March/April 1991
Even small companies can--and should--establish effective community relations programs.
By Evelyn L. Haught
Evelyn L. Haught is director of public relations for the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries ( Washington , D.C. ).
Scrap recycling companies of all sizes should pursue public relations activities on an ongoing basis. Through effective public relations, the world outside our company door ' s discovers who we are, what we do, and why we are important to the community--all of which are essential to the scrap recycling industry in today's climate of public concern for the environment.
Many scrap company executives complain that, even though they are the original recyclers who helped conserve natural resources long before anyone used the word “recycling,” the public is not even aware that they exist. Some react angrily when the scrap industry is noticed only because of occasional environmental problems that periodically plague most industrial operations. It's disheartening to be perceived as junk dealers rather than recyclers.
To change these impressions, the scrap recycling industry must educate the public on a national scale about the industry's work, its economic and environmental contributions, and its commitment to serving the public good. The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) offers a variety of materials to help get these messages out, but the ultimate achievement of this goal depends on the individual efforts of every recycling company--large and small--in pursuing its own community relations program.
Start With a Plan
All of us can dream about reaching out to the public, we can talk about it, we can say we believe in its value, but unless we commit ourselves to specific programs and objectives through a planned approach, we are unlikely ever to get a single public relations activity off the ground. How then can a scrap recycling company, particularly a small operation with few employees and little or no public relations experience, mount a community relations program?
Developing a written plan is the most important step. It will enable a company to decide what activities to participate in, how and when to do so, how much it will cost, and what results to expect.
Many businesses either fail to develop a plan at all or create such a demanding plan that they weary at the thought of putting it into practice. Therefore, the ideal plan for a company new to public relations is one that thinks small--enabling the company to accomplish what it set out to do.
One simple plan most scrap companies could enact requires involvement in just two activities a year: sponsoring a recycling education program in a local elementary school and participating in a community recycling fair.
To pursue the first activity, a company would select a school, meet with the principal, and offer to provide teaching materials for classes. In addition, a company representative could offer to give classroom presentations on recycling at designated dates throughout the school year. Such a program is relatively inexpensive and within the budgets of most small companies--and it's certainly a bargain compared with paid advertising.
The expected result? Parents as well as teachers and students would become aware of the company's environmental activities, getting ???? message of its longstanding role in recycling.
Similar results might be attained through the second activity. With ever-increasing public awareness of the value of recycling, many communities sponsor at least one recycling fair a year to expand public understanding of and participation in recycling. Such events are often held at schools, libraries, or other convenient locations and can be an economical way to introduce concerned members of the community to the scrap recycling industry's abilities.
??????itself to integrating public relations into its regular business activities, it will discover that it has developed a network of support in the community, an invaluable asset if un-?????
A Public Relations Responsibility
The scrap industry as a whole must become more visible and more widely viewed as an essential and experienced part of the nation's recycling efforts. This can only happen if every scrap recycling company demonstrates its professional commitment to recycling and its responsible operating activities to the public. Therefore, a company must include a line item for public relations in its annual operating budget, and it must develop a plan--no matter how simple--to ensure that it will implement a public relations program this year.
Today, no scrap recycler can afford to ignore public relations. If a company commits itself to integrating public relations into its regular business activities, it will discover that it has developed a network of support in the community, an invaluable asset if unfavorable events ever occur. In such cases, if the citizens in the community are aware of the company's positive image, they will not assume the firm is "guilty as charged" when allegations are made against it.
Public relations aims to spread understanding of a company's activities. When pursued sincerely and consistently, it will make friends for the company as well as the entire scrap recycling industry.
ISRI Stresses PR
ISRI has developed many public relations materials to assist in image and identity building for its member companies and the recycling industry as a whole.
Some of the most popular materials are three basic commodity brochures, which describe recycling of scrap iron and steel, nonferrous metals, and paper.
The association has created materials to help teach school children about recycling. An illustrated brochure called "The Scrap Map" provides an introduction to scrap recycling. The materials can be particularly useful to companies that include school visits in their public relations efforts.
The cover of ReMA's newest brochure asks "Who is making a world of difference for our world?" and then emphatically answers this question with dramatic photos and statistics on the amount of recyclables--including common items--member companies handle annually. ReMA suggests companies send this publication to every newspaper and television and radio station m their communities with a cover letter from the company president offering to serve as a local authority on recycling when the media pursue such stories.
ISRI has designed its PR brochures to fit into standard business-size envelopes to accompany letters a scrap recycler might send to municipal, state, and federal government officials and others interested in business development, trade, and environmental issues related to recycling. In addition, most of the brochures include space for companies to imprint their name, logo, and address.
ISRI members also can rent floor and tabletop exhibits for recycling fairs and other public events. Each features three large photographs highlighting the recycling of ferrous and nonferrous metals and paper. They include shelves for handout literature and additional space for placement of a prominent company sign. Rental cost: $120 for the floor model and $100 for the tabletop, plus shipping costs.
ReMA's 1989 "Public Relations Guide for the Scrap Recycling Industry" provides a blueprint for a broad PR program. It describes the development of a public relations program, advertising, community relations activities, basic press relations, publicity tools such as fact sheets and news releases, selection of outside public relations counsel, special events, PR costs, photography, and crisis public relations. This book advises how to respond to calls from the media and how to avoid comment without creating additional public relations problems. It is specifically tailored to the issues the scrap industry faces.•
For pricing and ordering information on any of these materials, contact ReMA's public relations department at 202/466-4050.
Even small companies can--and should--establish effective community relations programs.