Recycling Print Calendars: Why you should still send them to your residents

With the new year approaching, it’s time to consider if sending out an annual recycling calendar would benefit your program. Digital calendars are one way to go (available to your residents in downloadable PDF format), but another great option is recycling print calendars, delivered directly to the door or mailbox of every single resident. Print calendars are still a popular and convenient way to communicate recycling information while keeping recycling at the forefront of residents’ minds all year long.

But before you dive in, here’s a list of reasons why recycling print calendars might benefit your program:

1. Print is not dead

A recent Pew Research Center survey found that 36% of U.S. adults learned something about the election “in the past week” from a print newspaper. Additionally, a survey by the American Press Institute in 2014 had the following findings:

2. It adds credibility

There is something about print that evokes credibility. For the old, it’s a familiar medium—something tangible that they can touch— and for the young and middle aged, it’s a respected remnant of the “good old days” –a “tried, tested and true” form of communication. Print calendars and other print materials also help establish a presence for your program in homes across your municipality. Tacked by magnets, on the front of the fridge in the kitchen, or lying on the coffee table, print calendars give an authoritative voice to your program within the intimate setting of the home.

3. It allows you to reach more residents

Sending out an annual recycling print calendar to each and every household in your municipality, allows you to fill the gaps of your program by broadening its overall reach. Residents 55 and over are likely to appreciate a calendar sent to their home from their recycling coordinator and residents between 25-54 are busy multi-taskers who can use your provided calendar to help them manage their hectic schedules. And, with direct mail delivery, your calendar is put directly in the hands of your residents, providing them with a recycling tool that they can refer to all year long. Direct mail is not only extremely efficient, but it ends up saving you money when you weigh just how targeted your reach becomes.

• 79% of households say they read or scan direct mail ads
• 39% of residents say they try a business for the first time because of direct-mail
• Direct mail gives advertisers a 13-1 return
• Direct mail brings in 78% of donations for non-profits
• Since 2004, direct mail marketing responses have increased by 14%
• 56% of residents find print marketing the most trustworthy
• 48% of people keep their direct mail for future use– even if the response is not immediate, customers are likely to keep your print piece for future reference

Where can you order your recycling print calendars?

Recycle Coach provides affordable print materials that you can use to connect your residents to your program.

Recycle Coach offers:

• Recycling flyers, brochures and print calendars to fit all budgets
• Print calendars include:
  • Collection schedules
  • Holiday collection schedules
  • Blue bin, Green bin and yard waste information
  • Information on disposal of household hazardous items, waste, large item pick-up and more
• Fridge magnets that emphasize recycling do’s and don’ts to help instill your program’s details
• Stickers, decals and PAYT tags—all of which are made with materials, coatings and adhesives that are specifically designed to fill the requirements of municipal solid waste programs

These are reasons why you should think about sending out print calendars to your residents next year. If you would like to order recycling calendars or other materials for your municipality contact Lorie: lwilson@recyclecoach.com