THE GOALS AND INITIATIVES IN THE STEWARDSHIP PLAN cont.
2B) School Program
Encorp provides on-line school programs and recycling initiatives to educate young consumers and encourage the habit of recycling at an early age. Since the inception of the program, Encorp has sent out over 1440 bins to different schools in B.C. Over 3 million containers have been collected annually from registered schools. Currently 78% of BC’s public schools participate in the recycling program. Each year about 400 schools compete in our on-line contest for cash prizes and other incentives. Since its inception Encorp has paid over $1.1 million in deposit values to participating schools.
Goal: The delivery of high visibility, high impact, sustained consumer education and awareness programs through the use of mass media, in-depot promotion and outreach to K-12 public schools.
Support initiatives:
- Registered schools receive a variety of program information and tools to help them recycle empty beverage containers. DVDs, Tips for Teachers, brochures, box of bags and other program information is provided. Schools enter the number of containers they collect on-line.
- We’ve developed a series of targeted campaigns to improve the recovery rate for individual container types.
- For types such as Gable-top containers less than one litre, new programs, including contests with prizes will build awareness of depot locations.
2C) Return-It @ Work Pilot Program
Workers in offices and other commercial establishments are less likely to separate beverage containers for recycling if facilities are not provided. In 2006, we surveyed 700 offices within the City of Vancouver and found that 200 did not have an organized beverage recycling program. We started an outreach program to these offices offering recycling bins and pick up services via a web based registration system.
Goal: Ensure that sufficient awareness and collection infrastructure is in place to create incentives for businesses in high density office buildings to collect beverage containers.
Support Initiatives:
- Return-It Man visits the selected office, provides program information and instructions on how to register for bins with contact information for contracted service providers.
- Specialized collectors have been contracted to undertake increased outreach into the IC&I sector coupled with new targeted communication programs.
- We will negotiate mutually acceptable commercial agreements with service providers.
- We have a Return-It @ Work Pilot Program in progress with a contractor who provides bins and collection services. Expansion is planned with other contractors coming on board to add coverage to more businesses as well as for public events.
