built-in opportunities to speak regularly with these valuable resources.

Distributing educational materials to residents in-person (at a lobby display or door-to-door, for example) enables municipalities to:

• feel confident residents have received materials
• clarify expectations and answer questions
• build trust and listen to challenges with a sympathetic ear
• seek personal commitments to recycle, and
• provide additional P&E material while visiting the building, including posters and container labels

In-person distribution requires a lot of resources and may not be feasible for all buildings. However, occasional in-person distribution to prudently selected buildings can reap valuable information: bring questions that solicit program feedback and document exchanges. This is your chance to truly understand what residents experience and need.

Strategies to engage individuals include: listening to their concerns, relating to their values, connecting to their community, and delivering information through a meaningful, personal anecdote (“story-telling”).

If you can’t reach everyone in a MR building, there is someone who can: the superintendent or property manager. Through this one key stakeholder, your municipality can access and support multiple others. This relationship is important; ensure superintendents understand your program, have the materials and containers they need, and know how to reach you when they have questions, concerns or observations. Speak with them on a regular basis (during an annual site visit, for example). Most importantly, teach them how to engage residents.

Finally, check in with recycling collectors to help identify problem areas. With their unique experience, they may observe situations, recognize opportunities or develop solutions to challenges that may not have been considered by others.

Multi-residential recycling is a complex activity that requires a diversity of approaches to improve participation and decrease contamination. To ensure resources are spent on activities (including public education initiatives) that are effective, consultation and evaluation are critical.

Do you have an idea for a new project? Before finalizing your P&E material design, consult with representatives from your multi-residential demographic to make certain its message is both meaningful and understood. Collect benchmark data before distribution for future comparison. Throughout the campaign, track costs associated with the initiative, and observe and reflect on the process. Following your campaign – and if useful, during – conduct audits (and/or other forms of monitoring and measuring) to determine if the cost of the initiative is worth the impact. Analyze all data with the goal of informing future projects.