From Jenna Franklin, Strategic Communications Advisor with Seattle Public Utilities:
Seattle Public Utilities is looking for a few good candidates to appoint to the Seattle Public Utilities Garbage, Recycling, Yard and Food Waste Community Advisory Committee.
Candidates from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply to become community advisors — committee members advise the utility on how to increase program offerings, reach the Seattle’s recycling goals, and provide better customer education and information.
“We hope the open slots attract a varied group of candidates, committee members reflect on the many issues the utility and its ratepayers face, and that includes a variety of operational, economic, social, environmental, and language issues,†said Program Manager Aurora Mendoza, it’s so important to have a mix of people that can represent the diverse perspectives and concerns of the wider community.
From discussions on utility policies, business strategies and performance goals to conversations centered on operational issues, language translation and environmental justice, the committee spends 6-8 hours a month examining the utility’s ability to deliver services that meet the needs of Seattle and the people who live here.
Committee member should have interest in conservation or environmental issues, waste reduction, community outreach, utility operations, or public affairs. To apply, please fill out a Citizen Advisory application online at www.seattle.gov/util/cac. For additional information about participating contact Aurora Mendoza, Program Manager, at (206) 733-9687
In addition to providing a reliable water supply to more than 1.3 million customers in the Seattle metropolitan area, SPU provides essential sewer, drainage, solid waste and engineering services that safeguard public health, maintain the city’s infrastructure and protect, conserve and enhance the region’s environmental resources.
They really do need to reach out to non-native speakers. They’ve made recycling just about as easy as it could possibly be (to those who know about the current policies). Yet I recently drove by a backyard where someone was burning cardboard boxes in a little barbecue fire. I’m assuming there’s a language barrier and they just don’t realize how easy it is to recycle them instead.
I don’t think it’s a language barrier – all circulars are published in seven languages, and the SPU call center has a language bank. I think it’s just a cultural thing. The people who owned our house before us, who were born in the US and spoke fluent English, burned their trash in the fireplace.