Our outreach team, Science Discovery, has been hard at work conducting educational route reviews in neighborhoods across the county.  We conduct weekly route reviews in an effort to decrease the level of contamination in our recycling, compost and garbage streams.  In 2024, we've already reviewed over 800 addresses!

During a Route Review, our team conducts visual inspections (known in the business as a 'lid flip') of each of the bins set out on a street on the day of their garbage collection.

• Our team never touches the contents of any bin, they only glance at the top-most layer of the bin.
• They tag each bin with a green, yellow or red tag, based on the amount of prohibited materials thrown away in that bin. We're looking to see if residents are participating in our recycling and organic programs, and try to identify what materials people are throwing away in the wrong place. 
• We tag every bin with feedback, so residents can understand how they should adjust their waste sorting.
• We also send out a follow-up letter to every reviewed address, that provides more comprehensive information about our county guidelines.

Route reviews give us valuable insight into common sorting mistakes, so that we can adjust our outreach and education accordingly. Sorting rules can be a lot to digest, and we want residents to feel empowered and confident when they go to throw something away. 

If you see our route review team in your neighborhood, feel free to ask them questions or just say hello!