| According to a regional survey,
seventy-five percent of people recycle through curbside collection
offered by the Central Virginia Waste Management Authority (CVWMA).
In general, participants are pleased with the program, with 30
percent providing praise or appreciation for the program in an
optional comments section.
These results are from a survey conducted by CVWMA in 2006 to
learn about the community's awareness of local recycling programs
and their satisfaction with them. Four hundred and sixty-eight
people responded to the CVWMA Customer Service and Awareness Survey.
Survey Highlights
• 38 percent of participants were from Chesterfield, 33 percent from
Henrico and 13 percent from Richmond.
• 30 percent think CVWMA is a business. CVWMA is actually a
government agency.
• 75 percent "always" participate in curbside recycling.
• Only 40 percent are aware of the Recycling Hotline (340-0900).
• 75 percent regularly recycle cans, bottles, newspapers, junk
mail, cardboard, etc.
• 45 percent don't recycle items like appliances, electronics,
and hazardous waste. Half don't know they can be recycled.
• Half don't know CVWMA has a website with program information.
• 200 people provided comments. 30 percent praised or indicated
their appreciation for curbside recycling. 12 percent complained
about something. 10 percent requested bigger curbside recycling
containers or more frequent collection.
For a detailed report on the results, please visit
http://www.cvwma.com/recycling_programs/survey184.wbp
Conclusions
The agency's staff is reviewing the comments and survey responses to
improve recycling efforts and results in central Virginia. The
survey reveals several areas where improvement or change is needed.
First, the community needs increased education about CVWMA's
status as a government agency and the resources available, including
the Recycling Hotline and website. In addition, the public is not as
knowledgeable about the availability and importance of recycling
non-curbside/drop-off materials such as electronics and household
hazardous wastes. Finally, although the majority of survey
participants are satisfied with local recycling, reducing instances
of complaints and dissatisfaction will continue to be a priority of
the agency.
CVWMA will devote attention to increasing training of customer
service representatives and more closely monitor service providers
to ensure that recycling in central Virginia is a convenient and
positive experience for members of the public. |
