The Gigantic Team’s Top Takeaways from CRRA 2025

August 18, 2025 The Gigantic Team

As we have every year for decades (!), members of the Gigantic team attended CRRA 2025, the premier conference for zero waste and resource recovery professionals in California. Each GIS attendee had different highlights and takeaways, but as usual, we brought home information and inspiration to help our work.

Kas enjoyed seeing colleagues and making new connections:

One big highlight was getting to spend quality time with our team! It was inspiring to see Myer at his first multi day conference event; Nancy who always asks the most potent questions; and Lisa reflect on changes over the decades she has been involved with CRRA.

It was wonderful to see former Gigantic staffer Freddy Coronado excel at his role as President of NCRA (Northern California Recycling Alliance). And of course, we can’t forget the amazing Abbe sisters’ lyrics and performances at NCRA Players…talk about talent!

Beyond the vibe (which we can all agree was awesome), it was a wonderful opportunity to learn more about AB1383, AB54, new challenges of HHW and a chance to lean into the Behavior Change Technical Council. I am always inspired by presentations on reuse and circular economies — especially the presentation by business incubator Beam.

Stef attended remotely this year; while she missed the networking IRL, she still took away many meaningful tidbits:

Besides deep dives on waste characterization studies, lid flipping and SB54, I found some interesting connections between waste/recycling and energy. The fact that nitrogen production for fertilizer is the eleventh largest energy user—as shared by keynote panelist Cara Rose Ostrander—should give compost another selling point as an alternative to synthetic fertilizer.

The session about zero emission hauler fleets gave me hope that, although requirements for the private sector have been reversed, several haulers that have already started investing in EV trucks are unlikely to reverse course because they have seen dramatic benefits related to safety, noise and air pollution. One hauler’s biggest concern surprised me: it wasn’t EV trucks’ price tags (almost double the cost of conventional trucks) but the rise of energy-hungry AI data centers whose competition for electricity could drive up costs to keep EV fleets running.

Nancy relished the sessions but couldn’t stop worrying:

Spending three plus days in a beautiful, LEED certified hotel, surrounded by over 800 professionals working with heart and discipline to help people and the environment, was stimulating and also comforting. But I felt the constant intrusion of current events and upcoming challenges that will make all our work even harder. Climate change, the current political and social situation that is making recycling and waste reduction more challenging than it needs to be, and the coming threat of AI from social (job losses/shifts) and environmental (massive resource consumption) perspectives too often distracted me and I couldn’t help wondering, am I the only one obsessing like this or are others just putting on a brave front?

Myer was reminded of a primary role of environmental (and really any) communication:

Throughout CRRA I repeatedly heard the phrase, “meeting people where they are,” which truly resonated with me. I saw a great example of this during a session on the Santa Cruz County Green Schools Program. Instead of focusing on a single issue like litter and assuming it was the biggest problem, the program found more success by first surveying students to learn which environmental topics they were genuinely interested in. By addressing the students’ actual concerns, they achieved much higher engagement. They also found success when environmental education was integrated into the curriculum, not just “another thing” to add to it. This approach “turns learning into action,” empowering students with practical experience and according to Amity Sandage, the environmental literacy coordinator for the Santa Cruz County Office of Education, helps to “prepare students to be decision-makers”. Programs like these aimed at young students are a powerful tool for helping them develop sustainable habits that will hopefully last a lifetime.

Lisa was inspired by the connection between what we heard and our day-to-day work:

CRRA always helps me remember that our work matters! It’s too easy to get lost in the daily grind of details and deadlines, forgetting the big picture in the process. The keynote speakers reminded me of our ultimate purpose: to help steward the land. Tom Little Bear Nason, Tribal Chairman of the Esselen Tribe of Monterey County, reminded us that Earth is out of balance, but that Earth, Air, Fire and Water unite all of us, regardless of our skin color, where we live, or which god we worship. His words, along with those of Tim Krantz of the Wildlands Conservancy and Calla Rose Ostrander of the People, Food and Land Foundation, inspired me to reframe our work as ultimately that of restoration: We promote food scrap recycling to create compost to feed the soil; our watershed work helps keep pesticides out and heals the water; and much of our work reduces greenhouse gases and pollution to protect the air and all who breathe it.

After CRRA we get back to work with renewed purpose and look forward to the challenges of the next 12 months … before the next conference!

