Communications guidance
Improving recycling through
effective communications
WRAP helps individuals, businesses and
local authorities to reduce waste and
recycle more, making better use of
resources and helping to tackle climate
change.
Document reference: WRAP, 2013, Improving recycling through effective communications, Report prepared by WRAP
Banbury, WRAP
Written by: Gareth Morton and Lucy Cross
WRAP believe the content of this report to be correct as at the date of writing. However, factors such as prices, levels of recycled content and regulatory requirements are
subject to change and users of the report should check with their suppliers to confirm the current situation. In addition, care should be taken in using any of the cost
information provided as it is based upon numerous project-specific assumptions (such as scale, location, tender context, etc.).
The report does not claim to be exhaustive, nor does it claim to cover all relevant products and specifications available on the market. While steps have been taken to
ensure accuracy, WRAP cannot accept responsibility or be held liable to any person for any loss or damage arising out of or in connection with this information being
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web site: www.wrap.org.uk
Contents
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 6
How to use this guide ......................................................................................................................7
1.0
Background ................................................................................................................................. 9
1.1
Demographics of your area ..................................................................................................9
1.2
Current and proposed services .............................................................................................9
1.3
Waste data and targets...................................................................................................... 10
1.4
Research .......................................................................................................................... 10
1.5
Funding and Support ......................................................................................................... 11
1.6
Planning your Communications ........................................................................................... 12
2.0
Situational Analysis .................................................................................................................. 15
2.1
Analyse your current position ............................................................................................. 15
2.2
Outline where you need to be ............................................................................................ 17
2.3
Explain what you will do to get there .................................................................................. 17
2.4
Planning your Communications ........................................................................................... 18
3.0
Aim and Objectives ................................................................................................................... 20
3.1
Define your aim ................................................................................................................ 20
3.2
Setting objectives .............................................................................................................. 20
3.3
Planning your Communications ........................................................................................... 21
4.0
Target Audience ........................................................................................................................ 22
4.1
All householders ................................................................................................................ 22
4.2
Internal/external groups .................................................................................................... 24
4.2.1
Internal groups ..................................................................................................... 24
4.2.2
External groups .................................................................................................... 25
4.3
Specific groups ................................................................................................................. 25
4.4
Hard to reach/engage ........................................................................................................ 25
4.5
Review lifestyle characteristics ............................................................................................ 26
4.6
Planning your Communications ........................................................................................... 29
5.0
Branding and Message.............................................................................................................. 30
5.1
Visual identity ................................................................................................................... 31
5.2
Tone of voice .................................................................................................................... 32
5.3
Type of message ............................................................................................................... 33
5.4
Planning your Communications ........................................................................................... 34
6.0
Strategy and Communications Methods .................................................................................. 35
6.1
Overall approach ............................................................................................................... 35
6.2
Methods to reach audiences ............................................................................................... 37
6.3
Impact of each method...................................................................................................... 38
6.4
Distribution methods ......................................................................................................... 39
6.5
Planning your Communications ........................................................................................... 40
7.0
Campaign Activities .................................................................................................................. 41
7.1
Individual aims & objectives ............................................................................................... 42
7.2
Communication tactics ....................................................................................................... 43
7.3
Agree Monitoring & Evaluation mechanisms ......................................................................... 43
7.4
Planning your Communications ........................................................................................... 44
8.0
Planning Your Activities ........................................................................................................... 46
8.1
Link with service provision ................................................................................................. 46
8.2
Link with national events ................................................................................................... 46
8.3
Schedule campaign activities .............................................................................................. 47
8.4
Outline indicative costs ...................................................................................................... 47
8.5
Include contingencies ........................................................................................................ 48
8.6
Planning your Communications ........................................................................................... 49
9.0
Monitoring and Evaluation ....................................................................................................... 51
9.1
Overall aims and objectives achieved? ................................................................................. 53
9.2
Individual aims and objectives achieved? ............................................................................. 54
9.3
Review impact of campaign activities .................................................................................. 55
9.4
Determine future activities ................................................................................................. 56
9.5
Planning your Communications ........................................................................................... 57
10.0
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 58
Becoming an Expert No1: Gathering demographic and socio-economic information ....................... 59
Sources of demographic information ............................................................................................... 59
Using demographic information....................................................................................................... 61
Becoming an Expert No2: Listing current and proposed recycling services ...................................... 62
Becoming an Expert No3: Local authority information and data ....................................................... 64
Becoming an Expert No4: Identify potential sources of funding and support ................................... 66
Becoming an Expert No5: PEST and SWOT analysis ......................................................................... 68
Becoming an Expert No6: Setting aims and objectives ....................................................................... 71
Becoming an Expert No7: Setting SMART objectives .......................................................................... 73
Becoming an Expert No8: Identifying and segmenting target audiences ......................................... 75
Audience classification tools............................................................................................................ 76
A Framework for Pro-environmental Behaviours ............................................................................... 78
Recycling barriers and audience segmentation ................................................................................. 78
Becoming an Expert No9: Internal and external groups ..................................................................... 83
Mapping your stakeholders ............................................................................................................. 83
Internal groups ............................................................................................................................. 85
External groups ............................................................................................................................. 88
Becoming an Expert No10: Culturally diverse communities ............................................................... 91
Characteristics of Ethnic Groups ...................................................................................................... 91
Identify your audience ................................................................................................................... 92
More Help and Support ...................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Becoming an Expert No11: Campaign branding and identity.............................................................. 95
The Recycle Now brand.................................................................................................................. 95
Why use Recycle Now? .................................................................................................................. 97
Becoming an Expert No12: Campaign tone of voice ......................................................................... 101
Changing your tone of voice for different target audiences .............................................................. 104
Becoming an Expert No13: Developing campaign messages ........................................................... 106
Primary and secondary messages.................................................................................................. 110
Messages and addressing barriers to recycling ............................................................................... 110
The use and importance of facts and data in messaging ................................................................. 113
Becoming an Expert No14: Communications strategy ...................................................................... 115
Your overall approach .................................................................................................................. 115
Developing your communications strategy ..................................................................................... 115
Choosing the right communications methods ................................................................................. 116
Advertising .................................................................................................................................. 116
PR
117
Direct marketing techniques ......................................................................................................... 118
Community engagement .............................................................................................................. 119
Online 119
Internal communications .............................................................................................................. 119
Selecting your communications mix ............................................................................................... 120
Audience planning ....................................................................................................................... 127
Becoming an Expert No15: Engaging culturally diverse communities in recycling .......................... 128
Communications messages and targeting ...................................................................................... 128
Communications methods ............................................................................................................ 129
Leaflets and Written Material .................................................................................................. 129
Becoming an Expert No16: How communications can support operational activity ....................... 133
Maintaining an existing service ..................................................................................................... 134
Introducing a new service ............................................................................................................ 135
Changing an existing service......................................................................................................... 136
Reducing contamination ............................................................................................................... 136
Promoting ‘drop-off’ sites ............................................................................................................. 137
Becoming an Expert No17: Communications to improve the quality of commingled collections .... 139
Becoming an Expert No18: An overview of different distribution methods ..................................... 143
Becoming an Expert No 19: Campaign Activities ............................................................................... 147
Advertising .................................................................................................................................. 147
PR (Public Relations) .................................................................................................................... 149
Direct marketing techniques ......................................................................................................... 151
Improving recycling through effective communications
4
Community engagement .............................................................................................................. 153
Online/digital communications ...................................................................................................... 155
Social media ............................................................................................................................... 156
Integrating your communications activities .................................................................................... 156
Becoming an Expert No 20: Additional Communications Methods ................................................... 158
Manned opportunities .................................................................................................................. 158
Unmanned advertising opportunities ............................................................................................. 160
Becoming an Expert No21: Maximising Social Media Channels ........................................................ 162
The Basics .................................................................................................................................. 163
More advanced ............................................................................................................................ 170
Do’s and Don’ts of Social Media .................................................................................................... 171
Expert Briefing No22: Communicating for less .................................................................................. 173
Saving money on design and print costs ........................................................................................ 173
PR vs. Advertising ........................................................................................................................ 174
Staff time vs. marketing spend ..................................................................................................... 174
Lower cost versions ..................................................................................................................... 175
Integrated campaigns to maximise OTS ......................................................................................... 175
Using Recycle Now ...................................................................................................................... 175
Link to national events ................................................................................................................. 176
Cost efficiencies from partnership working ..................................................................................... 176
Website 177
Social networking ........................................................................................................................ 177
Becoming an Expert No23: Planning and the benefits of using Gantt charts ................................... 178
How to plan your campaign using a Gantt chart ............................................................................... 178
Working with agencies ................................................................................................................. 183
Becoming an Expert No24: Budgeting and costing campaigns ......................................................... 184
Budgeting and costing campaigns ................................................................................................. 184
Sources of further information ........................................................................................................... 188
Glossary ............................................................................................................................................... 191
Improving recycling through effective communications
5
Introduction
Communications are an integral part of any local authority recycling service. WRAP’s (Waste & Resources Action
Programme’s) latest guidance in The Waste Collection Commitment (www.wrap.org.uk/lacommitment)
sets communications firmly at the heart of any good recycling and waste service. This is based on consumer
feedback on what is considered to be the most important aspects of a waste collection service. In order to
participate fully, residents need to know clearly what their services are, what their service rules are and what
happens to their recycling after it is collected.
This guide is built on WRAP’s experience of running national recycling and waste prevention campaigns, and on
best practice from local authorities throughout the UK. It provides a broad introduction to the issues of
developing a recycling communications strategy and follows WRAP’s communications planning cycle (see page 7)
which provides a methodical approach to campaign planning whether you are:



