Composite Character Profile
Doubtful Don/Dawn?
- Doubtful Don is a skeptic through and through. He values the truth and seeks concrete evidence about everything, sometimes to the level of extremes (i.e. the moon landing and vaccines…). Rumors and false narratives about the process and outcomes of sorting your waste (absorbed from his media outlets of choice) have led him to this level of distrust. Don thinks he’s seen it all, and in his old age is one tough cookie to crack. As they say, old habits die hard.
- At the same time, Don is no fool and has seen the inconsistencies in waste systems. More than once he’s witnessed waste haulers dumping the contents of recycling dumpsters (which cost money to have as a service!) in with the day’s trash. This has reinforced his belief that waste-sorting is like this everywhere and that the whole “recycling” thing is just one big, money-sucking, time-consuming ploy. Don is suffering from what is commonly known as a “crisis of faith,” and if not properly treated will lead to a death spiral of doomism.
- If only Don could see behind the curtain of waste processing and management on a local, state, national and even global scale, maybe he would realize that there is a reason (proven by science!) for sorting his waste properly and all the benefits that comes from doing so. With education and exposure, starting with how waste is handled in Don’s deeply beloved local community, Don might be well on his way to a less pessimistic outlook on sorting waste.
Potential Point of View Statements
Seeing is Believing
Doubtful Don needs some enlightenment via exposure! Don is a skeptic who refuses to believe without direct personal experience. So what better way to convince him of recycling’s rightfulness than to let him see it with his own two eyes! Perhaps an in-person or virtual tour of his city’s waste processsing facilities would do the trick, or maybe hearing from a garbage truck driver about their day’s work!
One Bad Apple Doesn’t Spoil the Bunch
Doubtful Don needs to see the bigger picture! Don’s one bad encounter with a wrongly-treated recycling dumpster has been the one thing he’s been basing his impression of waste-sorting off of for years. But time’s are changing, and with that has come a new level of accountability and precision in waste sorting! Don needs to be updated on the modern technologies that exist for sorting waste, reusing recycled materials, and managing waste sorting at large scales.
Consistency is Key
Doubtful Don needs a transparent, logical course of action for waste-sorting that is consistent from start to end to alleviate his suspicions about his added effort, and the additional efforts of all the stakeholders involved, going to waste (no pun intended). A step-by-step guide/roadmap/timeline for recycling that highlights the overall, high level process, along with any local specifications and their justifications, would be a great start for Don to see his part in the journey/timeline of waste.
Selected Point of View Statement
Consistency is Key
Doubtful Don needs a transparent, logical course of action for waste-sorting that is consistent from start to end to alleviate his suspicions about his added effort, and the additional efforts of all the stakeholders involved, going to waste (no pun intended). A step-by-step guide/roadmap/timeline for recycling that highlights the overall, high level process, along with any local specifications and their justifications, would be a great start for Don to see his part in the journey/timeline of waste.