Agenda - 02-17-2004-6a - Laserfiche WebLink

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The development of this type of ordinance took the highest degree of intergovernmental coordination and cooperation among the jurisdictions and school districts, This is a unique program in its complexity and authority in the State of North Carolina, Although the County is receiving the award, the credit goes along with the patience and diligence of many elected officials, board members, attorneys and planning and school administrative staff of the various County jurisdictions, Highlights of Outreach and Education for Solid Waste in Orange County The Orange County Solid Waste Management Department places strong emphasis on educating the public about solid waste management and waste reduction in the County, Beginning in 1987, the foctas of solid waste management changed from strictly landfilling to include waste reduction, recycling and other alternatives to landfilling, The scope of public education broadened dramatically to increase public involvement in these programs and to ensure proper use of the landfill, For the first ten years of the recycling program, educational efforts focused primarily on the local public schools with some emphasis on educating the general public as well. The effort included regular classroom presentations, teacher training, providing resource materials in each school library, technical assistance with the schools' internal recycling programs and providing some food waste recycling services. The recycling message is now firmly embedded within the school systems and teachers handle it more than adequately. The Department provides assistance on request in the form of landfill tours, establishing compost and waste reduction projects and other technical assistance. Departmental emphasis has shifted to broader media exposure, community programs and services as well as specific target populations such as homebuilders, bars and restaurants, and apartment dwellers. Other ongoing efforts in public education have • Annual newsletter published and mailed to now reaches 55,000 locations; included: every address in Orange County since 1991; it • High quality signage and information boxes at all twelve recycling and solid waste centers (now bilingual in Spanish); • Distinctive, professionally designed and produced brochures for each program including urban curbside, n~ral curbside, multifamily, hazardous waste, electronics collection, landfill operation, mulch/earth products; • Special events such as festivals and street fairs at which the Department provides recycling services and staffs information booths and provides technical assistance; • Regular print advertising of all recycling and waste reduction programs including 550 ads placed during FY 2002-03; • Presentations to professional groups such as Homebuilders Association, Chambers of Commerce and civic clubs; • Monthly articles in four local newspapers and national magazine coverage of our innovative, unique programs that others use as models; • Annual bus placard advertising one or more aspects of program; • Interactive web site that is updated regularly with pertinent solid waste information: www,co,orange. nc.us/recycling; • Annual calendar card mailed to all 10,000 households on rural biweekly recycling routes; Winter holiday route change reminder cards mailed to affected routes; • Fifty or more landfill tours annually;