Getting started with recycling communications
Keeping communications fresh
Expanding an existing campaign to cover new collections or tackle specific issues
The ultimate aim of any recycling communications campaign is to improve recycling performance. WRAP’s
research shows that key to the success of a recycling scheme is a well designed service with good
communications to overcome people’s barriers to participation. At the heart of a successful campaign lies a sound
plan and the benefits of good planning include:



Easier and faster decision making and activity planning under a clearly agreed strategic direction
Creation of clearer messages, ones which are appropriate to and directed at well defined target audiences
Added impact through continuity and consistency as a result of communication activities that build on each
other


Savings in time and money through the integration of activities and clear lines of responsibility
Consistency and clarity of communications with well defined aims and objectives
As well as driving external communications, communication of the plan internally ensures that everyone knows
what is trying to be achieved.
This guide is designed to link into the Recycle Now campaign for England which, since its development in 2004
has done much to change the face of recycling communications by communicating directly with consumers,
providing the national fabric for local communications and giving practical support to local authority campaigns. It
has, along with the expansion of kerbside recycling schemes to nine out of ten households, helped England’s
recycling rate climb from 19% in 2003/04 to over 37% in 2008/09 with the number of committed recyclers
experiencing a corresponding increase, rising in 2009 to 69% of adults. The campaign logo and iconography is in
widespread use by more than 90% of local authorities and the logo is being adopted by an ever-increasing
number of organisations right across industry and commerce – anywhere in fact where recycling messages or
information are being communicated.
Improving recycling through effective communications
6
This guidance makes full use of all the most recent research to provide local authorities with an authoritative and
comprehensive source of information on all aspects of communications planning. It also signposts users to
sources of further sources of information and guidance produced by WRAP on specific subjects such as
monitoring and evaluation.
If you are new to recycling or an old hand, it will have something new that will help you think through the issues
and to plan your next campaign to ensure it achieves the results you and your local authority require.
How to use this guide
This guide is structured in two main sections:

The Essentials – step-by-step guides that take you through the practical tasks at each of the nine stages of
the planning cycle. At the end of each chapter in this section there is an examples from a typical
communication plan, which used the WRAP communications planning template, entitled ‘planning your
communications’. This aims to demonstrate a small part of the content from a communications plan and how
it could be written and developed.

Becoming an Expert – detailed explanation of some of the key concepts raised in each Essentials section
Each chapter is designed to be used as a whole, or as key concepts as required so you don’t need to read
everything from start to finish – just dip in to the relevant section and use what you need.
There is also a detailed Glossary at the end of the guide with definitions of all the key terms.
Improving recycling through effective communications
7
Improving recycling through effective communications
8
1.0
Background
Identify where you are
This section looks at the information you need to gather to assess your current position and carry out a
situational analysis (the next stage of the strategy development process). To help you identify where you are
you need to start with your local authority’s own information resources and gather basic demographic information
about your area and the people who live there. Then, you need all the relevant information about the recycling
and waste management services (current and proposed) which are available to the public together with up-todate information about their performance as well as their targets. As you gather this information you should be
asking yourself how it will help you understand:

The area and the people living in it – who they are, how old they are, where they live, what types of houses
they live in, what their lifestyles are


How well they use the local recycling and waste management services
What are their barriers to recycling
Once you have gathered all the information you can internally you should look further afield to see if there is
other information or research that might be useful to you. The final stage is to review all the information to see
what it tells you and to identify if there are any gaps in your knowledge that need to be filled.
Even if you know your local area, you should complete this first stage because it will give you the factual
evidence you need develop your strategy, provide baseline information on which you can set targets and help you
make the case for the communications budget you need. It will also set the context for those reading your plan
(such as members or external partners) who may be less familiar with the overall district.
The elements of this stage are outlined over the next two pages.
1.1
Demographics of your area
Start by gathering information about your local authority and describing it – its location, geography, population
profile, housing types and amounts, urban/rural mix, areas of deprivation and local environmental quality.
Include any other relevant demographic information you think is relevant.
Your colleagues in the waste and recycling department will have knowledge of the specific areas they work in and
your local authority will also have a wealth of statistical information on its local population, the economy, levels of
deprivation, affluence and housing. Departments that might be able to help you include: education, housing,
planning, strategic or corporate services and social services. There may be other local organisations, such as your
local Primary Care Trust, which can be excellent sources of information about the local population. You can also
access national demographic information through the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Draw on all sources to
produce an accurate picture of your local authority in order to help you develop your communications plan.
For detailed information about gathering demographic and socio-economic information – see
Becoming an Expert No1.
1.2
Current and proposed services
The next stage in your baseline information gathering is to summarise your current and proposed recycling and
waste services. Include all information pertinent to:
Improving recycling through effective communications
9




All relevant waste management facilities and services covering all material streams
Collections types and frequency, drop-off facilities, services for other waste streams
Relevant collection policies (closed lid, compulsory recycling etc)
Include other relevant information as required
This information forms the basis of what you need to be able to communicate to people whether you are
providing standard service information, launching a new service, raising awareness of services, motivating people
or preventing waste. You may use the information selectively in your communications eg service leaflets
focussing on kerbside collections or include everything, for example on your local authority website.
For more information about which services to list and why - see Becoming an Expert No2.
1.3
Waste data and targets
Then you need to look at your council’s recycling and waste management data and targets, namely:



The service performance information you gather, how it is gathered and how often it is gathered
Current and past service performance figures
Waste service and statutory targets
Understanding this information will help you set targets by giving you the context for your communications and
telling you what needs to be achieved and by when.
For more information about local authority information and waste data - see Becoming an Expert
No3.
1.4
Research
Consider whether any other research and information may be available and useful, such as:



Your authority’s corporate strategy
Information from any previous communications campaigns undertaken by your authority
Relevant operational research undertaken by your authority, for example participation rates, waste
composition analysis etc

Any reports or research conducted for your council by external parties such as waste management
consultants or WRAP (eg WRAP’s Local Government Services team)




Research or case studies from other organisations eg WRAP or other local authorities
Other relevant research eg by Defra, WRAP etc.
Feedback from collection and other front line staff
Helpline enquiry information
As you gather the information, identify any knowledge or information gaps and undertake research to fill any
gaps, for example whether you need to:


Conduct any further research into operational performance eg participation monitoring
Conduct research into peoples’ issues and barriers specific to your area. For more information on WRAP’s
barriers research, see Becoming an Expert No8.
Improving recycling through effective communications
10
CASE STUDY: The value of research
When it upgraded its recycling facilities, the London Borough of Bexley found that purpose-built
flats had a lower rate of recycling waste than low-rise accommodation.
The council decided to run a campaign to overcome the problems associated with recycling in blocks of flats. To
provide information to tackle the communications issues data was gathered about residents’ attitudes, behaviour,
ideas and barriers.
Surveys looked at how many residents used the recycling service and communal bins. Focus groups discussed the
barriers to recycling and waste management issues highlighted by the surveys.
A key finding was a lack of communication between the council and residents living in flats. Most council
communications (via its quarterly magazines, website and the annual recycling calendar and recycling guide –
along with adverts in the local free newspapers) were perceived to be insufficient. The focus groups highlighted
the fact that:
Local free newspapers were not distributed to flats
The recycling calendars and guides were not relevant to flats
Most residents in the targeted area did not have access to the internet in their homes
Council magazines did not always have messages or articles about recycling




This was a major communications flaw for a low performing socio-demographic group and the Council developed
its communications accordingly.
WRAP Local Authority Communications Case Study: London Borough of Bexley
http://www.wrap.org.uk/downloads/BCLF_Bexley_15.09.08.d1c101e4.5864.pdf
http://www.wrap.org.uk/lpa
For more information about conducting research on recycling issues – see WRAP’s
good practice guide to monitoring and evaluation provides detailed step-by-step guidance
on a range of suitable research techniques.
www.wrap.org.uk/monitoringandevaluation
1.5
Funding and Support
Depending on what you need to achieve, your communications will require funding - as a rule of thumb, you
should aim for a budget figure of around £1.00 per household for standard communications. For communicating
major service changes or more intensive communications activities for “hard to engage” residents, £1.50 to £2
per household is more realistic. You may need to do some initial research now to identify potential sources of
funding and support:

Find out how much funding previous campaigns had and where the funding came from – this will give you a
good idea of what you might expect to get for your budget

Look at internal budgets (possibly spread across your council) and the types and amounts of support
(financial and other resources) available from other council departments and teams


