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Q&A
Lessons learned from Queens Central Zone outreach and implementation
0:59:25
ยท
159 sec
Council Member Abreu asks about the lessons DSNY has learned from implementing the Queens Central Zone. DSNY officials detail their extensive outreach efforts and the challenges they faced in getting businesses to sign up.
- DSNY conducted door-to-door outreach, sent mailers and flyers, made phone calls, and provided translations in dominant languages
- Despite extensive outreach, sign-up rates remained low (1-2% weekly) until the last 6-8 weeks before implementation
- Sign-up rates increased significantly (5-10% weekly) as the deadline approached
- The experience highlights the importance of deadlines and enforcement in driving compliance
Shaun Abreu
0:59:25
So that's pretty high compliance on payment you would say right?
0:59:31
Considering the huge number of businesses that had to be assigned, what lessons about commercial way zones outreach has the SNY learned from the implementation of the Queen Central Zone?
0:59:44
So
Frank Marshall
0:59:48
chair, we the department, we went to the zone.
0:59:53
We physically knocked on every door of every known establishment in the zone.
0:59:58
We've sent out mailers.
1:00:00
We sent flyers.
1:00:02
We made phone calls all urging them to sign up with an authorized CWZ Carter.
1:00:09
We had all the dominant languages in the zone translated.
1:00:14
The department did everything within its power except for actual signed the contracts on behalf of the customers.
1:00:23
And that's I believe is to the commissioner's point earlier where we did extensive outreach, extensive outreach, multiple conversations, visited the establishments multiple times.
1:00:37
I don't know if it's just human nature, but it appears as though until it was near the end of the implementation period, is that when businesses began to sign and needle moved.
1:00:50
So I think what we've learned is that no matter how extensive our outreach was, it didn't move the needle in regards to sign ups.
1:01:00
We received like 1% sign ups like on a weekly basis, 2% sign ups.
1:01:03
And then once we reached like the last six to eight weeks, it jumped to 5% per week, 10%, that type of fluctuation.
Shaun Abreu
1:01:10
I hate to bring it back to the compost thing but I'm going to.
1:01:14
I think your position that folks are starting to comply as closer they get to the deadline, it speaks to the power of a deadline and the power of enforcement, right?
1:01:27
And when you take away deadlines like it doesn't impact behavior so I if the if the if the department held itself to held that same view when it came to composting it just I find there to be a little bit of inconsistency there because I know the commission testified that the closer to the deadline that's why you truncated it from four months to two months, you saw that compliance skyrocket the closer you get to the effective date.
1:01:51
And right now there is no effective date for for the composting side.
1:01:54
So I just want to say that there's a little bit of an inconsistency there.
1:01:58
How has DSNY made assessments of awardees equipment needs in order to begin service in Queen Central?