In July 2021, Media Borough launched their Food Compost Program. The Borough had successfully completed a 3-year pilot of the program and was now ready to introduce it to all residents. In order to fully implement this program, DandeLions Digital was brought in to help create and execute an integrated digital communications and marketing strategy. The goal was to increase resident participation throughout the entire municipality.
We recognized that a new program like this would require behavioral changes in residents. In local government, any lifestyle changes require strong communication from municipal leaders. Our main concern was the new composting and yard waste schedule could confuse residents and possibly lead to a reduced interest in new members joining the compost program. Therefore, DandeLions Digital began by assessing the pilot program’s communication plan and transformed it to be inclusive of all community members, including those who had no understanding of composting.
Over a period of a few weeks, DandeLions Digital used the approved communication plans to reorganize and refresh Media’s Public Works website, create personalized mailers, FAQ flyers for residents, issued a new and comprehensive sanitation guide including an informative and easy to read schedule/map, and launched informational content on social media and in the monthly newsletter. The Borough, with the help of their own video team, also created a 3-minute video for residents to view and revisit on their website to encourage participation.
A year later, we can report that the number of people composting has doubled from 200 residents participating in the pilot program, to over 500! Media is also happy to announce that in 2022, finished compost will be made available (and free) to Borough residents four times a year. Since its full launch, Media has become a local pioneer for other local municipalities. Many others have reached out for advice and best practices on how to create their own composting program.
“Media Borough is at the forefront in municipal zero waste initiatives and it was a pleasure to work with them on the food composting program’s borough wide launch. Adding another component to the already busy schedule of trash, recycling, yard waste, ewaste and hazardous waste collection schedules could have been confusing for residents, but I think we were able to sort it out and make it as clear as possible, resulting in good participation rates from residents”, states company founder, Linda Rooney.
Borough Manager, Brittany Forman, sees Linda and her team as integral partners in municipal communications. “We [Media Borough] appreciate the work of DandeLions Digital. Linda is a thought-leader in our industry. She leads our external communications across various platforms and is truly a strategic partner. She stays ahead of changing laws and helps us create transparency within our community.”