If you don’t know already, find out about your council’s budgetary decision making processes and deadlines
Investigate possible external funding sources eg WRAP
For more information about sources of funding and support - see Becoming an Expert No4.
Improving recycling through effective communications
11
1.6
Planning your Communications
The following section shows an extract from a typical communication plan to show how the background could be
developed and written.
1.0
Background
1.1
General
Moving Forward Council (MFC) is located in the midlands and covers an area of 214 square miles. It is responsible
for the provision of recycling and waste collection and disposal services to approximately 40,000 residents living
in 16,140 households. The district is a predominantly rural area with the population split approx 50:50 between
rural and urban dwellers.
1.2
Demographics Employment
Compared to national figures, there are very few minority ethnic communities in the district although there has
been a recent influx of eastern Europeans seeking employment in the building materials industries located in the
district.
1.3
Waste & Recycling Collections
Current waste and recycling services provided to households include:
 Alternate weekly collection of residual waste using black 240 litre wheeled bins.
 Alternate weekly commingled recycling collection of food and drink cans, aerosols, plastic pots, tubs, tray and
bottles, newspapers, magazines, drink cartons including Tetra Pak, mixed glass and cardboard using blue 240
litre wheeled bins;
 Alternate weekly mixed garden and food waste collections using brown 240 litre bins. No kitchen caddies have
been provided to householders;
 Four HWRC sites, collecting: glass, batteries, scrap metal, cans, waste oil, oil filters, wood, paper, card, landfill
waste, fluorescent light bulbs, plastic bottles, textiles, green waste and white goods; and
 Six unmanned recycling bring sites, collecting: glass, cans, paper and textiles.
Kerbside collections are not always made on the same day of the week and there are 52 different collection
combinations. There are no proposed changes of service to the household kerbside schemes, the HWRC sites or
the recycling bring sites.
1.4
Treatment and Disposal
Organic waste is processed in an in-vessel composting unit. Mixed dry recyclables collected at the kerbside are
taken to a materials recycling facility (MRF) where the materials are sorted and sent for reprocessing. Currently
the council pays a gate fee of £40/tonne, but this will become an income of £20/tonne from the start of the new
contract next financial year.
Approximately 10,000 tonnes per year of residual waste is taken to a ‘dirty MRF’ 25% of which is recyclable 25%
made into solid recovered fuel and 50% landfilled. Currently there is no charge but from the start of the new
contract a gate fee of £100/tonne will be introduced. Waste is also collected on separate rounds from
commercial organisations and from schools. This is disposed of as residual waste which is transferred to the dirty
MRF.
Improving recycling through effective communications
12
1.5
Performance Indicators
MFC achieves good recycling rates with around 53% of waste diverted from landfill in 2012/13 as a result of the
blue (27%) and brown bin (26%) collections. The council estimates further 20% or so can be diverted from
landfill in 2013/14 as additional recycling and SRF from the ‘dirty MRF’ operation.
MFC already exceeds its 2020 50% recycling target. However, residual bins still contain significant amount of
material, which could be captured through the kerbside dry recycling collection scheme. Similarly, organic waste
can still be found in some residual waste bins. The new contractual arrangements, from next financial year, make
it attractive to reduce the amount of residual waste sent to the dirty MRF and increase the amount sent for
recycling.
1.6
Capture Rate of Recyclable Materials
Capture rates for different materials from the Waste Dataflow submission) are:






Glass
Paper & Card
Mixed Metals
Textiles
Plastics
Compostables
32.3%
62.6%
33.8%
3.4%
24.6%
54.7%
No analysis of the organic collection has been carried out and it is difficult to establish how many households use
the brown bin to recycle their food waste, however it is generally felt that there are significant amounts of food
waste remaining in the residual waste bin which could be recycled.
Contamination does not seem to be an issue on either brown or blue bin collections. Contamination in the blue
bin collection is estimated to be between 3-5% and seems to be material, which might be recyclable but is not
accepted at the MRF.
1.7
Participation
No surveys have been carried out of set out or participation rates of the blue and brown bin collections. There is,
however, anecdotal evidence of low performance in certain areas of the district.
1.8
Budget
MFC has a budget of approximately £1/household for recycling promotions and there is an opportunity to bid for
additional capital funding to help improve recycling performance.
1.9
Recent Promotions
Few promotions are carried out to encourage householders to recycle and are limited to:
 A collection calendar, which is mailed out to all households in August of each year. Dates run from
September to August;
 A leaflet delivered when the blue bin scheme was introduced 9 years ago;
 An instructional leaflet when brown bins were introduced 4 years ago;
 The website which explains the collection and disposal methods is significantly out of date; and
 Inaccurate and out of date vehicle livery showing what can be put in the recycling collections.
Improving recycling through effective communications
13
1.10
Promotional, Advertising and Media Mechanisms
External advertising opportunities include:




Weekly local newspapers, with which MFC have a very good relationship:
Council newspaper published twice a year;
Vehicle livery on collection vehicles and signage at bring and HWRC sites; and
Council website.
1.11
Availability of Distribution Mechanisms
Available distribution mechanisms for promotional material to householders are:
 Door to door leaflet delivery by Royal Mail;
 Walksort delivery by Royal Mail; and
 Delivery using agency staff.
Improving recycling through effective communications
14
2.0
Situational Analysis
Establish where you want to be
This section looks at how to develop a situational analysis using the information you gathered in Section 1. A
situational analysis takes a snapshot view of your organisation or situation and where things stand at a particular
point in time. This phase enables you to understand the context for your communications and identify the
strategic goal you are working towards, for example reaching the 40% statutory recycling target in 2010. The
information gathered in Section 1 will now be used to:



Look at the wider context for your communications, what is driving it and what it needs to achieve
Review the actions being undertaken to meet your local authority’s waste management service targets
Identify what you need to do and by when
The first stage is to analyse your current position by reviewing the demographic, operational and the
communication information you have gathered. Once you have come to some conclusions about what the
information tells you, you need to work out where you need to be ie what you need to achieve and by when.
Finally, you need to look at and describe (briefly) the initiatives your local authority will take to reach its goals.
2.1
Analyse your current position
Start by reviewing all your research and information and what it tells you:
Demographic analysis

What does the demographic information tell you? Are there any unusual or unique characteristics, for
example, does your LA have above average terraced housing, areas of deprivation or high population
turnover, significant numbers of elderly people, or Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities?

What implications might the demographic information have for service delivery and your communications? For
example, do you have large numbers of elderly people who might need assisted collections? Do they know
about the service? How will you communicate it to them?

Are there areas with relatively high population turnover which might require basic recycling information on a
more frequent basis or at specific times of the year eg in October when students start at college or university?
Seasonal workers? Tourists?
Operational Analysis


What is your current performance across different parts of the service?
Analyse the feedback you have about your service, for example from crews, call centres, satisfaction or other
surveys etc. Look at levels and types of complaints, satisfaction levels etc. What does this information tell
you?

Where is the good performance, for example, high participation levels, large amounts of materials collected?
Can good performance be replicated elsewhere?

Where is the low performance, for example low participation, low amounts of materials collected, high
contamination levels etc. Do you have any low performing areas?

Identify any operational issues. Are there any significant operational issues in particular areas eg crew access
to properties or containers? Are recycling sites clean and tidy or are they constantly overflowing and untidy?
Improving recycling through effective communications
15
Are staff helpful and pleasant to the public? Can your helpline deal adequately with the number and types of
enquiries?

Are there any operational barriers to participation? E.g. not all households having a container, containers not
large enough

Are there any other issues?
If any service issues are identified, you need to look at how to address these before you begin your
communications. If the service, in the opinion of your residents, is poor then communications alone are unlikely
to succeed in raising participation. To achieve a good recycling rate, services must be convenient to use and easy
to understand as set out in The Waste Collection Commitment.
Communications Analysis


Are residents aware of your service? Do they understand how to use it?
What results have previous communications achieved? Identify what ensured they achieved their objectives
and whether that success could be replicated or used in future communications





Have you developed a strong brand for your recycling communications?
Do you have the staff capacity to manage a communications campaign?
Are there any communications barriers that need to be addressed by your communications?
Which operational areas or services would benefit from additional communications support?
Are there any other issues?
You can undertake a PEST (Political, Economic, Social, Technological) and/or SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities, Threats) analysis with colleagues to help identify and highlight key issues. Once you have
completed your investigations, draw up a list of your main findings and review them:




