The city of Denver Recycles has received the 2006 Beth Brown Boettner Award for Outstanding Public Education for its Rethink Recycling Education program. The recognition was made during the NRC’s annual National Recycling Congress last week in Atlanta, Ga.
The award recognizes Denver’s efforts to educate city residents about its expanded recycling program, while also trying to encourage more residents to participate in the service. The recently expanded program consisted of three key components: the addition of seven new recyclable materials; no more sorting of recyclable materials; and the recently accelerated (and soon to be completed) phase in of new larger recycling carts.
The marketing and education efforts that accompanied the expanded recycling program included a broad based effort that used traditional marketing techniques, grassroots and community outreach, and the formation of unique partnerships with ten different organizations.
Partners on the project included the following: Waste Management Recycle America, Rehrig Pacific, Denver’s Department of Environmental Health, the Aluminum Can Council, Dex, The Denver Post, The Rocky Mountain News, Coca Cola, 9NEWS and KHOW 630am.