HCP completes biennial study for Pinellas County Solid Waste on residential recycling program awareness

TAMPA, Fla. (July 1, 2020) – Pinellas County Department of Solid Waste (DSW), which manages the county’s landfill, Waste-to-Energy facility, and recycling programs, engaged HCP Associates to conduct a telephonic residential survey for recycling awareness and practices.  

The Residential Recycling Awareness Survey coincides with the completion of DSW’s 30-year Solid Waste Master Plan, where the county’s goal is “Zero Waste to Landfill.”  

HCP has been working with Pinellas County’s DSW since 2018, and since then, its educational outreach has been focused on the proper disposal of plastic bags and other items that cannot be recycled in a single stream bin.  The survey results provided insight to DSW on resident habits as well as awareness among community members.  

A total of 800 Pinellas County residents, located across all parts of the county, were asked questions about recycling awareness, such as what specific items they recycle, who the most frequent recycler in their household is, and how they dispose of plastic bags.  

This research provided the Pinellas County Department of Solid Waste with metrics for use in long-term planning for the organization. Additional themes discussed in the report included strategies to engage the public better, and insight into the different recycling habits of people living in multi-family dwellings.