What issues have you identified? Are they new issues or were you already aware of them?
What do they mean for your communications?
How will you address the issues you have identified (through service changes or communications)?
Have you uncovered any gaps in your knowledge? What are they? How will you fill them?
Before you go any further, it is important that you have thought carefully about your approach so far in order to
develop improved communications. Remember to look beyond the issues you identify first of all to gain a
complete picture of what is happening. Look for facts and do not rely on unsubstantiated opinion alone. If you
have insufficient information you will need to think carefully whether you are currently in a position to develop
your communications or whether you need to do additional research to explore any issues you have identified.
For more information about PEST and SWOT analysis - see Expert Briefing No5.
For more information about operational solutions – refer to your waste management strategy and
talk to colleagues or contact WRAP’S team of Recycling and Collections Advisors for advice
(LAsupport@wrap.org.uk).
For more information about people’s barriers to recycling - see Section 4.
I want to know more about Low Performing Areas – see the specific guide developed
by WRAP to help users identify areas of low participation, examine why they experience low
participation and to develop effective communication solutions. The document is available on
the WRAP website
www.wrap.org.uk/lpa
Improving recycling through effective communications
16
2.2
Outline where you need to be
Where you need to be depends partly on where you are now and what your future targets and plans are. Once
you have looked in detail at where you are, list any implications for your communications based on the findings of
your demographic, operations and communications analysis. Good practice needs to be continued, any issues
identified should be addressed and successful communications continued in your new communications plan.
Next, consult your local authority waste strategy or colleagues for detailed information about your targets,
operational plans, timescales and deadlines. These will give you a broad overview of what your local authority
needs to achieve and how it intends to do it. You need to pay particular attention to any plans which have a
communication dimension, for example: any future operational activities which need communicating to
householders such as service changes, revised collection dates or new recycling sites. Depending on your
situation, you may need to pay particular attention to the following in your plan:



Any deficiencies highlighted in your current or past communication activities which need to be addressed
Any deficiencies in operational performance which targeted communications might address
Any targets that need to be met through communications activity as no service changes are planned
For more information about strategic targets – refer to your local authority waste management
strategy or the Defra waste strategy which can be accessed here:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/ENVIRONMENT/waste/strategy/.
Examples of what you may need to achieve:


To reach recycling rates of 40% in 2010, 45% in 2015 and 50% in 2020 to meet government targets
Need to communicate new service changes to all residents
2.3
Explain what you will do to get there
Once you have identified the issues and where you need to be, you need to describe what your council intends to
do to meet its targets. If you intend introducing further new services:

What new services will be launched and when. For example when do you plan to introduce a new food waste
collection service?

How will your communications support new and existing operational activities? For example, running a
campaign to support current collections of dry recyclables at the same time as the introduction of a new food
waste collection service
If you do not have any plans to introduce further services or improvements:

What will your communications do to address any issues identified in your situational analysis such as low
capture rates or LPAs?

How will your communications help you reach unattained recycling targets?
If you have reached a high recycling rate, are there other opportunities that you would like to explore, such as
running a waste prevention campaign?
Once you have described your operational plans and what communications can do to help, you should, in
consultation with your colleagues, look at your service plans, draw up a list of actions and prioritise them in terms
of the:





Major issues that need to be addressed
Biggest potential gains
Quickest potential gains
Least resources required
Greatest alignment to corporate priorities
Improving recycling through effective communications
17
2.4
Planning your Communications
The following section shows an extract from a typical communication plan to show how the situational analysis
could be developed and written.
2.0
Situational Analysis
2.1
Operational Issues
As Moving Forward Council (MFC) has already exceeded its 2020 recycling targets, its key operational
considerations from the 1st April 2013 are to reduce the amount of residual waste being delivered to the ‘dirty
MRF’ with the aim of reducing its gate fee for disposal. The gate fee will be £100/tonne from the start of the new
contract and increasing recycling could show considerable savings. This could be achieved by:
 Increasing the dry recyclables collected in the blue bin scheme – this will also generate an additional income
of £20/tonne; and
 Increase the food and garden waste collected in the brown bin organic collections.
The blue bin dry recycling scheme already takes a comprehensive range of recyclable materials and the only
option is to use communication to increase tonnage through increased participation and capture of materials
which, based on Waste Dataflow, is clearly available in the residual waste stream. In particular the low capture
of glass and mixed metals, which should be in the region of 70-80%.
The brown bin organic waste collection could be improved by providing all households with a kitchen caddy and
liners to collect their food waste. This would encourage householders to dispose of more of their cooked and
uncooked food waste using the brown bin and increase the tonnage collected. An opportunity to bid for
additional capital funding exists to improve recycling; a bid should be made to this fund for the supply of kitchen
caddies and liners.
Increasing the amount of recyclables and organic waste collected and the additional contribution to the amount
recycled from the dirty MRF and the contribution of waste recovery as fuel should make a recycling and recovery
rate of 70% feasible.
2.2
Communications
Over the years, householders have received very little communication to inform them what they can and cannot
recycle in their blue and brown bins; this should be addressed as soon as possible. The recycling schemes should
be relaunched by developing a recycling guide to be sent to all households with the collection calendar. This key
communication should be repeated every year.
If the Council is successful in its bid to fund kitchen caddies and liners the food waste collection element of the
brown bin collections should be relaunched in the autumn of 2013. Promotional material would be based on the
WRAP food waste recycling promotional material templates, which are available for download from the Recycle
Now Partners website.
Internal communications should also be undertaken to ensure all MFC staff understand the food waste and dry
recycling services and are aware of them being relaunched.
HWRC sites and recycling bring sites should also be promoted so that householders know where to take excess
recyclables, recyclables that are not collected at the kerbside and residual waste.
2.3
Longer term
Making the following changes to existing services could make further improvements and reduce the amount of
residual waste:
Improving recycling through effective communications
18
 In the longer term, consideration should be given to changing the collection rounds so that all kerbside
collections are made on the same day of the week. This will make it easier for householders to remember to
put their bins out for collection;
 Schools should be provided with the equivalent of blue and brown bin collections as soon as practicable and
create a seamless link between school and home; and
 The Council should investigate the costs and benefits of providing a commercial recycling collection.
Currently all commercial waste is taken to the dirty MRF as residual waste and any recycling collected from
commercial premises would reduce the tonnage.
2.4
Monitoring
It is critical that MFC regularly monitors participation rates and levels of contamination to assess the impact
communications are having on recycling. This will help identify low, medium and high performing areas, which
will enable future communications to be more targeted.
Improving recycling through effective communications
19
3.0
Aim and Objectives
Define aim and objectives
This section looks in detail at defining your communications aim and setting your overall objectives. It considers
the different nature of aims and objectives and how to set targets which are SMART (Specific, Measurable,
Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound).
CASE STUDY: Setting aims and objectives
3.1
Define your aim
Identify the main aim for your communications plan. An
aim is a general statement of what you intend to achieve
and generally, you should only have one aim. Your aim
can include vague and undefined terms, for example:



The campaign aims were to:
 Maximise participation and tonnage collected
Meet 2010 government waste strategy target
from flats using communal recycling facilities
through a comprehensive door-to-door
canvassing campaign
 Reinforce participation in the flats recycling
service using a variety of marketing techniques
Increase the amount of material recycled
Encourage low or non recyclers to recycle
For more information about setting aims - see
Becoming an Expert No6.
3.2
The London Borough of Barnet ran a
campaign to encourage residents in flats to
recycle more.
The specific objectives set were to increase the
following by the end of the campaign:
Setting objectives
Once your aim is defined you can set the overall
objectives for your plan:
 Claimed usage rate by at least 10%
 Quantity of recyclables by at least 10%
 Number of committed recyclers by at least

 Level of awareness by at least 10%
 Level of usage of specific material containers
10%
An objective is a specific statement of what you intend
to achieve

by at least 10%
Any terms need to be defined and the concepts
understood

You may have several objectives that together add up
to meet your overall aim

A wide variety of communication channels were
used, spearheaded by canvassing and the
campaign activities were monitored by collecting:
 Tonnage data collected from the site of each
Your objectives must relate to the impact of your
communications
Your objectives should give your plan clarity of purpose
and will help you prioritise activities, for example: does
activity “X” help you meet the overall aim and objectives?
If it doesn’t, or has marginal benefit you should question
whether to go ahead with that activity. They must also be
SMART – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and
Time-bound – and should be stretching (even challenging)
but achievable. A target that looks unattainable can be
counter-productive.
set of flats and were based on estimates of the
volume of material in the recycling bins at the
time of collection
 Usage data taken from a representative
sample of people living in flats who were
asked a series of questions about their
recycling behaviour
 ‘Committed Recycler’ data determined through
a series of linked questions in a face-to-face
survey
WRAP Local Authority Communications Case
Study: London Borough of Barnet
Improving recycling through effective communications
20
Remember to make sure that your objectives can be measured and decide how to measure them now. Objectives
that a) can’t be measured or b) are too difficult, expensive or time consuming to measure will not be effective.
Example objectives might include:




Increase the recycling rate across the district from 30% to 35% by March 31st 2010
Increase participation to 50% in identified Low Performing Areas by March 31st 2010
Reduce contamination of recycling collection containers to under 5% by March 2010
Achieve a borough-wide recycling and composting rate of 40% by 2015
Later, when you are looking at individual communication activities, you need to set specific objectives (targets)
for each activity. These should also be SMART, should link back to and support your overall aim and objectives
and should relate to the inputs, outcomes and impacts of each activity. This is covered in more detail in Section
7.
For more information about setting objectives - see Becoming an Expert No6.
For more information about how to make objectives SMART - see Becoming an Expert No7.
For detailed information about target setting and monitoring and evaluating your
communications see Improving the Performance of Waste Diversion Schemes – A
Good Practice Guide to Monitoring and Evaluation. This comprehensive guidance
document gives detailed step-by-step guidance on a range of monitoring techniques for waste
operations and communications campaigns and can be accessed here:
www.wrap.org.uk/monitoringandevaluation
3.3
Planning your Communications
The following section shows an extract from a typical communication plan to show how the aims and objectives
could be developed and written.
3.0
Communications Aims and Objectives
3.1
Aim

