Summer II 1999, Special Edition
In This Issue:
- Alameda County Offers Unique
HHW Promotion
- Outreach to Traditionally
Underserved Communities
- SOS Cleaning Boating Comes
to Rescue
- Lessons Learned Documented
in New HHW Book
- Kern County Offers Special
Waste Facility Stop N’ Shop Program
____________________________________________________________
Alameda County Waste
Management Authority Offers Unique Promotion of HHW Program
The home-buying frenzy in the San Francisco
Bay Area gave the Alameda County Waste Management Authority a
unique opportunity to promote the county’s free drop-off
program for such leftover or expired hazardous household products
as paints and varnishes, batteries, used oil and automotive products,
pesticides, household cleaners, and pet care products.
In the first half of 1999, ACWMA mailed
out 100,000 postcards about the free program to households within
five miles of the three drop-off facilities located in Oakland,
Hayward and Livermore. The direct-mail postcards helped push up
drop-offs at the centers from about 30 to 300 a day. But ACWMA
wanted to reach a larger audience. The agency worked with Initiatives,
a firm specializing in media/PR strategies for environmental and
urban planning projects, to widen the program’s outreach
to get local businesses involved.
With the large number of residents buying
and selling homes this summer, Initiatives identified businesses
that provide home-related products and services as the best places
to reach residents who most likely have hazardous household items
to drop off.
A database of approximately 1,900 businesses
was created using sales-tax codes. Among these businesses were
hardware and paint stores, moving and storage companies, realtors,
property managers, garden supply outlets, landscaping services,
nurseries, and auto products stores.
For good measure, promotional kits were
also sent to civic facilities where the most number of residents
might be informed about the County’s HHW drop-off program,
including libraries, community/senior centers, city offices, and
high schools, colleges and adult education schools (educational
facilities likely to have summer activity).
To help customers learn more about the
program, a flexible kit – featuring a colorful 8.5' x 22'
poster, an 8' x 10' countertop display, a 12-page booklet on using
alternative, non-toxic products, and four factsheets – was
designed.
Swap Sheds Included
The informational materials also tell customers about the drop-off
centers’ “swap sheds,' which contain free usable materials
and recycled,exterior, latex paint – a great service for
home repair do-it-yourselfers.
Breaking Records
From May 27-29th, the HHW Program’s Hayward facility collected
household hazardous waste from 566 households – including
a new all-time, one-day record of 221 households. Drop-offs were
equally strong at the Oakland facility with 583 households participating
(June 10-12th). Meanwhile, the Livermore facility served 267 households
on June 4-5th.
Just for Businesses
Believing that this business outreach to residents also provided
a good time to contact businesses which need to dispose of small
amounts of hazardous waste they generate, ACWMA also sent out
information to businesses who might be eligible for special disposal
rates under the Conditionally Exempt Small Quantity Generators
(CESQG) program.
A second database of approximately 1,000
businesses – including roofing, flooring and carpeting, landscaping,
pools and spas, cabinetry and woodworking, photographic developers,
and services using adhesives, coatings, plating and polymers –
was compiled.
These businesses received a letter describing
the CESQG program and its eligibility criteria. An insert brochure
contained a disposal rate card and a reply card that allows businesses
to request more information.
For more details about these marketing
strategies and materials, call Initiatives at (510) 548-1360 or
e-mail to mediaideas@lgc.org.
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Outreach to Traditionally
Underserved Communities
Working in partnership, the City of San
Jose and the County of Santa Clara recently completed two pilot
projects involving under-served populations – a Special HHW
Collection Event and an Used Oil Collection Program.
The Special HHW Collection Event targeted
the Spanish and Vietnamese speaking communities in the San Jose
area, identified as being under-served populations and living
in neighborhoods with high rates of illegal dumping and water
pollution issues. As a result of the event, program staff was
able to better assess the target groups’ HHW disposal needs
and also provided a means for evaluating the effectiveness of
the materials and methods used to disseminate the HHW message.
