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Environmental Protection	***""**"
Agency
SUMMARY REPORT:
CURBSIDE DISPOSAL EDUCATION
CAMPAIGN PILOT
MAY 2022
EPA-842-S-22-001

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The Curbside Disposal Education Campaign Pilot took place from July 2020 to May
2021 in Washington, D.C., through a partnership between the EPA's Trash Free Waters
Program (TFW) and the local District government, including the D.C. Mayor's Office of
the Clean City (MOCC), D.C. Department of Public Works (DPW), and D.C. Department
of Energy and Environment (DOEE). The primary goal of this initiative was to educate
residents about proper waste containment and encourage behavioral changes to reduce
unintentional leakage associated with curbside municipal trash collection.
A total of 8,000 DPW-serviced, single-family homes in four target neighborhoods were
selected to receive a campaign sticker. The sticker (see Appendix A, Figure 1)
articulated four simple actions to reduce unintentional trash spillage associated with
curbside disposal:
1)	Keep lid closed and do not overflow the can.
2)	Bag your trash before putting it in the can.
3)	Place trash in can outside shortly before pickup.
4)	Call 311 or visit 311 .dc.gov for assistance with cans needing repair or
replacement.
The sticker slogan "Cleaner communities and waterways start here" was chosen to
connect clean, healthy neighborhoods and nearby waterways and appeal to local pride
and a sense of community. Stickers were accompanied by material explaining the
campaign's purpose and a quick guide outlining how to apply the sticker to a municipal
trash can lid for a point-of-contact reminder about best practices (see Appendix A,
Figures 2 and 3).
To assess impact measurement, weekly litter scoring was conducted along 1 -mile
representative routes in each of the four target neighborhoods (see Appendix B, Figure
4) for the 11 weeks leading up to sticker distribution and the 11 weeks following
distribution. Project partners also used these representative routes to collect weekly
data on compliance with the four specific recommendations outlined on the stickers. For
comparison purposes, the above data collection took place along control blocks within
each of the target neighborhoods consisting of households that did not receive a
campaign sticker. After sticker distribution, the total number of stickers applied to cans
along the 1-mile routes was also counted.
A differences-in-differences model was used to measure the impact of the campaign on
several data indicators. Our analysis suggests that this educational campaign had
an overall positive impact on the target communities. In particular, there was a
statistically significant reduction overflowing cans counted along data collection routes
in all four target neighborhoods. There was also a statistically significant reduction in the
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number of overflowing and open cans combined in the four neighborhoods (see
Appendix C, Figure 5).
Project partners conducted a complimentary analysis on 311 requests - a telephone
and online portal wherein District residents may contact District employees to address
issues such as trash can repair and replacement, alley cleaning, etc. This was to
determine if there was an increase in trash can repair and replacement requests (as
well as other types of services and information) in the targeted neighborhoods after
sticker distribution, as prompted by the fourth sticker recommendation. Our analysis
suggests that the education program increased effect by +2.2 percentage points across
the four target neighborhoods (see Appendix C, Figure 6). More service requests were
submitted in the four target neighborhoods compared to the District average in several
categories: alley cleaning, bulk collection, recycling cart repair, rodent inspection and
treatment, sanitation enforcement, and supercan delivery.
Sanitation enforcement was the most impacted 311 service type requested in the target
neighborhoods after treatment compared to the District average, with a +9.2 degree of
change (see Appendix C, Figure 6). This could mean that after being informed by the
campaign sticker, residents were able to take action and promote better behaviors from
their neighbors by reporting improper disposal of solid waste and cans left in alleyways
and street fronts during inappropriate times.
A total of 109 maximum stickers were counted by project partners along the 1-mile
representative neighborhood routes. We can extrapolate this to assume more than 10%
of households that received the campaign materials applied the sticker to their trash
cans. Despite this relatively small sticker application rate, project partners viewed this
as a successful reach rate compared to other District canvassing efforts, and
considering limitations brought by the Coronavirus pandemic, they believe the initial
results of the campaign are promising. In addition, the treatment group size of this
project was only around 1,022 homes. If sticker distribution increased to even a fifth of
D.C. DPW-serviced households (105,000 homes), it could translate to an impressive
impact on the city and could drive even more statistically significant results.
For a more thorough review of the methodology, findings, and recommendations
of this pilot campaign to better inform the successful adaptation and adoption of
a similar approach in other interested communities, please read the entire case
study report.
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APPENDIX A: Distribution Materials
Cleaner communities
and waterways
start here
C:
lid closed and do not overfill the can.
if Keep
i
Place trash in can outside shortly before pickup.
0
Bag your trash before putting it in the can.
(Do not bag recyclables; place items loose in your blue can.)
Call 311 or visit 311.dc.gov for assistance
with cans needing repair or replacement.
®TrashFreoDC
cleancity.dc.gov
zerowaste.dc.gov

