Solid Waste Division’s outreach to the Spanish-speaking community received two awards from the Puget Sound chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) at its annual Totem Awards Celebration February 6.

The Recicla más. ¡Es facilísimo! Spanish language curbside recycling program received two certificates of excellence this year. One certificate is for radio advertising, multicultural communication category, in which the radio ad was recognized for its research into the audience needs and identification of cultural elements which would resonate with the audience, making the radio ad groundbreaking in its approach. 

The second certificate of excellence in community relations, government category, was awarded to SWD for the Recicla Mas program design. The program uses research on audience needs and knowledge to form the framework of the program, incorporates community based social marketing tactics (recruiting and training Spanish language education advocates, Facilitadoras de Reciclaje, who are leaders in their community, Culturally resonant web content, Hispanic media partnerships), and includes Hispanic/Latino community members in planning, implementation and program design improvements. These tactics comprise the essentials of culturally competent education outreach program design.

“The King County recycling campaign in 2013 was one of the best experiences I have had working at KKMO and I’ve seen a lot of valuable information communicated to our community about how they can save the future environment of our region and the planet,” said Edgar Solares, General Sales Manager for local Spanish-language radio station KKMO. “I hope King County continues to provide this information to pass to the new generations.”

Recicla más. ¡Es facilísimo! will begin its fourth year in 2014 by expanding the  Facilitadoras de Reciclaje, updating and adding to web content, continuing the Hispanic media partnership begun in 2013 and incorporating community liaisons in long term project design advocacy and planning.