A successful program isn't only about a strong idea, or plan to "scale up" but recognizing where you fall flat and creating a plan to overcome it. For me, most of the time the answer is a "who": Who do I know that will do this better? Who has the skills or network? Who is willing to touch other people's trash?
Starting with Hillel, while being a great place to jump start the program, came with a few constraints that prevented TerraCycle from realizing it's fullest potential. Working with such a specific group of students on campus made it difficult to branch out and gain traction with other groups on campus, especially environmental ones. Trash just wasn't on their radar, they were busy with transportation, energy and hooping on the quad haha. We were ready to grow, but how? Or rather...who?
We wanted to grow big and grow fast. Our first approach for a partner was the campus Office of Sustainability. They were super into the idea and loved the initiative at a student level. But, could not condone the activity on campus- period. Sustaina-office say wha? Because the contract they had with the waste collection company was based on tonnage picked up, they were not allowed to diverge waste, at all. Meaning, any diversion of waste from normal garbage/recycling was a breech of the contract. They explained they were having the same problem with the Game Day recycling program they were trying to implement during football games. And in one email, my dreams of the first college campus to have a fully integrated TerraCycle program blew up in smoke... This was actually a blessing in disguise, because I don't think we would have had the capacity as students to deal with that much trash.
Then came Anna who glowed with "what if possibilities": Partner small to gain big. Anna, who was a part of the Equestrian club on campus, got them to partner with us. In an instant, our reach doubled. Then, as a member of the Marching Virginians don't laugh, I got to go to all the games and Bowl games for free...it was awesome... I started collecting pop tart wrappers and chip bags from our game day breakfast & lunches. We're talking 300+ chip bags every home game. And finally, we partnered with the local one screen movie house downtown for candy wrappers. With our three major partners, we tripled our intake, extended our network and educated more students on TerraCycle and waste streams. Now partnerships can be difficult, and delicate, but these worked because we got them all on board with the mission and stuck to the script. Does celebratory dance for strong community partnerships! With a small trash collecting army behind me, we had grown the program to noteworthy size. It's all about the 'who'.
All this talking and partnering meant I was thinking, talking or doing TerraCycle pretty much constantly, man, did I ever go to class? Trash Obsession checklist: You've recruited a small dedicated group to be elbow deep in trash the day before finals start every semester because you've convinced them it's cathartic, Check. You're walking around campus and strangers are handing you TerraCycle'able trash, Check. You're in a meeting completely unrelated to TerraCycle yet you bring it up when you notice the snacks are in wrappers you're collecting, Check. You fill half your suitcase with TC trash during your service trip to New Orleans, Check. You're introduced to new people as, "Oh yea, this is Rachel, the Trash Girl," Check. Hashtag no shame.
One day, one of my friends asked, "Couldn't we collect something that didn't encourage us to eat so much junk?" And, as on cue as a "Let's Go" being answered with a "Hokies" meaning, right on cue for those non Hokie Nation-ers, TerraCycle announced its partnership with Solo...
Check in next week for a post about our most successful (and dirtiest) brigade.
Things we were collecting: cookie, candy, chip, energy bar wrappers
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