Grassroots Education Campaign Launches to Encourage Recycling at the Curb

The City of Savannah is currently gearing up to offer curbside recycling to their residents at the beginning of 2009. With assistance from the Curbside Value Partnership (CVP), the City of Savannah will roll out a grassroots education campaign encouraging residents to recycle curbside, rather than simply at the drop-off locations in the city.

"Savannah is excited to offer curbside recycling to our residents, and we are proud to have been selected as a partner community by CVP," said Stephanie Cutter, Director of the Bureau of Sanitation for the City of Savannah. "With CVP's support and their valuable resources and expertise, we anticipate being able to convey to residents how easy and convenient singlestream curbside recycling really is."

Beginning this fall and running through 2009, CVP, a national program designed to help communities grow their curbside programs through education, will help the City of Savannah teach residents about the new curbside recycling system, specifically how and what can be recycled and the benefits to be gained.

The City will work with CVP to implement a local communication campaign designed to reach city residents through strategic advertising, participation in local events, partnerships and media relations. Additionally, CVP will work with Savannah officials to unveil the new state-wide recycling brand currently being developed by the state's Department of Community Affairs.

"We have found that educating residents about new recycling programs and the benefits of recycling has the greatest impact on efficiently implementing a curbside recycling system," said Steve Thompson, Program Director for CVP. "We hope to get Savannah residents excited about recycling at the curb and encourage them to recycle more than ever before to preserve the city and state's environment for generations to come."

The city of Savannah joins over 40 cities and communities nationwide benefitting from CVP's expertise in recycling education and measurement.