Prassede Calabi, Trash Pickers

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Overview of talk Why a Survey?

Goals

How?

BACKGROUND - Winchester

Transfer station revenue-neutral

drop-off, with sticker,

75% of residents (5000 HH)

25% pickup (rentors, condos etc)

Mixed socionomic; ~50% HH with school-age kids

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Why DO a survey? Information w/o Confrontation

Wanted to Get off the dime

Trash is touchy

Manage “squeaky wheels”

Test your urban myths!

Credibility

Outreach & teaching tool

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GOALS of that Survey: big picture Use(s):

What information?

How will you use it?

Who is Target audience for information

What Preconceptions held by that Audience

SURVEY IS (just) A TOOL

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How (broadly) WHO is running it?

Credibility

Confidentiality

WHO is taking it

Population/ subpopulations

Sample size

Comparison with US census data

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How: KIND of Questions Three topics

Recycling & Trash handling 12 Q

Transfer station 9 Q

Respondents 11 Q

33 total

Common mistakes

too narrow

Too few

No checks for validity/ internal consistency

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How: KIND of Questions cont. Internal validity

Attitude or affect as well as fact

Willingness for change (?pay for it)

Include pro/ con info, to get informed answers

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How: FORMAT of Questions Forced = multiple choice

3 to 5 choices

Include comment option

Have a few pure comment (‘like’ ‘dislike’ ‘other’)

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How: SKILLS and steps Design of Questions

Set up on SurveyMonkey ($200./ year)

Get residents to take it!

leaflet, talk, email, invite, cajole, write newspaper

Advertise

merchant 'prizes’

possible role(s) of TownHall, DPW

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How: skills cont. Code responses

Analyze, interpret

Have other(s) help, ensure unbiased interpretation

Internal consistency

Create scores across related questions

Create the story “octopus tentacles”

Tell the story to ‘everyone’

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HAPPY ENDINGS HERE!

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THANK YOU

DPW (Jay Gill, LeeAnn McGahan, Norman Doucette)

Trash Pickers Prassede Calabi, Ingrid Geis, Jeff Cabral, Fritzie Nace)

MassDEP Recycle Coordinator, (Carolyn Dann)

Richard Howard; Tom Howley; members of BOS and CAAC; interns; Mary Ellen Lannon; Staff of Town Clerk, of BOS, of DPW; Town Merchants who donated prizes.

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Why Change?

• 69%: a moral obligation to recycle

• 91%: it will reduce landfill/ incinerators

• 89%: recycling makes a difference in the quality of the environment

• 83%: it makes economic sense

• 76%: disagree that recycling takes too much time

• Curbside Pickup

Gives Ease; not lugging recyclables to TS (86%)

Reduces trips to TS (67%) To see original survey language, see Q6 in appendix section.

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Survey: Nutshell

High Demand for more/better recycling

68% want change

Increased ease, convenience, speed

Recycle more types of things

96% already recycle (38% divert everything)

High Support for any/all tool(s) that will help

High Support for Actions supporting Environment

69% feel moral obligation to recycle

76% strongly disagreed recycling takes too much time

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The SURVEY: Who

18% response of 5000 ‘Sticker’ households

(~ 13% of all households)

Statistically significant sample

950 Total respondents

Sample represents Winchester (per US Census)

Age; income; education; children

Attitudinal questions also assess willingness to change; reasons that matter

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Survey Responses

SSR

65% yes + 12% other in favor

Curbside Recycling

46% yes + 6-22% other

47% would pay more

36 % $50 more; 12% pay $100 more

SMART

32% yes + 23% other in favor

TS Redesign

58% yes + 12% other in favor

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Single-Stream Recycling at TS Steps

Converted Recycling to Single-stream

Communicated changes to public

Flyer; Message Board; Gill on WinCam, Press Releases; Doucette; articles in Star, Wicked Local

Reinforcing message with new FAQ

Lessons

Residents did respond to improvements at TS

TS needs more capacity for additional recycling

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What Else Do Residents Want? SSR was positively supported in survey

There are many more opportunities to reduce waste

Residents almost unanimous in wanting MORE in survey

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The Strongest Feelings?

