NYCHA Provides Training on Recycling
NYCHA recently crossed one major item off its New Year’s resolution list: bring recycling bins and Department of Sanitation (DSNY) recycling pickup to every single development.
NYCHA achieved this milestone in December 2016, giving more than 400,000 residents the ability to foster a healthier, cleaner, and greener planet by recycling.
As part of NextGeneration NYCHA efforts to create safe, clean, and connected communities and transform the Authority into a more sustainable organization, NYCHA launched an intensive and comprehensive recycling implementation plan in February 2015, starting with two developments. Since then, staff has worked with residents and partners like DSNY, GrowNYC, Green City Force, and NYC Service to bring recycling to all 328 developments.
In addition to installing about 1,500 recycling bins (and 800 concrete pads to support them), Project Manager Elena Tenchikova and her team coordinated training for more than 1,400 employees, from front-line staff to borough management, about recycling procedures. They engaged nearly 12,000 residents at every development through recycling kick-off meetings and special events, including those specifically for youth and seniors. Chair Shola Olatoye and DSNY Commissioner Kathryn Garcia starred in an educational video shown in taxis about the initiative. The initiative was also featured on NYCHA’s website, in The NYCHA Journal, this newsletter, and in mailings to every NYCHA household.
Joy Junious, a resident of Brownsville Houses and an Environmental Ambassador who spreads the word about the recycling program to her neighbors, said: “My goal is to make [my neighborhood] a better place, make it cleaner and more visually appealing for current and future generations. Recycling and healthy environments go hand in hand, and with proper trash disposal, you see the benefits immediately.”
Staff training and resident engagement are ongoing to raise awareness about the importance of recycling and how it’s done.
