Municipal Monitor - January/February 2008 - (Page 15)

questions about missed bin deliveries right before collection began. By delivering bins a few weeks in advance of the fi rst collection day, the issue could be resolved well ahead of the fi rst pickup. • Anticipate call trends. We received 1,000 calls per week during the first two weeks of collection in September, and that was the peak. High volumes of calls also came in when the bins were delivered. So expect the calls to flood in when the bins are delivered and once collection starts. • Allow for a grace period. It doesn’t matter how much you push your messaging – some residents will still be unaware of the changes to collection. To make the transition from weekly to biweekly garbage collection easier, we recommend an unofficial grace period during the first few weeks of collection. The public appreciates a little leeway at the outset. • Maintain inter-municipal relations. This initiative helped solidify our relationship with the other towns, which will work to our advantage for future joint ventures. Having previously established municipal “buddies” is an invaluable asset. We now have access to not only the expertise and experience of our municipality, but of five others as well. In fact, there are many more possible collaborative initiatives that we can explore in the future with this group, such as the Drinking Water Quality Management Standards. Councils and industry professionals poured in. Wonderful. But nothing compares, in terms of satisfaction and return on investment, to the unaudited waste diversion results reported by the Region of York after two weeks of collection. The group had managed to meet the Region’s waste diversion target of 65 per cent within the first month of the program! For Newmarket, the news was even better. Reporting a whopping 78 per cent diversion rate, Newmarket is now rumoured to be the highest diverter of waste in Canada and one of the world’s waste diversion leaders. It just goes to show what we can accomplish when we put our heads together – and buddy up. ◆ Crystal Moss is the Acting Manager of Corporate Communications for the Town of Newmarket and the Chair of the Communications Working Group for the green bin campaign for the six municipalities. The wow factor The six municipalities united to achieve a common objective for the good of the taxpayer and the environment. Saving $11 million was the fi rst Teaming up with a proven energy company with a history of innovation and reliability can really make a difference.Whether you’re looking for wholesale energy strategies, demand reduction programs or strategic market initiatives, we can put our decades of experience to work for you. For great value, industry-leading technologies and unparalleled customer support, look to Integrys Energy Services of Canada. Clearly, collaboration can save big-time coin. big indication that this collaboration thing is a good idea. Then they rolled out the communications plan, and the positive feedback from residents, January/February 2008 90 SHEPPARD AVENUE EAST • 7TH FLOOR • TORONTO, ONTARIO M2N 6X3 • 416-221-5846 INTEGRYSENERGY.COM • ONTARIO@INTEGRYSENERGY.COM 321768_Integrys.indd 1 municipal MONITOR •9:19:58 AM 3/21/07 15 http://www.integrysenergy.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Municipal Monitor - January/February 2008

Municipal Monitor - January/February 2008 Contents President’s Message: Recognizing Achievement Viewpoint: Increasing Voter Turnout Building Bridges The Municipal Buddy System Harnessing the Wind Water Under the Bridge Municipal Memos Index to Advertisers

Municipal Monitor - January/February 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.