Title
Discuss Communication Plan for Recycling Initiative
Summary
COUNCIL GOAL: Operational Excellence
(2B: Balance Available Resources to Accommodate the Growth and Maintenance Needs of the City);
Enhance the Quality of Life on McKinney
(5E: Develop sustainable quality of life improvements in the City of McKinney)
MEETING DATE: June 16, 2026
DEPARTMENT: Public Works
CONTACT: Steve Tilton, Assistant City Manager
Ryan Gillingham, Public Works Director
Eric Hopes, Senior Environmental Services Manager
Sujata Gautam, Sustainability Manager
RECOMMENDED CITY COUNCIL ACTION:
• Receive a presentation and discuss the communications and public engagement plan supporting implementation of the City's residential recycling contamination reduction initiative funded through The Recycling Partnership grant program.
ITEM SUMMARY:
• Review and discuss communication strategies, messaging, implementation timelines, and resident engagement efforts designed to reduce recycling contamination and improve recycling participation.
• Receive an update on the use of smart truck camera technology and targeted outreach efforts to educate residents on proper recycling practices.
• Discuss proposed resident notification materials, including personalized educational postcards informed by contamination data collected during routine recycling operations.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
• The Residential Curbside Recycling Grant Program, administered by The Recycling Partnership (TRP), provides funding to improve recycling infrastructure, education, and contamination reduction efforts.
• Reducing contamination in the residential recycling stream is a key action item identified in the City's adopted Sustainability Roadmap. Contamination increases processing costs, reduces the value of recyclable materials, and can result in otherwise recyclable materials being disposed of as waste.
• In August 2025, the City accepted a $778,000 grant award from The Recycling Partnership to implement a comprehensive recycling contamination reduction strategy.
• Grant funding includes approximately $169,000 for smart truck camera hardware and software implementation, $76,000 for second-year software subscriptions, $333,000 for targeted education and outreach efforts, and $200,000 for a recycling capture study to measure program effectiveness.
• The City purchased and will retain ownership of eleven smart truck cameras that are being installed on Frontier Waste recycling collection vehicles. The system will identify contamination in residential recycling carts and provide data to support targeted education and outreach efforts.
• The communications and outreach component is a critical element of the program and will use contamination data and resident education to improve recycling behaviors, increase participation, and reduce contamination throughout the City's residential recycling program.
• This presentation provides City Council with a status update on project implementation and highlights the communication strategies being developed to support the City's contamination reduction goals.
FINANCIAL SUMMARY:
• N/A
BOARD OR COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION:
• N/A