Beat Creative Burnout: How AI Can Help with Environmental Outreach

August 1, 2025 Myer Venzon

worried guy gets happy after session with AI

If you’ve ever managed social media, you know the drill: the constant demand for fresh, engaging content. We’re often told “content is king” and that regular posting is crucial for building an audience. For many of us in environmental marketing, the appeal of this industry lies in its creative outlet. But what happens when you hit a creative wall? What if you’re just out of ideas, or simply not “in the mood” to be creative, especially when it’s a weekly or even a daily requirement?

This is where an AI digital assistant can be helpful. I say “help” because it’s definitely not a replacement for our own creativity. You might not even realize it, but AI is likely already woven into your daily routine. Think about Gmail’s Smart Compose: those intuitive suggestions that appear as you type is AI at work, streamlining your communication and saving you valuable time.

However, as you’ve probably experienced, AI isn’t always perfect. While it can anticipate what you might want to say and offer efficient shortcuts, it can also lead to generic, “cookie-cutter” responses. For quick replies, it’s a time-saver, but for more detailed or nuanced explanations, AI often falls short. This “tone-deafness” is why it’s not always the best for generating entire pieces of copy.

Need a Spark?

So, when should you use an AI digital assistant to help with content creation, and when should you step in? Instead of seeing AI as a complete content creator, think of it as a great starting point. Tools like ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini can be prompted to generate initial drafts for general things like an upcoming holiday social media post. They can inspire you by drafting copy, create specific, related hashtags, and even include a pun, all of which you can then customize to perfectly convey your message.

For platforms like Facebook and Google Ads, AI tools can assist in generating headlines, captions, and descriptions based on your original copy or URL. When character limits are a concern, such as on X (formerly Twitter) or Google Ads, AI tools can rewrite your existing copy to fit specific constraints. For example, you could instruct an AI to condense a Facebook post into 280 characters or less, ensuring it remains consistent with your original message while adhering to the platform’s limitations.

Here’s an example of the prompt I entered into ChatGPT:

text of the query to chatgpt

This is what it came up with:

fb post draft from chat gpt

Put AI to Work for You

This draft is a good start, but it’s all over the place. However, I appreciate the clever puns and the helpful hashtag suggestions. I would use this by incorporating the elements I like most and then making it more concise. Once I edit the prompt, this is what the post will look like:

“Mark your calendars! 📅 September 20th is Coastal Cleanup Day, and we need all hands on deck to help keep our shorelines and local waterways litter-free. Seas the Day! Join a cleanup in Alameda County to make a difference and connect with your community. Check out our page and click the link below to find an event near you. #CoastalCleanupDay #MakeWavesNotWaste #SeaYouThere

Be sure to carefully review and edit each AI creation to make sure your organization’s message, tone and voice come through every time. This is where your expertise comes in AI; can get you off the ground when you’re feeling stuck, but you’re still the pilot guiding the message.

Let’s be honest, there’s still a bit of a stigma when using AI tools, especially when it comes to work. Some folks see it as “cheating,” and a shortcut that undermines genuine effort. As I highlighted earlier, AI’s role is not as your replacement, but as a helper that can provide fresh ideas, establish a foundation for your work, and help you organize your thoughts.

So, the next time you’re stuck staring at a blank screen, remember you’re not alone.

NCRA through Gigantic Eyes: Resource Recycling Conference Takeaways

March 26, 2025 The Gigantic Team

The annual Northern California Recycling Update conference is a wonderful introduction to the vast array of efforts around waste reduction happening in our area. Every year the Gigantic team attends to absorb 10-minute presentations on all aspects of waste from speakers local and from farther afield. The presentations drew an array of reactions from the Gigantic team members. Here are some of the highlights as submitted by each Gigantic team member:

Kas focused on some of the visual aspects presented. For the session, “Cooperative Reuse: Student-Led Furniture Exchange,” she noted, “I love their clever logo and I have been following this program for a number of years. It is so great to see how this has developed into such an impactful contribution to campus-led sustainability efforts.”

For the presentation on Petaluma’s Reusable Cup Pilot presented by Leslie Lukacs of Zero Waste Sonoma, Kas said: “From my graphic design and marketing perspective, I appreciated their ‘Sip, Return, Repeat’ slogan and loved the angular, repeated graphic as well. They did a wonderful job of being clever and reinforcing the message through design. Kudos!”

