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Strategies to Improve Communities <br />example from Cartersville, GA embodies parts of <br />each of the action themes. <br />A Case Study in Resident -friendly Recycling <br />Cartersville, Georgia <br />The City of Cartersville, GA had a robust program in <br />place for garbage collection and disposal. Since the <br />mid-197os, standard services such as curbside pick- <br />up, large item pick-up, and dumpster services had <br />been augmented by extras like bulk leaf vacuuming <br />and grass clipping removal. The City had conducted <br />a pilot recycling program in the late 199os, but low <br />participation and high costs made further <br />implementation prohibitive. Although there was a <br />rising sense that the city should provide recycling <br />services, staff were concerned that recycling would <br />require a rate increase that could upset customers <br />and cause further difficulty. In 2009, Cartersville <br />added a question about recycling to its fourth <br />administration of The National Citizen Survey. The <br />survey revealed that 67% of residents were <br />supportive of including recycling in the city's waste <br />disposal program, even if that change required an <br />additional cost. Based on results from The National <br />Citizen Survey, Cartersville decided the time was <br />right to implement a recycling program, and set a <br />goal to have the program in place by the beginning of <br />2012. Before implementing the new recycling <br />program, Cartersville went through a multi -step <br />planning and implementation process to ensure its <br />success. <br />Envision: The City first identified seven major <br />questions that would need to be resolved: How will <br />recyclable materials be received? What type of <br />containers do you want to use? What type of vehicle <br />will it take? Can our regular collection routes be <br />utilized? How much manpower will it take? How <br />much will this program cost, and how will we pay for <br />it? <br />The Public Works department met with its <br />processing partner, Bartow County Solid Waste, to <br />answer the first question. It was determined that a <br />dual stream collection system — with one stream for <br />paper and a separate stream for containers — could <br />be easily integrated into the current structure and <br />would also be sustainable for the foreseeable future. <br />The City also looked at its current five-day pick-up <br />schedule and determined that a biweekly pick-up <br />schedule would enable the City to implement <br />recycling pick-up with minimal additional staff. <br />The 2009 National Citizen Survey asked residents of <br />Cartersville,"To what degree do you support or oppose <br />adding a curbside recycling program, even if it meant an <br />additional collection fee?" <br />Strongly <br />Oppose <br />17% <br />Somewhat <br />Oppose <br />16% <br />Strongly <br />Support <br />33% <br />Somewhat <br />\\ Support <br />34% <br />Earmark: Next, the City needed to determine what <br />type of collection containers should be used. Instead <br />of choosing the standard 18-gallon open tubs, <br />Cartersville opted for a container that would be <br />easier for residents and collection staff to handle. <br />The City decided on a smaller version of their <br />garbage collection containers in two colors — dark <br />blue for containers and light gray for paper. Because <br />recycling was scheduled for collection every other <br />week, the bins selected were large enough to hold <br />two weeks' worth of recycling for the average <br />household. A complementary recycling vehicle was <br />selected for its ability to dump these units into a <br />divided body for paper and containers. <br />Educate: The public was informed that recycling <br />would be available to all residents on an opt -in basis, <br />and they were encouraged to sign up to receive the <br />collection bins. Information about the new program <br />was distributed in the City's newsletter and sent to <br />residents along with their garbage bills. <br />To facilitate ease of use, a sticker displaying the full <br />year's collection schedule was displayed on the top of <br />each container. This way, residents would only have <br />to glance at the top of their trash bins to determine <br />their next date for pick-up. <br />Engage: Cartersville's Solid Waste Fund operates <br />as an enterprise fund, and is therefore solely <br />dependent on funds collected within that <br />department to operate. Public Works increased fees <br />by a reasonable $2 per month to generate the funds <br />needed to implement the program. <br />To add value for this increase, the City also <br />developed and publicized a program called "Reside <br />with Pride." The program includes specific times <br />each year in which solid waste customers can leave <br />© 2014, National Research Center, Inc. Page 7 <br />