4 minute read
Focus on Waste
Behavioral Change:
Peridot Path Park is included in Eagan’s “Pack In, Pack Out” program, which is designed to reduce waste and save money. (Photo provided by the city of Eagan)
By JULIE YOUNG | The Municipal
It’s no secret that big changes take a little getting used to, so when the city of Eagan, Minn., announced its plan to remove trash bins from 13 of its 60 parks to reduce waste and save money, it received plenty of pushback from the public.
“Some people were happy about it, and some people were upset,” said Andrew Pimental, CPRE, director of parks and recreation for the city of Eagan. “They thought it was something that would happen in every park and that they would become giant landfills.”
The public didn’t know by the time a formal announcement was made, they had already gotten used to fewer trash receptacles in these small neighborhood parks. In fact, they hadn’t noticed the difference.
Thinking outside the box
The state of Minnesota is known for its aggressive recycling goals, but two years ago, Dakota County passed an ordinance requiring recycling in all public parks and then took it to the next level by requiring one recycling bin for every trash can. This would cost Eagan $100,000, along with another $125,000 for a truck to collect the refuse. The city would also have to cover ongoing costs for maintenance, disposal and associated staff.
With park use at an all-time high during the pandemic and recycling/trash containers being used interchangeably, Pimental looked outside the box to discourage patrons from bringing trash into the park when they arrived.
“That’s when I met Master Recycler Sandy Scott, who told us about ‘Pack It In, Pack It Out,’” he said.
Scott is a self-proclaimed “garbologist,” who donates her time removing recyclables from trash bins in the city park. In addition to landfill diversion, she advocates for a psychological approach to eco-responsibility so people can make thoughtful and intentional choices. She spends her winters on St. Simon’s Island in Glynn County, Ga., where she first learned about the Pack In, Pack Out program and said it might be an option for Eagan as well.
“Sandy is just the greatest. She wanted to create a renewed sense of accountability, and with this program, I think we can do it,” Pimental said.
Pack In, Pack Out is a program encouraging behavioral change in the way people think about their waste. In some community parks, it means removing all trash receptacles to a central location so patrons might think about where they are putting their refuse and make appropriate choices, but Eagan opted for a more radical approach. Pimental decided to remove the trash cans altogether in some small neighborhood and pocket parks that were not known for generating a lot of garbage to begin with—thus saving the city the cost of installing additional recycling bins.
“Basically, all we are trying to say is if you bring a water bottle with you to the park, take it home when you leave,” he said. “It’s a small thing, but it makes a big difference.” Signage was created for Egan, Minn.’s, “Pack In, Pack Out” program, which was implemented at some of the city’s smaller parks. The program encourages visitors to take all trash and recycling with them. (Photo provided by the city of Eagan)
Eagan’s parks department has adopted a 1:1 ratio for trash and recycling and eliminated waste cans in some of their smaller parks to save money. (Photo provided by the city of Eagan)
Small changes, big difference
Last fall, Pimental quietly began removing the trash cans in these smaller green spaces, and to his amazement, the public didn’t notice. This spring, a few more were removed, but once again, no one seemed to mind.
“To be clear, these are small neighborhood and pocket spaces of .5 to 3 acres. They are the kind of places where people walk their dogs or take their kids to play in the playground. They are not the place where you organize the family reunion or take a big picnic,” he said.
Scott warned that when the public learned about the new initiative, there would be some dissent. Sure enough, when the announcement was made in April, some residents became emotional at the idea of no trashcans in these public spaces. They thought it affected every park in the city rather than a few that were so small, they didn’t even have parking lots.
Pimental said at first, the negative comments outweighed the positive comments, but within a week, it evened out. After hearing some concerns from park patrons about the need for dog waste stations, he willingly installed them without taking away from the larger goal. Today, he said the comments are more positive than negative. He suspects the public will continue to grow accustomed to the Pack In, Pack Out program and embrace it.
“It’s all about being good stewards of God’s creation,” Scott said. “By offering people the opportunity to think about what they are bringing Eagan, Minn.’s, trash truck picks up refuse from many of the area parks except for those in the “Pack In, Pack Out” program. (Photo provided by the city of Eagan)
into the park, you are helping them make good choices. I can’t promise that they will recycle their things when they take them home, but they have a better than average shot of being recycled as opposed to ending up in a landfill.”
