The City of St. John’s Curb It recycling program has won an award from one of the leading professional solid waste management associations in the world.
Curb It has been named winner of the 2012 Gold Communication Excellence Award given by the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA).
The award recognizes excellence in the creation and implementation of communication tools to inform target audiences about new or existing solid waste management programs, projects or organizations.
“Curb It has been a real success story and I am delighted to see the program honoured with such a significant award,” said St. John’s Mayor Dennis O’Keefe. “Staff have done a wonderful job developing and implementing the program and our residents are doing a fantastic job of recycling their waste.”
The communications plan, developed by city staff in concert with the marketing firm, The Idea Factory, has helped the recycling program achieve success.
The program achieved a participation rate of more than 70 per cent in its first year, surpassing the targeted 40 per cent goal. It has also successfully diverted more than eight million pounds of recyclables from the landfill in its first year.
The city says a low contamination rate (from non-recyclables being incorrectly included with recyclables in blue bags) of three per cent is well below the industry standard.
Coun. Wally Collins said he’s pleased the city’s Curb It recycling program has been recognized as a communications leader in North America.
“I would like to congratulate our staff who have done a lot of work in this area and the communications program has certainly let residents know about the Curb It program. However, the real congratulations for a job well done goes to our city residents who have embraced the curbside recycling program from the beginning and continue to do so,” Collins added.
The city was publicly recognized and presented with its award on Aug. 14 at an awards banquet held at SWANA’s annual convention and trade show in Washington, D.C.
This is the fourth award the Curb It recycling program has won since it began in October 2010, including two international awards.
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