Lisa focused on Miriam Gordon (Reuse Program Director with Story of Stuff Project)’s session: “Hamburglaring Reuse: McDonald’s Disinformation Campaign About Recycling.” The Story of Stuff Project will be publishing a report to help the U.S. refute the disinformation used in the EU to to derail state and local reuse. Lisa notes, “We can try to refute McDonalds’ effort with facts, which are helpful to have on deck. However, the disinformation war is won in the U.S. with more emotion-based, simplistic messaging. Let’s join Story of Stuff to begin a proactive messaging effort and seed the fields with positive messaging before they can Ham-burgle U.S.-based efforts supporting reusable foodware.”

Peter noted: “(Virtually) attending NCRA was a breath of fresh air and inspiring! Despite what we’ve been reading in national news headlines the last couple of months, I was beyond impressed to see the incredible work that is being done on a variety of topics in Northern California. As an AmeriCorps and Peace Corps alum, it was great to hear Lexie speak in the morning about the success stories of San Jose Conservation Corps members and reminded me of my own personal growth and the value of these programs. Ravyn Williams’ presentation on PFAS and health was sobering — I ordered a stainless steel spatula to replace my black plastic one before the presentation was over!”

Stef gave a personal take: “I am allowing myself to have a very subjective filter on this year’s NCRA Update, and sadly that filter is darkened by my anxiety about current events. The presentations, as always, covered a lot of ground and reminded me of this community’s dedication to a better world, but I feel that few presenters acknowledged or directly addressed head-on the devastating blows already served to our industry and more roadblocks ahead. All this said, I was very grateful for the one-on-one conversations in the limited sunshine on the palace balcony and knowing that this community, if anything, is what will get me through these scary times.”

Nancy noted: “Like Stef, I found it hard to focus on the details of the very important issue of waste, given everything that is going on at the national level. I have family and friends that have been directly impacted by the government cuts, and I fear that worse is to come. But I am delighted to be working in a community of relentless, resilient, dedicated solution-seekers…there is hope!”

Laura-Lee writes: “I was inspired by the passion and conviction with which the speakers delivered their messages. As an older person who tends to be more of an ‘Eeyore” than a “Tigger,’ I was encouraged by the messages of ‘let’s be brave’ and ‘think big’ and ‘be together in all the ways that count.’ We should continue to highlight successes, find solutions to challenges, remain vigilant and encourage the next generation of reducers, reusers and recyclers.”

Myer found Shira Lane’s presentation, “The Power of Creativity in Sustainable Behavior Change,” particularly impactful. He was impressed by Atrium 916‘s innovative approaches, like the “Sustainable Santa” concept for children and other community-based events. “The upcycling of political signs was a novel and thought-provoking idea; I’d never really thought about what happens to old signs after the election. The art installations that doubled as collection points for cans and bottles, accessible to the unhoused, were both visually engaging and socially beneficial. When she said ‘waste is a design flaw, bring in the creatives’…that resonated deeply, highlighting the need for creative solutions and ‘out of the box’ thinking.”

Petula Clarkson character looking odd — Petula Clarkson sings about landfills.

Then there was that inspiring session, the last before lunch, when a little-known authority from the Royal Academy of Arts, a Petula Clarkson, presented on “The Restorative Power of Landfills, An Underutilized Resource.” An interestingly dressed, singing-bowl-playing, very familiar looking person emerged, performing her song, “Landfill.” Wait…isn’t that Gigantic alumna Shana McCracken??? Sure enough! As she was joined by dancers on stage with an AI generated landfill illustration as a backdrop, the crowd came to life, just in time for lunch.

Conducting Environmental Outreach on Social Media in 2025

January 23, 2025 Nancy Roberts

Social media is a vital part of any environmental behavior change campaign these days, as it has been for years. But we are seeing massive changes: what used to work to reach people and get engagement simply doesn’t anymore. How people use and treat social is very different from ten or even five years ago. And this means our outreach strategy needs to change, too. Here are some quick tips:

How Many Words? Fuggedaboutit

Don’t worry any more about the optimal number of words in a post. The one word now is: VIDEO. Especially: short form, vertical video designed for Instagram, Facebook Reels and YouTube Shorts. An average person spends about 100 minutes per day watching online videos. AND…they are often watched with sound off (85% of the time for Facebook users), so it’s important to make sure you can get the point across without audio. See vertical video examples at the end of this post from Watershed Watch and Livermore Recycles.

Cache the Hashtags

Those #hashtags used to be vital to get your posts found, but now they’re passé. Supposedly those clever AI algorithms are analyzing and organizing your content so efficiently that hashtags, which used to help “index” posts, particularly on Instagram and Twitter, are no longer needed, though some do still recommend their limited use.