Through the Used Oil Collection Pilot
Program, property owners were encouraged to protect their investment
by participating in the program developed to reduce incidents
of improperly disposed of oil and prevent stormdrain pollution.
To develop effective outreach materials for the tenants, culturally
relevant motivators were identified and incorporated into the
marketing concepts. Support-ing materials were later translated
for the English speaking audience. Bilingual staff was also hired
to provide support and training for tenants using the program.
For more details, call Cami Kloster with
the City of San Jose at (408) 277-5533 or e-mail at cami.kloster@ci.sj.ca.us.
With Santa Clara County, call Nicole Jorgensen,
at (408) 299-4813 or e-mail at Njorgensen@HHW.org.
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SOS Cleaning Boating
Comes to Rescue
Virtually all boat engines seep oil, whether
it’s a small two-cycle motor in a sailboat or a 300 horsepower
diesel engine in a commercial vessel. Over time, oil leaking from
the drivetrain of engines and through other pathways accumulates
in the local marine environment, causing potentially large environmental
problems.
Onthe Monterey Bay, there are approximately
28,000 vessels operating during the calendar year. These include
commercial/recreational fishing boats, sailboats and recreational
pleasure craft. The greatest number of boats comprise trailered
recreational boats, which use the public ramps. Save Our Shores,
a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection and promotion
of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, has initiated a
Weekend Boater Used Oil Outreach Program at the public launch
ramps within Monterey, Moss Landing, and Santa Cruz harbors.
To reduce the amount of oil in the water,
the Weekend Boater Used Oil Outreach Program provides free oil
spill prevention kits containing polypropylene absorbent pads,
latex gloves, an informational keyfloat and other educational
materials. West Marine has made available special oil waste placards
required on boats 26 or more feet in length. Special receptacles
are located at the harbor waste oil stations for proper disposal.
The oil spill kits are passed out by SOS
volunteers called “Dock Walkers / Paddlers.' On foot or in
a kayak, volunteers conduct one-on-one outreach to boat operators
and deck hands within the harbors and marinas. Funded by a grant
from the CIWMB, 20,000 oil spill prevention kits will be distributed
in the next two boating seasons.
For more information, call Jonathan Bishop
with the SOS Clean Boating project at (408) 462-5660 or e-mail
at boating@cruzio.com.
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Lessons Learned Documented
in New HHW Book
Lessons Learned from Four Years of Household
Hazardous Waste Collections: 1995-1998 was released earlier this
year by the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments (AVCOG)
in Auburn, Maine.
This free book is geared toward local
governments and other organizations interested in starting a HHW
collection program; however, is applicable to agencies with established
programs. Funded primarily through support from the U.S. Department
of Agriculture, Rural Development Agency, AVCOG developed this
publication in an effort to document lessons learned from launching
and developing various HHW programs in rural New England.
To obtain a copy, call Carol Fuller at
AVCOG at (207) 783-9186 or e-mail at AVCOG@AVCOG.eddmaine.org.
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Kern County Offers Special
Waste Facility Stop N’ Shop Program
The Kern County Special Waste Facility
expanded their services in October 1997 to include a material
reuse area called the Stop N’ Shop. The Stop N’ Shop
consists of two self-contained hazardous waste storage lockers
– one contains all paint and paint-related products and the
other contains all other reusable HHW materials. The facility
is open to the public, and frequently utilized by schools, graffiti
abatement programs, community clean up projects, theater groups,
and individual homeowners.
During the Shop’s first year, over
1,000 customers “purchased' nearly 41,000 pounds of material.
During the first three months of 1999, over 200 people took home
nearly 7,500 pounds of material for reuse. Latex paint comprises
the bulk of material given away with the second largest category
by percent being oil-based paint. Flammable liquids, such as kerosene,
are the third largest reused material.
For more information, call Ron Baker Kern
County Special Waste Facility at (916) 324-3142.
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