And it’s telling us they are wasting away.

That’s right, our plastic bottles, balls of aluminum foil, empty cereal boxes and more are sick and tired of going to the dirty landfill, where they can’t become anything better than they were. They want what we all want – to improve, to get a second chance, have a fresh start and become something even better. And all it takes for us to give that trash the chance is to put it into the right place, that giant blue recycling cart docked next to our green trash cans.

grrrr.

It’s a bit of a tongue-in-cheek campaign, taking a whimsical approach using recyclables who speak for themselves, while also promising information on the site. You can learn what can and cannot be recycled and find out their curbside pick-up day, as Norfolk operates an every-other-week collection program. You can even sign up for a “Recycle E-Minder” that will help you remember when to take the cart to the curb.

Don’t have a cart? No longer an excuse. For the first time, Norfolk residents will also be able to order curbside carts online.

Did we need yet another campaign to encourage people to recycle? Apparently the answer is yes. According to John Deuel, Recycling Coordinator and Executive Director for KNB, “Over the last five years, we have thrown away enough trash to fill over one million cubic yards of landfill space. Much of this could have been recycled and our hope is that this new campaign will inform and excite current and new residents, and at the same time, encourage them to recycle more of the correct items.”

It’s estimated that 41 percent of Norfolk residents who could recycle do not.

!!!!!

Recycling also saves valuable landfill space. Once the Regional Landfill in Suffolk is filled, then where does our trash go? Most people don’t relish a landfill in their backyard, nor even down the road.

The campaign was made possible through a program called Curbside Value Partnership. According to kab.org, “CVP is a national invitation-only program, designed to increase participation curbside programs through education. CVP typically contributes financial and in-kind resources to every partner community, often exceeding the budgets that recycling programs have available for education. That’s money that Keep Norfolk Beautiful has wisely used to develop a campaign that will benefit the community and the environment.”

So Recycle Right Norfolk, and give our trash what they’ve dreamed of, a new life. At the very least, it’ll get them to stop their nagging already.

Holly is the education manager for Keep Norfolk Beautiful.