3.2
To ensure residents are aware of the recycling services available, understand how to participate and recycle
as much as possible by providing clear instructions.
Objective
The key objectives for the communications are to:




Inform all householders within the district what items can be recycled using the blue and brown bin collection
services by the end of September 2013;
Inform all householders within this district what items can be recycled using the HWRC and recycling bring
sites by the end of September 2013;
Achieve an average participation rate of 85% in both the kerbside dry recycling and garden/food waste
collections by March 2014; and
Achieve a recycling and recovery rate exceeding 70% for 2013/2014.
Improving recycling through effective communications
21
4.0
Target Audience
Identify your audience
This section helps you to identify and describe your target audience. There are four main groups to consider:


Householders - the main focus of your communications
Internal groups - your staff, senior officers, elected members, other council staff who need to know about
your communications plan and may be able to help


External groups - such as the media, community groups, other local authorities
Specific subgroups – community groups, religious and cultural groups, potential partners to help
communicate your messages such as caretakers, landlords and housing associations
You must be clear about the target audience for your communications and keep them as the focus of your effort
at all stages. This section looks at each main audience in turn (householders, internal and external groups,
specific groups and hard to reach/engage audiences) and ends with a review of their lifestyles. It will help you
identify the target audiences relevant to your communication plan and to understanding them (who they are,
where they live, what their lifestyle is like, what their issues and barriers to recycling are). This is important
because your target audiences must be at the heart of your thinking about your messaging, overall strategy,
communication methods and activities.
4.1
All householders
CASE STUDY: Target audiences
Use the information you have already gathered to draw up a
complete description of your target audience. You may need to
split them up into groups in a process known as audience
segmentation. An audience segment is a subgroup of people with
broadly similar characteristics or needs. For example, people living
in a leafy suburban street with large detached houses are likely to
be very different to people living in a high rise council flat. Their
levels of income and car ownership will be different, they will
‘consume’ different media eg radio, newspapers, TV, magazines
etc and have different shopping and travel to work patterns.
They may have different attitudes towards the environment and
recycling. As a result, different methods and messages might be
required to reach and effectively communicate with these distinct
groups.
You should assess the following characteristics:

Which are the most significant in terms of size and
distribution?

What are their life-stages? For example, young and single,
families with young children, mature couples etc



What are their similarities or differences?
The Staffordshire Recycling
Partnership campaign covered the
whole county.
The target audiences for the campaign
were:
 Socio-demographic groups needing
the most motivation and those most
likely to support/use new services
(75% of effort)
 Niche groups that had proved hard to
engage in Staffordshire’s ‘Blue collar
roots’ Acorn group (20% of effort)
and Asian communities (5% of effort)
The partnership campaign ran from
September 2006 to March 2008 with a
generic campaign to target the major
audience and tailored marketing
approaches for the niche groups.
WRAP BCLF Case Study: Staffordshire
Waste Partnership
Are there any areas where particular groups or types of people are concentrated?
Any other characteristics?
Improving recycling through effective communications
22
You should use the information gathered as part of your background research as part of Section 1 to look at your
target audiences. Local knowledge can be very useful in this process but opinions and anecdotal evidence should
always be supported by factual evidence. A useful idea is to use a geo-demographical segmentation system like
ACORN or MOSAIC that identify different audience groups and map them. This can help you to ‘see’ where
different types of people live and cross-reference other information against them eg anecdotal information from
crews about areas of poor performance. Many local authorities use systems such as ACORN or MOSAIC for
strategic planning and other purposes and you may be able to use it – find out from colleagues or other
departments. You should use these systems to support and refine the population and audience information you
have already gathered – look at the whole picture you get using all the information at your disposal and do not
rely too much on any single source. This process will help you to understand who you are talking to, how to talk
to them and where they are, which in turn, will help you develop appropriate messages, which communication
methods to use and where to run your activities.
You could also compare your information to neighbouring councils, and to regional and national figures. Are there
any major differences that help to identify issues or potential opportunities for your services and your
communications?
What do you know about their barriers to recycling?
Communications and operational services need to identify, understand and address the barriers to recycling that
their target audiences (local householders) face. Use your audience research information and the known
barriers/issues in your area to match your audiences against recycling competence levels and barriers that
research by WRAP has identified.
Recycling competence levels:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Recycling unaware
Aware but inactive
Contemplated but not engaged
Unreliable
5.
6.
7.
Trying their best
Broadly competent
‘The Complete Recycler’
Source: WRAP Barriers to Recycling report
Barriers to recycling:
Situational barriers
Not having adequate containers, a lack of space for storage, unreliable collections,
unable to get to bring sites.
Behaviour
Not having the space or systems in place in the home to recycle, being too busy with
other preoccupations, difficulties in establishing routines for sorting waste and
remembering to put it out.
Lack of knowledge
Knowing what materials to put in which container, and understanding the basics of
how the scheme works.
Attitudes and
Not accepting there is an environmental or other benefit, being resistant to
perceptions
householder sorting or not getting a personal motivational reward from recycling
Source: WRAP Barriers to Recycling report
The recycling competence levels are roughly equivalent to ACORN categories 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 and this information
can be used to map possible recycling competence levels and barriers in your local authority area. This will help
you gain a better understanding of the people you wish to target by identifying likely behavioural and lifestyle
issues which in turn can help to develop targeted communications activities and messages to address the issues
of specific groups of people in particular areas.
It is important to point out, however, that whilst tools like ACORN or MOSAIC can be useful for profiling target
audiences, it is not a perfect science and representatives from all types of people will be found in their audience
segments. It does give a broad indication of the likelihood that the issues highlighted will occur amongst these
groups. However, at an individual level, people will have different barriers or combinations of more than one
barrier and they may have different messaging needs and require different communication methods to reach
them. Audience segmentation should not be seen as a replacement for detailed local knowledge and research and
should be used in conjunction with other communication planning tools such as surveys and focus groups. You
should also be wary of giving in to the idea that audience segmentation is ‘the answer’. On its own it isn’t and
using it exclusively to develop your communications can lead you astray – making you overlook more mundane
yet effective communication methods and activities in favour of activities better suited for national or regional
Improving recycling through effective communications
23
mainstream consumer advertising or marketing campaigns. For example, running a clever and expensive
advertising campaign designed to target a particular and widely distributed ACORN group when a simpler and
more modest advertising campaign coupled with some form of direct marketing might have been more effective.
If you have a limited budget, your communications plan should prioritise its activities to achieve specific,
important aims (eg key issues, quick wins etc) or address the barriers of the most widespread audience segments
ie the largest possible number of people.
For more information more about identifying and segmenting target audiences - see Becoming an
Expert No8.
WRAP’s barriers research containing more detailed information can be accessed online at:
www.wrap.org.uk/barrierstorecycling
4.2
Internal/external groups
As well as householders, you need to consider the other groups (audiences or stakeholders) that might need to
be involved in your communications plan. Generally, these groups may not necessarily be the recipients or ‘end
users’ of your communications (ie householders) – they are more likely to be people or organisations that can
lend their support to help deliver the campaign and its messages. Some will belong to a number of different
groups at the same time, for example, an elected member who lives in an area where a campaign is taking place
belongs to both internal and external groups.
4.2.1 Internal groups
It is essential to address internal groups or audiences – local authority employees and employees of contractors
working for the local authority as these groups can play an invaluable role. Indeed, without their involvement, it
may be difficult to deliver recycling communications which achieve their objectives. They may also represent a
significant proportion of your local population. As with external audiences, it is useful to segment internal
audiences in order to give them appropriate messages. A few of these audiences and the roles they may play are
listed below:

Elected members (approving schemes and budgets, speaking to residents, promoting recycling in their ward,
promoting waste management issues with the local media)


Call centre staff (handling enquiries, directing calls correctly)
In-house press office staff (support on communications planning, assisting with campaign activities, media
relations)



Receptionists (handling enquiries, handing out information)
Operational staff (dealing with residents, giving information on schemes)
Other employees (local ambassadors, leading by example)
All internal groups you identify must be kept informed of what you are doing or planning to do. You need to
engage them and they must be enthused about your communications plans. If they buy into your campaign they
may be more willing and effective in helping you communicate your message or in delivering associated activities
and services. You also need to enable them to work with you by making sure they have the right information at
the right time in order to use it effectively and that this information is clear and easy to use in the context of their
job and daily work.
For more information about internal groups and stakeholders - see Becoming an Expert No9.
Improving recycling through effective communications
24
4.2.2 External groups
These are individuals or organisations outside your council that might be important to your communications
meeting their objectives because they can lend their support, give advice or engage with key target audiences on
your behalf to reinforce your messages and extend the reach of your communication activities. These groups (or
stakeholders) range from:





