Agenda - Council - 11/25/1980 - Laserfiche WebLink

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12 - 10. PUBLIC EDUCATION AND AWARENESS voluntary waste reduction has had moderate success in the past. Consumer preferences for purchasing products in bulk, for more durable products and for smaller and more efficient automobiles are indicators of voluntary waste reduction. However, more comprehensive and systematic attempts to reduce solid waste generation are needed. The primary means of encouraging voluntary waste reduction is through increased consumer education and advertising. A program to reduce litter through education has had moderate success in Washington state. A large well-run advertising and education campaign is, perhaps, the only way of stimulating personal initiative, which is the heart of such a program. An educational tool that has been suggested is requiring that des- ignated products have information about the cost of the package and the composition of the product, in particular, whether it con- tains recycled or recyclable materials. Such aids to consumers in the marketplace may greatly enhance any educational efforts. Since very litttle literature is available on the reduction impacts of public education programs, an adequate method of esti- mating potential reductions is not available. Education programs, however, may provide the most effective means of waste reduction because of political and economic problems with regulatory approaches. 11. CONCLUSIONS Container deposits, packaging reduction, public education and office paper reduction seem to offer the greatest potential in Minnesota at this time. Container deposits and packaging reduc- tion offer the largest potential reductions of waste. Public education has great potential because it may provide a politically acceptable and cost-effective alternative to regulatory approaches to waste reduction. Finally, office paper reduction has signifi- cant potential economic savings to state taxpayers. From an implementation standpoint, voluntary waste reduction seems promising at this time. While the percentages for r~duction are considerably lower than those for mandatory programs, they show the most potential for the immediate action on the part of metro- politan counties and municipalities. In addition, all of the voluntary measures may prove to be most cost-effective and politi- cally acceptable in the short run. In the long run, and after further analysis of the potential effects, mandatory waste reduction measures may be enacted on the legislative level. Mulching of grass clippings, while not costly to implement, may require coordination through the public education strategies. Newsprint conservation does not represent a very large percent of the solid waste stream, but nevertheless is worthy of consideration.