Photo Credit: Courtesy of San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department
The San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department is learning that park recycling is not a case of “build it and they will come.” Simply placing recycling bins in parks isn’t enough. The success of the program rests on an education and marketing push that begins before the placement of bins and continues throughout the implementation of the recycling initiative.
Beginning with a pilot program at one regional park in fiscal year 2010, the city’s recycling program has grown to 107 park locations, according to Clean and Green Operations Manager Krystal Strong, who oversees the program. By the end of this fiscal year, recycling will be available at 74 percent of the city’s more than 14,000 acres of park.
Getting A Good Return
The challenge, however, has been in teaching park patrons how to properly recycle. “Our biggest challenge is contamination, with food and pet waste getting mixed in with the aluminum cans, glass containers, and plastics that are recyclable,” Strong explains. “Initially we weren’t getting a good return on our efforts.”