Key opinion formers such as local MPs and MEPs
Community leaders, parish councillors, local religious leaders
Community groups and organisations
Local recycling groups and charities
The local media - which is particularly important and you should have a media relations programme with
additional, dedicated PR activities as part of your communications plan - there is more information about PR in
Sections 6 and 7
You should undertake a stakeholder analysis to identify key groups and stakeholders. When you have identified
all the groups (remember this may be an on-going process as more groups may emerge during your campaign),
you need to decide how you will communicate with them, what sort of information they need and how often.
For more information about external groups and stakeholders - see Becoming an Expert No9.
4.3
Specific groups
The local community is a potential resource with a complex web of organisations and individuals that need to be
considered carefully in order for you to gain their support and help in delivering your communications
successfully. These networks may not be immediately obvious so take time and consult with local communities to
investigate them thoroughly. Opportunities may include:


Peer pressure opportunities e.g. Neighbourhood Watch, family and friends, parish council
Religious and cultural groups or local societies e.g. Women's Institute, youth groups, student groups, religious
networks and communities such as churches, gudwara, mosques etc


Community links e.g. libraries, local amenities, leisure centres, community centres, schools, clubs and pubs
Local community voluntary groups e.g. environmental or conservation groups, elderly support groups,
community waste and recycling groups


Housing groups e.g. tenants association, caretakers, landlords, housing associations
Others as necessary e.g. benefits agencies, police community support officers, neighbourhood wardens etc
Use the stakeholder analysis process identified in Becoming an Expert No9 to identify specific local groups that
may be important to your communications activities.
For more information about local groups and stakeholder analysis – see Becoming an Expert No9.
4.4
Hard to reach/engage
Hard to reach and hard to engage are sections of the population:

Which are ‘hard-to-reach’ operationally. This may be due to their location or housing type e.g. high rise
flats or an isolated rural area. The issues they face are best addressed by consulting with residents at an early
stage and by designing an appropriate service. The services provided should be convenient to use and simple
to communicate to the residents in question

With whom it may be difficult to communicate the reason to participate in a recycling service and/or the
practicalities of using it. Examples of these ‘hard to engage’ groups might include transient groups such as
students or itinerant or seasonal workers. Language and literacy issues may present specific challenges
Improving recycling through effective communications
25
Hard to reach/engage audiences are commonly associated with low performing areas (LPAs). The term LPA is
applied to geographic areas where there is a concentration of households, which, for whatever reason, participate
less in the recycling service(s) provided than households in other areas of the same authority. Low participation
can cover a number of specific issues:


Low levels of participation in recycling services overall resulting in low tonnages collected
Low levels of participation in terms of the range of materials collected resulting in low tonnages captured for
some materials

Incorrect participation resulting in the wrong materials being presented and poor quality of recyclate collected
which can lead to rejection of entire loads if contamination levels are high
Low participation is a relative term as performance may simply be low in relation to an authority’s overall
recycling performance or recycling/landfill targets. Do you have issues with LPAs? You should carefully consider
whether you have any LPAs and look very carefully at the issues, barriers and people living in any LPAs you
identify. Each area could have a distinct audience profile, geography and associated barriers to recycling. You
may need to implement specific operational improvements to address people’s barriers to recycling and run
specific communications designed to encourage them to recycle once their barriers have been addressed.
For more information about targeting hard to reach/engage groups and developing focused
communications for low participation areas - refer to the guidance document (“Improving
Low Participation Areas – Effective communications planning Guidance Document”) which is
available on the WRAP website:
www.wrap.org.uk/lpa
4.5
Review lifestyle characteristics
It is important to understand the impact which lifestyles, life-stages or cultural issues in your local authority may
have on the recycling service and how it is communicated. There may be particular opportunities or barriers that
are specific to different groups and your communications (brand, messages, type of activities) should aim to
overcome or avoid them. Different areas within your authority may have different characteristics and need
different approaches to both system design and communications.
Summarise the information you have on the lifestyles of residents in your target areas eg:

Socio-economic status e.g. where do residents shop and what do they buy? This will affect where you can
effectively get your message across to them. Do they have a car? This will affect decisions about the use and
location of bring banks. Do they have a house large enough to store the proposed mix of recycling containers
easily? Do they have a garden? This will affect choices about communications messages.

Population turnover/transience e.g. are residents students, migrant groups or travellers? Even in relatively
stable districts, the population turnover can be 15% which can be a very significant proportion over a few
years. This affects the frequency of communications needed.

Any other characteristics as necessary
Summarise the information you have on the life stages of residents in your target area:



Children e.g. they may have influence over their parents
Young people e.g. often transient, have other priorities and relatively low incomes
Young families with children below school age e.g. may have other priorities but may be open to
environmental messages
Improving recycling through effective communications
26

Families with children at school e.g. whilst they may have other priorities they are often the ones involved in
community activities



Middle aged e.g. more settled, may be active in the community
Elderly e.g. may have access issues and require assisted collections, may also be active in the community
Any others as necessary
Review any cultural issues that may be present:


Literacy and language e.g. populations where English may be a second language or literacy levels may be low
Social conventions e.g. in some cultures women will not talk to men that they do not know or men may not
accept advice from women

Social attitudes e.g. will environmental messaging resonate or would cost drivers have more impact? Do
people care about the place they live?

Religious beliefs and practices e.g. some religious groups do not drink alcohol so might not respond to images
using wine bottles

Differing waste practices in countries of origin e.g. some residents may not have experienced recycling before
or there may not be a translation for the word recycling
Keep this summary to hand when you consider your communications messages and communication methods.
Improving recycling through effective communications
27
CASE STUDY: Engaging culturally diverse populations
Across Luton as a whole, residents originating from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Kashmir and Sri
Lanka make up around 25% of the population, but concentrations in certain wards reach 70%. The
Council developed materials to communicate effectively with these groups as part of a campaign to
promote recycling.
Participation in recycling among Luton’s Indian sub-continent communities tended to be lower than in other
communities. The proposed campaign had therefore to suit the cultural and social background of these
communities and choose the best method of conveying information about the benefits of recycling and how to
recycle.
The campaign used Bollywood themed posters, billboards, advertising shells, a leaflet and roadshows to attract
the attention of people who normally ignored standard recycling messages. This highly visual, themed design was
developed using the design principles of ‘Recycle Now’ and aimed to be simple and eye-catching to draw in
viewers before they knew what the message was. Once they had been drawn in, they read a simple message
asking them to ‘recycle’ in a variety of languages. All households in the target area received a leaflet in the same
style as the poster campaign explaining how to use the recycling service at home.
The campaign results included:
 Participation increased by 8% and the number of committed recyclers rose by 4%
 The amount of residual waste produced in the campaign area fell by 4.2% (compared to 3.6% for the whole
of Luton)
 The amount of dry recycling increased 9.4% in the target area (compared to 8% for the whole of Luton)
The success of the campaign was attributed to the time taken initially to understand the need to identify a
common cultural and social theme.
WRAP Local Authority Communications Case Study: Luton Borough Council
For more information about culturally diverse communities – see Becoming an Expert No 10.
Improving recycling through effective communications
28
4.6
Planning your Communications
The following section shows an extract from a typical communication plan to show how the target audience could
be identified.
4.0
Target Audiences
In order to maximise awareness and participation, communications will be targeted. The target groups will be as
follows:
4.1

Householders
Householders need to be provided with specific information about what can and cannot be recycled through
the existing kerbside recycling collections, HWRCs and bring sites.
Communications should be directly targeted at the female head of household.
4.2


4.3
Council Employees
Council employees – especially waste and recycling staff, crew, contractors and frontline staff; and
Elected members.
Community Groups
Care will be taken not to expend excessive resources in this area. Unless there is a large audience, particularly of
uncommitted recyclers, a lot of effort can lead to only a marginal increase in participation. Resources should be
used where they will make the largest impact on participation and recycling rates.
Community groups that will be targeted include:






4.4


4.5



Parish and town councils
Women’s Institutes;
Scouts and Guides;
Rotary Club;
Church groups; and
Tenant’s Associations.
Media
Local newspapers; and
Local radio.
Schools
Primary schools;
Secondary schools; and
Further education colleges.
Improving recycling through effective communications
29
5.0
Branding and Message
Developing Communications
This section takes you through the stages of developing your communications brand and its identity, the tone of
voice for your communications and explains how to link to the national Recycle Now campaign brand to get the
most out of it. It uses some of WRAP’s latest research into people’s barriers to recycling and looks at the
implications for messaging.
Having identified your target audiences and their needs you need to develop your brand and message. Your
brand encompasses concepts such as the brand identity, personality, promise and visual identity:


The identity is the outward expression (name and visual appearance) of a company or campaign
The ‘personality’ is the assignment of human personality traits such as seriousness, warmth, or imagination to
a brand

The promise is the experience consumers should expect from all interactions with the brand eg your recycling
collection services

The visual identity is the overall look and feel of the brand – what images you choose to use, the style and
design
Brands and identities are easy to produce but can be hard to get right. Developing the right brand for recycling
communications is something in which a great deal of time, research and effort has been invested in order to get
right and the Recycle Now brand enjoys high levels of public recognition through England. Your communications
should adopt the national Recycle Now campaign branding for use locally as there are a number of benefits:

Industry research shows that local communications benefit from
association with national campaigns and messages through greater
awareness and increased impact

