Contamination Communication Strategies

The Town of Gilbert is a fast-growing community in the East Valley of the Phoenix Metro Area with a population of over 270,000 residents who are eager to have a positive impact on their community. The Public Works Department Solid Waste & Recycling and Environmental Compliance Divisions are interested in exploring new, innovative communication strategies to more effectively connect solid and hazardous waste to stormwater pollution prevention. Hazardous waste impacts both Divisions as it contaminates solid waste trucks that pick up waste in Town-provided bins, costing the Town additional funds and resources to mitigate contamination. Additionally, improperly disposed hazardous waste often includes liquids or heavy metals that may leach out of waste bins, trucks, or landfills during rain events, which carries the materials into waterways untreated. To address communication challenges around these issues, graduate students studying technical communication collaborated with the Solid Waste & Recycling Services and Environmental Compliance teams to propose content and formats for communicating these messages to a variety of resident audiences, as well as propose methods to effectively distribute this information throughout the Town of Gilbert.