Community Solutions: A New Jersey Model for State-Local Cooperation in Environmental Management. Julia Green Brody, Kerry Kirk Pflugh, Michael Winka, and Lori Lach, Silent Spring, 29 Crafts Street, Newton, MA 02158; Division of Science and Research and Division of Solid Waste Management, Department of Environmental Protection, CN 409, Trenton, NJ 08625; and Tellus Institute, 11 Arlington Street, Boston, MA 02116
An innovative program that used limited state funds and consultation to catalyze local environmental initiatives produced statistically significant change in recycling in multi-family homes and led to the creation of a new collection service for small businesses. In the "Community Solutions" model, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection staff with expertise in risk communication assisted two pilot communities in establishing a local recycling committee, representing residents, small businesses, environmental activist, and other constituencies. The committee worked with town officials to identify local recycling problems and design and implement solutions. Although the pilot communities addressed recycling, the model is widely applicable to environmental issues. An independent evaluation using a sophisticated quasi-experimental design demonstrated that the pilot communities increased recycling in comparison to similar communities where the pilot was not implemented. This paper discusses both the lessons of the Community Solutions process and the results of 800 telephone surveys conducted over two years. Results show significant increases in the number of households recycling and the number of types of materials recycled, and increases in positive attitudes towards recycling. There was not significant change in these variables for the comparison community.