YouTube is King

Despite all the noise around TikTok, according to Pew Research , nine in 10 teens use YouTube, as opposed to six in ten for TikTok and Instagram. Among adults, 85% of U.S. adults say they use YouTube. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use other social channels, but don’t forget the ‘Tube.

Organic Reach Is Just a Dream

Going viral may be a dream, but reaching even your own followers organically is a nightmare. Reach and engagement, never robust, have been steadily declining on Facebook and Instagram. It may be time to think about social media as an advertising channel, where you get what you pay for, if you’re lucky and diligent.

Just because things are changing, doesn’t mean we give up. Social media can and should still play an important part in your outreach to increase recycling, stop litter, fight waste, and more. Outreach specialists need to keep watch on the metrics and be open to experimentation and testing to continue to reach people on social media. Good luck!

Next time: we’ll delve deeper into AI and how it can help – and hinder – environmental outreach.

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RIP, Arthur Boone: Bay Area Recycling Champion

December 11, 2024 The Gigantic Team

creative NCRA sign made with all recyclable materials — The Gigantic team worked with Arthur Boone to create this sign for NCRA

The Gigantic team would like to take a moment to salute and honor Arthur Boone, who passed away in October at the age of 86. Boone was a pioneer and force of nature for recycling education and outreach in the Bay Area since the 1980s.

Described in Northern California Recycling Association (NCRA)’s remembrance as “an innovator, visionary, and somewhat of a crank” Arthur Boone started out as an Episcopal minister, then a civil rights worker, before founding the Oakland Recycling Association.There, he brought active questions and a constant search for improvement to the local recycling scene, tirelessly calling out “Obstacles to Zero Waste” and working to eliminate them. In the following years he would serve NCRA in various positions, including some 30 years on their board, and came up with the idea for the Recycling Update Conference, an annual “speed dating” event featuring 10-minute presentations for and by industry professionals that is valued to this day.

One memorable collaboration – partially built on Boone’s front lawn – occurred in 2011 when he tasked us with creating a NCRA conference sign out of recycled materials to celebrate recycling and composting. It was a true team effort to cut the recycled metal, attach the glass pieces and cardboard curls, and hot-glue the fake leaves and orange slices. The sign keeps on going – helped by several repairs over the years. It’s a joy to see it (and get a team photo with the sign) at every NCRA Recycling Update. All in all, a great and ongoing reminder of the creative and can-do spirit of Boone.

Boone’s achievements, including credit for planting 1,000 trees in the Bay Area—several just a block from our office – have been noted in a Proclamation by StopWaste issued on his passing. After all his good work, may he rest in peace.

Gigantic team members with the sign at NCRA 2023

OOPS! Tags Tackle Cart Contamination

November 25, 2024November 25, 2024 Nancy Roberts

In environmental outreach work, reaching people when they are most open to effective feedback is always a challenge. Many waste agencies are using “oops tags” to indicate to residents that they have put the wrong items in the wrong carts, e.g. “OOPS – this item belongs in recycling” or “OOPS – only food scraps in the green cart, please!”

The Gigantic team has been working with clients on various kinds of OOPS tags for some years now. While we believe that customized, one-to-one outreach is effective, it is difficult to measure if the tags are responsible for positive impact.

We would love to experiment with taking the feedback one step further, by having haulers NOT pick up contaminated carts. This has been tried elsewhere, with positive results.

For now, we are continuing to refine and test various cart tags. Our latest effort: placing “OOPS” tags on Garbage carts, to draw attention to the large presence of food scraps and other items in the Garbage that should be recycled or composted.

Below are some examples of oops tags that Gigantic has created with various clients. We would love to discuss OOPS tags and the strategy behind them with you:

This tag, to be placed on Organics carts, is simple:

In 2023, we made a more elaborate tag that the outreach team could “customize”, depending on the contaminant. We understood from resident surveys that people were unsure or even skeptical about what happens to food scraps in the Organics cart. This tag also confirms that rich compost is made from the food scraps, and connects correct use of the organics cart with making healthy compost for farmers:

We are experimenting this year with placing an “oops” tag on the Garbage cart, calling out the items that should be in Recycling or Organics:

For Milpitas, we helped refine their tag design, which uses the same tag for all carts. Audit staff circle the appropriate cart, and provide very specific feedback on the types of items found (see image below). Milpitas staff have reported the tags are working work well, especially when they have the opportunity to speak directly with a resident, but that they need to add a few additional categories of contaminants.

