Let me tell you about my big blue can.

No, no … not THAT kind of can. (And mine ain’t blue, thank you very much

As you know, I love smart thinking. It inspires me on all levels, creative and otherwise. It also helps to boost my problem-solving acumen. The trick is to see the smarter thinking that’s all around us.

Today’s case in point? My big, blue, brand-new recycling can from the county. Let’s take a look at the issues:

• Problem: Too much recyclable product going into the trash
• Solution: Increase the number of households to recycle.
• Challenge: People say they want to recycle but it’s a major hassle. Why a hassle? Not enough info on which products can be recycled. Bins are too small and can be icky to handle. Hard to drag the overflowing mess to the curb.
• Solution: Provide households with a HUGE, lidded-can with wheels with easy-to-read and understanding labeling on the top. And no more sorting, bagging. Dump everything into one neat place.

Voila! Immediately improved compliance. The difference in one week in my own neighborhood was astounding.

I read that one of the county directors had read that simply adding wheels to the recycle bin significantly boosted recycling compliance in the community that was testing different consumer strategies. A good idea was made better by making the can larger and lidded.

The key here? People want to do the right thing but won’t if it’s hard. By reducing the pain of recycling the county gets an immediate and major gain in compliance.

So what’s the lesson to be learned here? Remove the obstacles for our prospects and customers. Make it easier for them to change brands, give our product/service a try, or consider a new way of doing something they’ve been reluctant to do.

Remember, we don’t have to get them to YES. We just have to get them to “Sure, why not.” It’s the latter that’s moving me as well as my neighbors to recycle more of our household waste.

Like I said, I love smart thinking. If you have an example of smart thinking that has inspired you, too, I’ve love to hear it!