Public information is founded on the principle that the public must have access to information to act responsibly and understand public issues. Public information efforts are most appropriate once a policy has been decided upon and needs to be implemented. Most recycling agencies and haulers already engage in some public information efforts. For example, a hauler adding plastics to recycling pickup can use mailed fact sheets and announcements in the local press at the beginning of the program to inform customers of the new recycling opportunity. A second set of fact sheets and news releases three months into the program can be used to inform customers about the success of the program and encourage recycling by those not yet participating.
Public education is a more intensive form of public information.
By pulling audiences into active consideration of a problem, public education points the way for people to devise actions that will address a particular problem or set of problems. Public Involvement Public involvement is the process of seeking out, considering, and addressing public opinions and a range of public perspectives in the decision-making process. Public involvement emphasizes citizen participation at the key decision points in the life of a project. A public involvement campaign typically has several components that together create a variety of paths for the dissemination and collection of information. For example, the Snohomish County Solid Waste Management Division chose to use a multi-faceted public involvement process to help identify and condense a list of potential sites for a solid waste transfer facility.