$	cfmuqIfi bowscTmayor
In partnership with the U.S. EPA's Trash Free Waters program
www.epa.gov/trash-free-waters
Figure 1. The Curb side Disposal Education Pilot Project campaign sticker design, distributed to 8,000 Washington,
D.C. households.
How to apply your sticker:

Clean: Clean the lid of the trash can with a mild cleaner
and allow to dry.

Peel: Carefully peel off the backing from this sticker.

Apply: Place your decal on the lid of the trash can. Start at
one end, guiding the sticker to slowly fall into position.

Flatten: Use a squeegee or credit card to remove
the air bubbles.

Figure 2 Graphic on the back of the sticker with directions on how to properly apply the sticker on a can.
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Hello, Neighbor!
We know you want to keep your community and
local waterways clean, and this free sticker can help.
Please place it on your green trash can lid as a reminder
about how to properly dispose of trash.
Mayor Bowser's Office of the Clean City has partnered with the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Trash Free Waters Program
to reduce the amount of trash falling onto our neighborhood streets
and sidewalks. Trashthat spills on streets and sidewalks attracts rats
and other pests. It can also be carried by water or wind into our
sewers and ultimately wind up in local rivers and streams.
The attached sticker lists a few simple steps you can take to help
keep your localcommunity and waterways free from trash.
To read more about how you can help keep your community clean,
please visit the Mayor's Office of the Clean City at cleancity.dc.gov
or zerowaste.dc.gov, and follow *TrashFreeDC on social media.
Figure 3. Presentation card with slots to hold the educational sticker in place.
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APPENDIX B: Data Collection
Figure 4. Map showcasing estimated sticker distribution areas (blue shapes) and 1-mile representative data collection
routes (underlying purple lines) in the pilot's four target neighborhoods.
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APPENDIX C: Findings
Neighborhood
Metric
Magnitude
Direction
Significant

Litter Index
-0.395
1
Yes

Brightwood
Score
Brightwood
Open Cans
-1.286
1
Yes

Overflowing +
-1.640
1
Yes
Brightwood
Open Cans

Overflowing
-2.616
1
Yes*
Park View
Cans

Overflowing +
-3.769
1
Yes
Park View
Open Cans
Combined (All
Overflowing
-1.364
1
Yes
Neighborhoods)
Cans
Combined (All
Overflowing +
-2.159
1
Yes
Neighborhoods)
Open Cans
Figure 5. Table of statistically significant findings from difference-in-differences regression analysis for average litter
index score and number of overflowing and/or open cans observed during data collection before and after treatment.
(*=Only statistically significant in the fixed effects model.)
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Service Request
Brightwood
Rosedale
Kingman
Park
View
Trinidad
Across
Service
Totals
Average
Number of
Requests
Per Month
Alley Cleaning
13.9
-7.1
-18.0
-0.4
3.1
60-82
Bulk Collection
-4.2
-5.9
3.1
6.2
0.9
608-744
Rat Replacement
Containers
98.4
56.8
-51.1
31.2
-1.4
1-10
Recycling Cart -
Repair
-51.1
-5.2
51.7
32.3
14.9
6-8
Recycling Cart
Delivery
-32.4
-8.3
-55.9
-22.6
-24.3
30-46
Rodent Inspection
and Treatment
14.5
9.7
3.4
11.3
8.2
120-152
Sanitation
Enforcement
22.9
37.2
-3.3
11.2
9.2
59-104
Supercan -
Delivery
11.8
146.5
-24.8
-18.1
5.5
33-38
Supercan - Repair
53.2
4.0
6.5
160.3
-5.6
5-16
Trash Cart -
Delivery
-17.1
-24.1
-33.0
7.4
-13.1
37-51
Trash Cart Repair
18.4
48.9
-66.9
-61.5
-29.6
6-14
Within
Neighborhood
Totals
3.2
0.6
-1.7
5.3
2.2

Average Number
of Requests Per
Month
236-308
176-208
294-361
317-360


Figure 6. This table shows the percentage point change in service requests for the 4 target neighborhoods relative to
the city average, while comparing the treatment period of November 2020-February 2021 to November 2019-
February 2020.
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