While difficult to tie results directly to cart tagging, City staff noted that they are seeing some positive trends in households selected for a pilot project. The pilot area received food waste prevention outreach and then OOPS tags shortly thereafter. Follow-up audits over two years show some improvements. The fullness of the food scrap compartment increased from 8.8% full to 24% full. At the same time, contamination decreased by 42.5%.

There’s no one right way to use OOPS Tags, but they’re one of the most evidence-based ways to address contamination. They make a great addition to a cart-contamination reduction strategy.

Top Tips for Making Multilingual Food Scrap “How-To” Videos for Businesses and Multi-Family Buildings

September 26, 2024October 11, 2024 Lisa Duba

Food scrap and organics collection programs pose a challenge to public agencies in terms of low participation and high contamination, especially where businesses and multi-family properties are concerned.

There’s turnover in staff and residents, and often there are language barriers. Producing content in multiple languages seems like one logical solution, but doing three separate videos can impact the budget and seem like a daunting logistical challenge…but it can be simplified!

Over the past few years, the Gigantic team helped City of Sunnyvale produce multilingual video content in a streamlined way to ensure they could produce content in multiple languages for a reasonable budget.

With the following tips, we created separate business-facing videos in Chinese, Spanish and Vietnamese – using the same original footage shot in a commercial kitchen – for a reasonable budget.

Top tips for producing multilingual video content:

Show, don’t tell. Tell the story with filmed footage. Demonstrate key behaviors so your content instructs without the use of words as much as possible.
Use voice-over instead of dialog for extra details. This way, you can avoid dubbing over a person speaking to the camera.
Put key messages on-screen with simple graphics. These can be translated, so the video works even with sound off.
Film in real locations that resonate with the audience. This way the setting also provides context without using words.
Create the multilingual versions using the same filmed footage to save money. Just translate and record voice-over in each language and translate the screen graphics.
Promote in-language too. The best video must be seen to be effective. Create a keyword-rich video description in English and translate this, too. Post to your website, YouTube, Facebook or other channels using the translated promotional blurb. You can pay to promote videos specifically to online viewers that use any one of your targeted languages. Without paid promotion, most videos will not get views

Also, check out the Food Scraps Recycling for Apartments and Condos videos filmed with these same tips, in English, Chinese, and Spanish.

Business-facing Tips Videos for Sunnyvale:

Keep Plastic Out of the Green Bin! A new anti-contamination campaign to improve compost quality

August 27, 2024October 11, 2024 Lisa Duba

This past year, we accepted the challenge to help San Mateo County develop a countywide social marketing campaign designed to improve compost quality by addressing contamination of food scraps and yard trimmings collected in the county.

The Project

Gigantic Idea Studio developed a scope of work that included as much of the community-based social marketing (CBSM) process as time and budget would allow:

Secondary research review of data from haulers, public agency RethinkWaste, transfer stations and composting facilities and similar campaigns,
Primary research via focus groups, with message development and testing and finally,
Campaign creative and a pilot study toolkit, with an implementation guide.

Partnering for Success

Gigantic partnered with R3 Consulting Group to analyze data and identify the top contaminants and sources of contamination. Unsurprisingly, plastics, especially film plastics, were most common. Multi-family dwellings (MFDs) and commercial businesses were the top sources. To keep within the time and budget, we chose plastic as the target contaminant, and MFDs as the target audience.

We also partnered with Green Motivate to look at messaging of similar campaigns conducted in Vermont; Boulder, Colorado; Oregon and Snohomish County, Washington. Each had compelling messages and images— some of which inspired our campaign.

Partnering with Engel Research Partners, we conducted focus groups in English, Spanish and Cantonese to test selected messages and learn more about the barriers and benefits related to food scrap and yard trimming collection programs.

Top Takeaways

Most people were unclear about what happens to the contents of their green bins after they are collected.
Once they understood that compost was used in gardens, parks and farms, residents seemed more motivated to learn how to prevent contamination.
Motivating messages included links to local agriculture, farmers/farmworkers and health.
But people also wanted clear, easy to understand instructions on how to compost correctly— not just inspiration and fluff.
Bin is the preferred term (vs. carts) to refer to wheeled carts and larger rolloff bins.

From these learnings we created a messaging strategy to inform a storytelling video, article and social media posts that included:

Awareness messaging: “Contaminated Green Bin=Contaminate Compost”
Motivational messaging: “We need your help making healthy compost for San Mateo County gardens, parks and farms,” and
Instructional messaging: “Keep All Plastic Out of the Green Bin” and “Food In/Plastic Out”.

