CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Curbside Value Partnership (CVP) is proud to announce that the City of Cleveland will be the latest community partner to work alongside CVP to develop and measure a strategic, education campaign designed to increase recycling at the curb. Cleveland joins San Diego as CVP’s second partner community this year.
Cleveland was selected because they have a firm commitment to improving their residential recycling program. The City is in the process of phasing in an automated program and has been delivering large carts to their residents for curbside pickup of recycling.
“Education is often viewed as icing on the cake. However, education should be viewed as a vital mechanism for increasing participation and reducing contamination,” said Keefe Harrison, CVP executive director. “Cleveland is clearly dedicated to improving their residential recycling program. Making sure residents are aware and empowered to recycle is the crucial next step. The City knows and understands this.”
The partnership includes collaboration between CVP and the City’s Department of Public Works, Division of Waste Collection, as well as the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability. Together the public-private partnership will develop and execute a campaign aimed at educating residents of the convenience and ease of recycling at home. In addition to the cans, bottles and paper that have traditionally been accepted, the program recently added new materials including non-bottle rigid plastics and aseptic and gable-top cartons.
“Being selected by CVP for this educational outreach will help us continue to build a culture of recycling in Cleveland,” said Jenita McGowan, Chief of Sustainability. “This campaign is an excellent way to help eliminate confusion about what to recycle, how to recycle and why we should recycle. It will help us show residents how easy recycling is.”
CVP is a leading national nonprofit organization dedicated to helping communities grow and sustain curbside recycling programs through education and increased attention to metrics. Since 2005, CVP has engaged 32 communities and four states to develop, execute and measure strategic education campaigns.
The City and CVP will work together to develop a comprehensive education campaign to help drive awareness and participation. The campaign is expected to launch this summer and will likely include activities such as marketing, advertising, grassroots, community-level outreach and an enhanced Web and social media presence.
CVP will track and measure the impact of the campaign through the Emerge Knowledge Re-TRAC Connect data management tool and promote best practices to communities across the country via its website, RecycleCurbside.org and its online training tool, CVPConnect.org.
“We are excited to be working with the City and their dedicated team to help bring this education campaign to their residents,” said Beth Schmitt, CVP board chair and global manager, sustainability and recycling, for Alcoa. “Through this public/private partnership, we hope to get even more Cleveland residents recycling and encourage those who are already recycling to step up their efforts.”
For more information about Cleveland’s curbside recycling program, visit the City of Cleveland website.
About The Curbside Value Partnership
The Curbside Value Partnership (CVP) is a 501(c)(3) organization designed to grow participation in curbside recycling programs nationwide. It is the only current national program that engages all recycling stakeholders (including government, private industry, haulers and materials recovery facilities) to identify solutions to improving curbside recycling programs through education and data analysis. CVP’s goal is to launch and study education programs to increase participation in local curbside programs, and make programs more profitable and sustainable. The program is currently funded by members of the Aluminum Association (Alcoa, Tri-Arrow Aluminum and Novelis), Can Manufacturers Institute (Ardagh Group, Ball Corporation, BWAY Corporation, Crown Holdings Inc., Metal Container Corporation, Rexam, Silgan Containers Corporation, Sonoco-Phoenix Inc and the Van Can Company), as well as the American Chemistry Council and International Bottled Water Association. Other corporate sponsors interested in impacting recycling rates in a meaningful way are always welcome. For more information, visit www.RecycleCurbside.org.
About The City Of Cleveland Department Of Public Works
The City of Cleveland Department of Public Works directs and controls eight divisions: Motor Vehicle Maintenance, Parking, Park Maintenance, Property Management, Recreation, Streets, Traffic Engineering, and Waste collection and oversees the Public Auditorium, West Side Market, Cleveland Browns stadium, on-street parking, and all City owned off-street parking facilities. For more information, visit the City of Cleveland website.