Tompkins County recycling staff report strong customer survey results, outline permit and service changes

Tompkins County recycling staff told the Planning, Energy and Environmental Quality Committee on March 10 that a customer survey conducted March–May 2024 found high satisfaction and helped identify operational fixes.

Department communications specialist Kasana Milton said the department received 684 survey responses overall and narrowed analysis to 415 responses from people who interacted directly with the office, scale house or in-person staff. "We ended up getting 684 responses, which was lovely to see. However, some of these responses were not quite in alignment with what we were doing in our office… So we adjusted the survey answer responses to 415 as our sample size," Milton said. She added that 92% of those respondents rated themselves satisfied or very satisfied with the department’s service and 91% said the reason for their visit was effectively addressed.

The survey identified items for improvement the department has since begun addressing. Milton described several operational changes: permit processing at the office now requires only a license-plate number and ID (whereas previously the vehicle registration was required if applying in person), expanded use of a second customer window to reduce wait times, increased customer-service training, and eliminating a confusing two-coupon system for vehicle drop-offs in favor of a single coupon. "So now it's license plate and your ID," Milton said of the in-office permit change, adding that the change has reduced repeat trips for residents.

Committee members asked about service gaps the survey highlighted. Milton said public confusion centered on where to find household-hazardous-waste (HHW) guidance and the timing of HHW drop-off events; the department holds six HHW days each year and will work to make that schedule more prominent online and in-office. Milton also said callers asked about items that are hard to dispose of and that the department will fold clearer guidance into an upcoming "Back to Basics" public-information campaign that explains what happens to recycling and how to dispose of special items.

On materials acceptance, staff said the county currently accepts commonly marketable plastics (Nos. 1, 2 and 5) and that nonmarketable plastics received at the recycling facility are routed to residue or trash. Customers asked about plastic film collection; Milton said film return programs that existed in 2021 at some stores have changed and the county would like to restore a convenient local option if markets and logistics allow.

Milton also summarized other recent and planned department activities: a Reuse RFP is under review, the county submitted its 2024 household hazardous-waste grant application, and the county has taken in 53 tons of material year-to-date from city-coordinated encampment cleanups (the city pays the county to accept that material). Committee members asked whether that tonnage contained organics or soil; Milton said the loads typically include trash and some soil or gravel from loader-assisted cleanups.

Committee members and staff said the survey’s findings — high overall satisfaction coupled with specific clarity and access problems — give the department direction for modest near-term changes and longer-term outreach work. "Back to basics includes just, you know, what happens to your recycling…so that residents can more, have more understanding of what their part is in that role," Milton said.

The committee did not take formal action on the presentation. The department requested no immediate county funding changes in the meeting; it signaled it will continue program improvements and outreach and will update the committee as grant or operations work proceeds.