For on-the-ground interventions, the campaign toolkit also included bin area signage, a downloadable kitchen sign, and a pilot study methodology. To reach the top monolingual, non-English speaking communities, we partnered with InterEthnica to adapt all campaign collateral into Spanish and Chinese.

While the CBSM components will be implemented locally by stakeholders, the County will be doing a media campaign to support on-the-ground efforts, running sometime this fall.

Lizzie Carrade of the San Mateo County Sustainability Department presented the campaign at the California Resource Recovery Association Annual Conference this year. We are proud to have been part of the team trying to address this pervasive problem.

Applauding Green Accomplishments to Keep Them Growing

July 9, 2024October 11, 2024 Stefanie Pruegel

Eight champions from five organizations were honored at StopWaste’s award ceremony—truly inspiring individuals.

Most of our work here at Gigantic is about helping our clients nudge people toward certain environmental behaviors—preventing food waste, composting organics, keeping dirty car wash water out of storm drains, and so many more. No matter the topic, it’s easy to focus on the need to change behavior more than the need to celebrate when we do see progress. But that acknowledgment, or “confirmation messaging”, is just as important as all the calls to action.

I was reminded of that insight recently when working on StopWaste’s Environmental Leadership Awards that each year recognize a handful of organizations for innovation and achievements in waste prevention, climate resilience and other areas of sustainability.

As part of the preparations for the award ceremony and presentation, I get to interview the champions at each of these organizations. What makes them prioritize environmental practices well beyond legal requirements? What are the keys to success? And how can local government agencies support and amplify their good work?

What I find is that without exception it is the initiative and commitment of individuals that makes these businesses, nonprofits, schools and other entities leaders in their field and can have ripple effects throughout their organizations and beyond. At Drake’s Brewing Company, champion Hal was a cellar master for years, consistently finding greener ways to do thi

Stef notes that it’s been fun working on the annual awards promo with Michelle Fay from StopWaste for all these years.

ngs that also benefitted the company—and becoming the company’s first Sustainability Manager. Champion Becky at Spectrum Community Services was successful in switching the nonprofit’s senior meal service from disposable to reusable foodware with partner Sparkl Reusables and support from her ED. At Mohr Elementary School, teacher Sarah and PTA lead Susanne created an outstanding, hands-on environmental and climate literacy curriculum that helped move their school district to pass a district-wide waste resolution.

Sharing and celebrating these accomplishments at the award ceremony was truly inspiring. It was clearly gratifying and energizing to the champions who had put so much effort and passion into their work, and amplifying their success will surely inspire others.

Recycling: Hero or Villain? The Public Is Confused

April 18, 2024October 11, 2024 Nancy Roberts

Environmental specialists are working, like everyone else, in a polarized world where distrust of media and “truthiness” can make us question absolutely everything.

You’ve seen the headlines in everything from business press, public radio …

“Recycling Doesn’t Work”

“Plastic Recycling Doesn’t Work and Will Never Work”

“You Can’t Recycle Your Way Out”

“America’s Broken Recycling System”

At Gigantic, we work with clients whose jurisdictions:

Don’t accept “compostable” plastic
Do accept “compostable” plastic
Only accept Plastics # 1, 2, 5
Only accept “rigid” plastics
Ask you to put plastic bags in the Garbage
Ask you to put plastic bags in the Recycling
Accept paper cups in Recycling
Accept paper cups in the Garbage
Put pizza boxes in the Recycling
Put pizza boxes in the Organics

And on and on…

We can't recycle our way out of the plastic crisis - Insta post from Story of Stuff — Source: Story of Stuff Instagram

Is it any wonder that residents are wondering what’s going on?

If we had a magic wand, we’d wave it and make all this a lot simpler: focus on just a few of the most easily identified recyclable materials so that “waste” streams are clean and easily processed. We’d like to see:

All jurisdictions’ carts be the same color and labels as in other jurisdictions.
Every jurisdiction have the same “what goes where” instructions and
VASTLY simplify “what goes where” messaging to focus on the most recyclable items, in order to cut down on contamination. We have seen over and over that “wishcycling” is a real thing, and a real hassle for materials facilities.

But we don’t live in a perfect world. For now, environmental communicators need to be honest about the challenges of recycling, while reassuring the public that many problems can be solved and not to give up hope.