Like Least (N = 650) 20% want curbside pickup; hate going to TS;

20% hate layout, flow, lines, waiting

11% want more and/or Sunday hours

7% fees, charge, surcharge; second sticker

Like Most ( N = 614) 24% being able to recycle

9% no barrels; no pickup; clean streets

8% like nothing To see text of question, see Q.20 in appendix.

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Appendix Here follow from Section 4

the questions verbatim from the Survey

Survey responses for each tool separately,

with more detail and numbers

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SSR Survey Question (Q7)

Q7. Option 1: Would you like the Town to save you having to sort and transport recyclables? Town would provide all households with a 96 gallon barrel (with wheels) for all your current recycling combined (paper, plastics, cans and glass; not yard waste) and pick it up every other week at the curb?

(Answer options yes, somewhat, no, maybe)

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SSR Responses 75% combined support SSR

63% support SSR (YES I would recycle more if SSR)

12% No I already recycle to the max (BUT would prefer an easier process OR it might motivate others)

No concerns

Are SSR materials actually recycled?

want other changes (more hours; help from staff)

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Curbside Recycling Responses

52% - 69% combined support

46% yes

6% maybe with favorable comments

5% maybe with neutral comments

12% maybe with no comments

Willing to pay more? TOTAL 47%

36% would pay up to $50 more

12% would pay up to $100 more

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Curbside: Pros and Cons

APPEAL of Curbside Pickup

Ease; not lugging recyclables to TS (86%)

Reduce trips to TS (67%)

Potential CONCERNS about Curbside Pickup

Noise, fumes from truck (58%)

Storage space for barrel (59%)

Aesthetics of barrels on curb (60%)

Potential overflow if miss pickup (66%)

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Curbside: yes, maybe, no

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Curbside Questions: Pros &Cons (Q8, Q10)

Q8. What appeals to you about such curbside pickup of recyclables?

Use of one big barrel bin

Not lugging recyclables to the Transfer Station

Reducing the number of times I need to go to the Transfer Station

Other, please explain

Q10. Please rate the following potential concerns in importance to curbside recycling?

Finding storage space for a large barrel.

Aesthetics of barrels on the streets.

Noise /pollution from the recycle pick-up truck.

How to manage if we miss the recycling pickup.

Other, please explain

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SMART Responses 55% TOTAL Yes or OK

32% yes

23% maybe

Concerns specifics of bag,

possible inconvenience,

possible cost issues

prefer other solutions e.g. curbside, longer hours

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SMART responses: yes, no, maybe

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SMART Question (Q11)

Option 2: Would you like Town to change how you pay for conveyor belt trash at the Transfer Station, thereby offering potential savings to you? (Note: you still get unlimited recycling and yard waste)

Q11

a. Yes – I want the opportunity to save money by paying a reduced sticker fee and paying by the bag for your conveyor belt trash, using pre-paid Town trash bags.

b. No - I want to continue with the current set-up (pay a set sticker fee for unlimited conveyor belt trash)

c. maybe - it depends

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SMART Question (Q12)

Q12. If you wanted to pay less by reducing your conveyor belt trash, might that motivate you recycle/ divert more of the following from the conveyor belt?

(Answer options: Would do more; already do it; wouldn’t do more)

kitchen recyclables (bottles, cans, plastic detergent and food containers)

home office recyclables (containers for soap, shampoo, skincare, etc.) [sic]

basement/ garage recyclables (paper, cardboard)

yard waste (clippings and leaves)

Donate household items (clothes, small appliances)

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TS Redesign Responses

71% TOTAL Support redesigning TS

58% yes (recycle more if more efficient TS layout)

13% yes (recycle max, but would appreciate if it were easier /it might help others recycle more)

29% no (including no need; never had to wait)

Note: the question did not indicate that redesigning TS might cost residents.

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Redesign TS: Question (Q15-17)

If the TS had a more efficient layout (such as a one-

way loop road) and

Q15. you could drop all current recyclables in one container

Q16. there was no waiting to drop recyclables,

Q17 you could drop all your recyclables in one stop,

might that motivate you to recycle more?

(Answer options: yes; somewhat; no)

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