Some families put importance on recycling. They showcase additional effort into reusing plastic bags, sorting the trash, and repurposing old items at home to serve a new function. Some even collect these wastes and sell them to recycling facilities.
Remember, the Philippines rank as 3rd polluter in the world with about 35,000 tons of garbage daily. A majority of these plastic wastes are sachets (163 million) and diapers (3 million). Despite this, however, a couple of individuals feel that their neighbor’s negligence is outweighing their efforts.
How to encourage your community to recycle and segregate waste
To address this, what can one do to encourage the rest of the community to take action? Here are tips on how to encourage your community to recycle.
Place recycling bins in public areas
Admit it or not, many people opt to proceed with the path of least resistance. This means that if they feel that a particular task will only pose an inconvenience to them and the people around them, they won’t pour out their time and energy to follow through. Therefore, to be able to join the call of recycling, why not bring these services closer to them?
The best way to do so is to purchase recycling bins and put them strategically beside the trash cans in plazas, parks, piers, and parking lots. This means that people don’t have to walk a long way just to recycle. It will enable them to have a mindset that recycling is an easy option.
Educate the community
Believe it or not, not everyone is aware of the dire consequences should the people destroy the environment. To encourage your community to recycle, it is essential to educate them. There are various ways to do so.
For one, newspapers can be used as a medium to boost this campaign. One may opt to publish articles describing the benefits of recycling, the how-to’s of segregating, and the adverse effects that will be experienced if we don’t take care of the environment. It’s even more feasible if the officials invite writers dedicated only to topics like these. They can start their personal daily, weekly, and monthly columns to raise awareness on these crucial issues.
Aside from this, there is also a substantial possibility of attracting the participation of the youth should you maximize the presence of social media. Social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and website dashboards, are the perfect medium to promote recycling programs. Since the online reach is high, there will most likely be an increase in participation in the planned initiatives.
Or implement talks in each barangay? One can invite barangay leaders and the community itself and talk about proper waste disposal.
Focus on schools
Schools are the best platform to tackle environmental issues like these. The youngest citizens in the community are often considered the strongest agents of change. So, why not take advantage of this?
If children learn and understand the importance of recycling at an early age, it will be easier for them to take this practice once they grow up. The best way to approach this is to instill in them the habit of segregating and recycling.
At the same time, these kids also have a natural charisma and enthusiasm that will inspire their parents, relatives, and friends to take part in this initiative.
Take note that classroom lectures won’t be that effective when teaching topics like these. If you want the kids to take everything in wholeheartedly and to spark a passion for environmental programs, then cut out the technicalities and insert more hands-on activities.
Examples of these include conducting an art day using recycled materials as a base, or shooting games to instill in them the concept of segregation. And that’s how you spark motivation on how to encourage your community to recycle.
Implement incentive-based programs
Incentive-based programs refer to initiatives where the residents will get something in return should they follow specific tasks. Some communities have already employed this kind of approach.
In some regions, for example, the residents are encouraged to surrender the plastic sachets they have used. In return, they will receive a bag of school supplies or 1 kilogram of rice.
Form a recycling club
There might be instances that some individuals will feel alone in this battle. They think that they are the only ones who are putting extra effort into saving the environment. However, this should not be the mindset.
Believe it or not, there are a lot of people out there who also feel the same burning passion for segregating and recycling. Once these people have come together, why not form a legitimate recycling club?
The recycling club can meet together regularly, specifically once or twice a week, to spearhead environmental projects. In these gatherings, they can take about what the next initiatives will be, what the recycling goals per member are, who will be in charge of what, and when it will be.
This space can also be used to conduct small activities such as clothing drives, repurposing crafts, and cleaning projects.
The recycling club can also be the people who will spearhead the collection of materials to be given to the recycling facilities. Each member may be in charge of a particular area in the community, and their role is to encourage their neighbors to take part in this cause. They will also provide convenience to attract more people to encourage your community to recycle with them.
To be able to entice other people to join the recycling club, it is also essential to show them the concept of fun. Should the members reach their recycling goals for the month, make sure to reward everyone with a party, movie tickets, or trips to amusement parks.
Engage new homeowners
Research revealed that new homeowners are the major players who avoid joining community initiatives. The reasons for this include shyness, unfamiliarity with the projects, and lack of friends to join. To be able to capture this market, the best approach is to come up with initial programs that will engage them.
For example, the community members may distribute welcome packets that will provide ample details regarding the recycling programs of the area. This can also be a way for them to make new friends.
