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18 • Foth Infrastructure & Environment, LLC March 2014 schools and businesses. The relatively low dot ranking priority for the other issues (resource recovery, source reduction and reuse, bulky waste management, landfilling, and managing other problem materials) is more a reflection of the intensity placed on the highly favored strategies related to solid waste collection services and not so much a comment the other issues lack support. All of the strategies in the outline are important elements of the overall Solid Waste Management Plan, but Open House participants may consider these other lower priority issues as something the City should deal with in the longer-term. 8.2 Environmental Protection The community strongly believes in environmental protection. The Bloomington Comprehensive Plan (2008) clearly indicates the City’s history of support for sustainable practices including protection of natural resources and open spaces. The highly engaged and committed volunteers within resident groups such as the Master Recyclers and Composters and the PARC Commission are another indication of community support for sustainability issues such as improved solid waste management. These values were clearly emphasized by participants in the community engagement activities to-date. Environmental protection was a common theme reflected in many of the conversations, responses to surveys and in the comments on the draft goals and outline of strategies. 8.3 Organized Collection The participants in the community engagement process to-date were overwhelmingly supportive of organized solid waste collection as a critical aspect of Bloomington’s future solid waste management efforts. Over and over, participants expressed a desire for fewer trucks in their neighborhoods, less noise, fewer road impacts, more safety and more organized and coordinated waste education and service delivery. There were very few comments supporting continuation of the current open system of trash and recycling collections. The meeting with the City’s licensed trash haulers and their comments at the first Open House provided important balance as another perspective on the organized collection issue. Each hauling company may have a different opinion about how the City should proceed on this issue, but in general the haulers expressed support for the existing open hauling system. Also, City Council members have expressed an interest in exploring how any change to organized collection could be fair and equitable to existing haulers. Finally, the National Citizen Survey of Bloomington residents clearly indicated a strong majority of respondents are satisfied with solid waste, recycling and yard services provided within the City. 8.4 Educational Opportunities In meetings and in surveys, respondents expressed the belief that increased education efforts are needed to achieve the proposed goals and draft strategies for improved solid waste management. Specific target audience’s recommendations include: school classes, park and athletic field users, multiple unit housing residents, businesses and other residents. Volunteer efforts, however, such as the Master Recyclers and Composters group, have provided some community education. There was significant support for enhanced City-produced recycling and composting-specific articles in the Briefing, in addition to the broad environmental articles that are a staple of the publication.