In June 2008, 74% of people in England recognised the Recycle Now
brand

The campaign logo and iconography is in widespread use by around
90% of local authorities and is being used by an ever increasing
range of organisations to communicate recycling messages

The campaign has an extensive range of resources designed to help
local authority recycling campaigns

The brand and its activities are extensively tested and evaluated
You can review the Recycle Now branding guidance on the dedicated website for campaign partners:
www.recyclenowpartners.org.uk. Some examples of the Recycle Now brand in use by local authorities are shown
on the next page.
Improving recycling through effective communications
30
For more information about campaign branding and the importance of using the Recycle Now brand
- see Becoming an Expert No11.
5.1
Visual identity
Use a graphic designer (in-house or external design studio/agency) to develop initial design ideas and ways to
incorporate the Recycle Now branding along with your own corporate branding if necessary. Ideally, you should
test your designs (and messages) using focus groups (or at least circulate to non-waste members of staff and call
centre staff) to ensure they will be effective. Remember to obtain approval for initial designs from senior
managers and/or elected members as required before proceeding too far. And finally, once selected, your brand
must be applied consistently across all your communications activities.
Example of a local authority visual identity applied across a range of materials:
Glass recycling leaflet
Garden waste collection leaflet
Plastic recycling leaflet
In this instance, Liverpool City Council produced its own brand guideline document to ensure the communications
materials it produced were consistent and complied with the national Recycle Now branding guidelines. Whilst
this is a good idea for some larger campaigns (eg for waste partnerships) it is not necessary for every local
authority to do this.
There are a number of specific documents and a range of online information designed to help you develop your
Recycle Now brand identity and communications materials including:



Recycle Now Brand guidelines – http://www.recyclenowpartners.org.uk/local_authorities/guidelines.html
Recycle Now Partners guidelines - http://www.recyclenowpartners.org.uk/local_authorities/guidelines.html
Design of Communications Material and communications checklist http://www.wrap.org.uk/local_authorities/research_guidance/communications/communication.html

Material streams iconography http://www.wrap.org.uk/local_authorities/research_guidance/communications/communication.html

Home Composting - Local advertising and promotion –
http://www.wrap.org.uk/downloads/LAToolkit.7a33a05c.pdf
For a brief description of each publication, refer to the “Further Sources of Information” on Page 189.
Improving recycling through effective communications
31
CASE STUDY: Campaign branding
A kerbside scheme was introduced in a number of councils across County Durham for the separate
collection of glass, cans and paper. The campaign was aimed at all residents with targeted
messages in areas identified as low performing.
In the past, communications had been limited to broad brush promotional materials such as calendars and
leaflets and these materials had been produced by the individual district councils. As a result, messages across
the scheme members were mixed with variations in style and brand. This was felt to be one reason why
participation in certain areas was low.
A different approach was required so all design was centralised and managed
by the lead LA partner with sign-off by all four LA partners. Design and printing
was managed by an external design agency using WRAP brand guidelines. With
newly redesigned material under a single, overall campaign brand, the
campaign undertook a range of activities designed to target different target
audiences, including students who make up a significant proportion of residents
in Durham City during term-time.
Overall, participation in the scheme increased between 7% - 14%.
The local authorities felt the use of Recycle Now branding provided a consistent
message and allowed economies of scale. Testing the target literature,
particularly for the student audience, also gave Durham City Council confidence
the materials were appealing and that the messages would be well received.
WRAP Local Authority Communications Case Study: Durham County Council
For examples of how other local authorities have successfully adopted Recycle Now and used it locally, look at
WRAP’s local authority communications case studies
http://www.recyclenowpartners.org.uk/local_authorities/brand_in_action/index.html
For more information about campaign visual identity - see Becoming an Expert No11.
5.2
Tone of voice
Tone of voice enables a brand to convey its values or qualities through the language it uses. Many brands
overlook the words they use and rely on visual cues: the logo, the colour and typeface. A brand's tone of voice –
what it says and how it says it is important yet sometimes it can be an afterthought. When the tone of voice is
consistent it becomes another means of recognising the brand and reinforcing expectations (ie the brand
promise).
Research shows that the right tone of voice is critical to the success of recycling communications. You need to
communicate with them so in ways that do not irritate, annoy or otherwise upset them. Be careful of text that
may unwittingly cause offence – the wrong word, phrase or tone could alienate sections of the population.
Recycle Now is designed to engage consumers with clear messages in a positive, warm and friendly tone of voice.
Look at the style, language and tone of voice developed by other local authorities in their successful
communications by accessing Recycle Now case studies
(http://www.recyclenowpartners.org.uk/local_authorities/brand_in_action/index.html).
Once your brand and tone of voice is decided you can begin to develop your communications message/s.
For more information about developing the right tone of voice - see Becoming an Expert No12.
Improving recycling through effective communications
32
5.3
Type of message
Your messages must be designed to engage, inform, educate, motivate and even inspire your target audiences.
Depending on what your objectives are, your message needs to:




Be personal
Be simple and clear
Address the barriers of your target audience
Focus on a single action or an issue and how to overcome it. You need a clear ‘call to action’ - a clear
statement urging people to do something eg “Recycle your Christmas Cards” - so they know exactly what you
want them to do

Be consistent
Different audiences may need different messages and you may need to develop separate specific messages to
engage specific target audiences. What works for a high recycler may not necessarily work on a low/non recycler,
for example: a high recycler may be motivated to greater recycling efforts by information on environmental
benefits whereas a low/non recycler may only just respond to the fact that recycling is convenient and easy.
Don’t overload people by trying to communicate too much – people are easily distracted or put off and saying too
much can be a barrier in itself. It is better to focus on a single message and repeat it than try to communicate
too much in one go. Your messages need to be developed with a range of communication channels in mind.
How will it work, for example on a leaflet, in an advert, on an exhibition display, on the radio or on the side of a
collection vehicle?
Test your messages on your target audience, ideally through focus groups or with non-waste council staff and
obtain approval from senior managers and/or elected members as required before proceeding too far with
detailed design work. Make sure you have a clear and quick decision-making process for approving designs and
messages. Avoid long-drawn out decisions and ones made by committee, as they will probably slow you down
you and lessen the impact of your designs.
See messages other local authorities have used successfully by accessing Recycle Now case studies here
http://www.recyclenowpartners.org.uk/local_authorities/brand_in_action/index.html
For more information about developing communications messages - see Becoming an Expert No13.
Improving recycling through effective communications
33
5.4
Planning your Communications
The following section shows an extract from a typical communication plan to show how the branding and
campaign tone could be developed and written.
5.0
Branding and Campaign Tone
Moving Forward Council (MFC) has not developed consistent branding or visual identity for its waste and recycling
promotions.
It is suggested that MFC use the Recycle Now campaign look and feel for its communications material and
localises the identity by using ‘recycle for Moving Forward’ on all its recycling promotional material.
MFC should also consider developing design guidelines to support the ‘recycle for Moving Forward’ branding. This
will help any designer to achieve a consistent look in the future. Taking this approach will make all promotional
material easily recognised and its purpose understood. All material will be compliant with the recycle now
guidelines and take into consideration MFC’s corporate branding guidelines.
As there is no internal design service it is suggested that all the design work is contracted out to a professional
design service to ensure quality and consistency of design. It is also recommended that an agency with
experience of this type of work is used to save on briefing and copywriting by MFC staff.
The tone of the communications will:



Include positive messages and not be blaming or negative
Be consistent with regard to the look and feel
Make it easy for people to take action
The female head of the household tends to take responsibility for recycling in the home and this should be taken
into consideration when designing communications.
The Waste Projects Officer will be responsible for signing off all artwork.
The branding will be used on all communication material, press and advertising.
Improving recycling through effective communications
34
6.0
Strategy and Communications Methods
Develop strategy and methods
The next stage in the communications planning cycle is to select the strategy and communication methods most
appropriate to achieving your aim and objectives. This section helps you look at your overall approach, the issues
to consider in different operational situations and how to choose the most appropriate mix of communication
methods for your situation. You should start by considering your overall strategic approach and consider which
main communication methods to use. This section takes you through this process and looks at the types of
communication methods and how to use them to use to support services in different situations and target
different audiences.
6.1
Overall approach
Using the information from your background research, your knowledge of your key target audiences and your
likely budget, you need to decide which mix of communication methods will be the most effective to reach your
target audiences. Key questions to ask yourself are:



Do I need to reach everyone across the whole LA area (broad brush communications)?
Do I need to target particular audiences or people in particular areas (targeted communications)?
What type of information do I need to communicate (simple or detailed)?
Use your answers to help you decide on your strategy and select your communication methods. There is a range
of communication methods to choose from:
Communication
methods
Advertising
PR
Direct marketing
techniques
Community
engagement
Online
Internal
communications
Social media
Mobile phones
Examples
Broad brush/targeted
Radio, press, TV, outdoor, mobile, online
etc.
Media relations via radio, press, TV and
online.
Mainly broad brush though can be targeted if
used carefully.
Mainly broad brush for local authority recycling
communications though sometimes specific
areas can be targeted e.g. via local weekly
newspapers.
Targeted.
Door–to–door canvassing, leaflet/
information distribution (eg door-todoor), exhibitions and events.
Building on-going permanent
relationships with local communities.
Council website.
Internal communications with council
staff.
Twitter, Facebook, Blogs & You Tube
Mobile phone text alerts and information
services
Targeted.
Broad brush (but capable of communicating
detailed information).
Targeted.
Targeted.
Targeted.
Improving recycling through effective communications
35
Depending on your situation, your communications may need to do one or more of the following:






Create and maintain awareness
Build interest and anticipation
Provide practical information
Address people’s barriers
Create behavioural change
Keep people engaged and participating over time
You should focus on whichever of the above is the priority for your communications and develop an integrated
strategy whereby different communication methods and activities target different audiences in different ways. For
example, radio advertising is good at creating and maintaining awareness or building interest and anticipation in
a current or new scheme whereas leaflets targeting people in an LPA provide practical information that can
address their barriers. Your strategy and the communication methods you use should not attempt to cover
everything all the time.
Some communication methods are better at reaching people across a wide area (broad-brush methods), whilst
others are more effective if used in a targeted way in small, discreet areas (targeted methods). Some are
effective at both. For example:


TV is good for targeting people across an entire region with the same message
Radio, depending on its coverage, is better to target people in smaller areas, say a single local authority area
(although broadcast areas will probably overlap with other local authorities)




Local weekly newspapers may target people in particular areas of a local authority
Door-to-door canvassing is effective if used in a targeted way in relatively small areas e.g. particular estates
Signage at recycling sites will only target people visiting that site
Social media channels can be an effective way to target information about services and allows you to engage
in two-way dialogue with residents to spread messages, improve customer service and build relationships.

Mobile phone text alerts and information services e.g. reminders to put recycling bins out can be effective way
to target residents.
Your choice of communication methods also depends on what type of information you want to give to people:

Advertising is good for short, simple messages eg awareness raising and a simple call to action such as call a
helpline or consult a website

PR in your local press can be effective at communicating both simple and more complicated information eg
launching a new service, or explaining to people what happens to their recycling

Information leaflets and calendars delivered to every household and your council website can deliver detailed
information eg what goes in a recycling container and when it is collected

Door-to-door canvassing and call centre staff can give detailed information tailored to the needs of individual
people
You should design your strategy to use a number of communications methods because no single method will be
as effective in isolation and each has its advantages and disadvantages in different situations. Also, you should
develop an integrated strategy with a range of communication methods targeting a number of target audiences
at the same time in different ways. This type of approach will help to maximise the chances of hitting your target
audiences by delivering your messages via a number of different methods over a period of time and increase the
impact of your communications as a whole.
For more information about developing a communications strategy and different communication
methods - see Becoming an Expert No14.
For more information on specific communications methods for culturally diverse communities – see
Becoming an Expert No15.
Improving recycling through effective communications
36
For more information about how communications can support operational activity – see Becoming
an Expert No16 and Becoming an Expert No 17.
CASE STUDY: Communication methods
Corby Borough Council rebranded its communication materials to support the introduction
of alternate weekly collections (AWC), which involved several service changes.
The overall aim was to inform all residents of the new scheme so that they felt confident in using it,
understood how to use it and why it was being introduced. The specific objectives were to:



Inform all householders of the new AWC services by February 2007
Achieve an average participation rate of 75% in the new recycling services by May 2007
Achieve the council ’s recycling and recovery targets of 40%+ for 2007-08
Communication methods and activities
Advertising:
 Community posters - These were put up in strategic locations (supermarkets, libraries and
community centres, etc)
Direct marketing:
 Letter - A letter (in a printed envelope so it would not be mistaken for junk mail) was sent to all
households telling them about the proposed changes to the service
 A5 flyers - These had information about the new service, and were distributed at roadshows and
local events
 Pre-rollout information pack - 30,000 information packs were delivered to residents as the bins
were being distributed. These consisted of: a printed envelope containing a second letter; an eightpage instruction booklet; bin stickers and a collection calendar. Residents were told which materials
went in each bin and when the bins would be collected
 Reminders - Residents were urged to recycle with the distribution of 49,000 bin hangers
(reminders/ contamination tags). In November 2007, 25,000 copies of a further leaflet were
distributed to act as a reminder to residents of the services on offer and how to use it
Community engagement
 Roadshows - A series of roadshows were organised offering on-the-spot advice for residents.
Additional roadshows were held throughout the year
The percentage of residents participating in the scheme by the end of the campaign had risen to 92%.
As a result of the campaign, Corby BC decided to reinforce the Recycle for Corby message and to
continue using the localised Recycle Now call to action and branding as it was widely recognised and
liked by residents.
WRAP Local Authority Communications Case Study: Corby Borough Council
6.2
Methods to reach audiences
As well as selecting your communication methods and activities on the basis of how they can support your
services, your selection also needs to take account of your target audiences as different communication methods
are more/less effective with different audiences. The methods you select must:



Be able to reach the desired target audiences
Address any barriers they may have
Present the information in a way that they will respond to
Research by WRAP suggests that not only do different audience groups have different barriers to recycling but
that they are more receptive to specific recycling messages using different communication methods. Use the
audience barriers and messages table in Becoming an Expert No14 to check that the methods you intend
using are applicable to your target audiences. Please note, that whilst this table is based on robust and
comprehensive research carried out by WRAP, it should not be the only thing you use to look at audience
Improving recycling through effective communications
37
communications and to provide you with a sense check. You should also check how all your proposed
communication methods fit together to reach your target audiences via a number of methods.
When you have decided which communication methods to use you should look at how they fit together and
assess whether they will reach all your target audiences. Use the communications matrix in Becoming an
Expert No14 to map your communication methods against your target audiences to ensure:


You haven’t missed any key groups
All your target audiences are targeted using a number of methods to increase the chances of your message
getting through

The communication methods you have chosen complement each other and fit together
Checking that your selected communication methods are a good fit with your target audiences and your
objectives should help you make your decisions about the mix of communication methods and activities you want
to use to get the right messages to the right groups in the right ways.
For more information about different communication activities – see Becoming an Expert No19 and
20.
6.3
Impact of each method
Each communication method has different strengths and weaknesses and their impact will vary depending on
how they are used. It is essential to use the most appropriate mix of communication methods based on your
target audience, your objectives and your budget and consider the impact, influence and targeting of the
communications method or activity.
External impacts
To assess the likely impact on your target audience and to decide whether a particular communication method is
right for your strategy you should assess it against the following attributes:



Impact - the degree to which the communication will be noticed by the person receiving it
Influence - the extent to which the technique will influence the recycling behaviour of the people receiving it
Targeting - the precision with which the technique can be used to reach a very specific audience or group
These attributes can be applied to different communication methods and activities, for example:

TV advertising is high impact but it is also very indiscriminate so its targeting ability is low. This means its cost
effectiveness for local campaigns is relatively low and should be given a low priority

Leaflets delivered door-to-door are similar to TV in terms of their ability to influence people. However, their
targeting can be highly effective and they can be very cost effective which means local authority recycling
communications should give them a high priority
You should assess all the communication methods you have identified to check that they are the ones best suited
to your situation before moving on to look at detailed activities. This is covered in more detail in Becoming an
Expert No14.
Internal impacts
As well as the effects on your target audience you should consider the potential impact on the local authority if
your communications succeed – will your services and resources be able to cope? You should consider the
following issues and ensure sufficient resources are in place to cope with any extra demands created by your
communications:
Potential internal impact
Possible solution

Ability of collection teams to cope with the
additional material being collected

Rearrange rounds to take account of increased time
collecting/emptying containers

Capacity of containers and vehicles with the
additional material being collected

Assess containers and vehicles to ensure they have
enough capacity
Improving recycling through effective communications
38


Ensure additional containers can be provided if required
Extra requests for help and support from
householders eg assisted collections

Identify level of potential demand (use demographic
information) and plan how to respond

Capacity and collection frequency of bring
banks and ability of HWRCs to deal with
increased numbers of users

Review size of banks and collection frequencies to see if
any changes might be required

Extra requests for bulky waste collections

Review system for responding to enquires to maintain
adequate response times and plan to have extra resources
on hand if required

Additional enquiries to call centres

Train staff to deal with enquiries quickly and efficiently and
arrange for additional staff to be available to deal with
likely peak demand periods eg around the launch of a new
service –perhaps through out-sourcing or sharing with a
neighbouring authority

Householders visit website to obtain further
information


Update information
Check system can cope with increased hits

The ability of front line staff to deal politely
and efficiently with questions from
householders or HWRC users

Train staff
Crisis Planning
Have you considered what to do if something goes wrong? You should have detailed emergency plans and a
crisis PR plan. You should also have a trained media spokesperson, someone who can deal with media enquiries
and give interviews.
You could conduct a SWOT analysis to identify potential internal weaknesses and develop ways to address them
(see Becoming an Expert No5 for information about SWOT analysis). Ensure that all the likely internal impacts of
your communications have been identified and addressed before you start your campaign.
For more information about the impacts of different communications methods - see Becoming an
Expert No14.
6.4
Distribution methods
There are a variety of ways to distribute communications material and information to target audiences including:

Door-to-door distribution (door-drops) of leaflets/calendars/service information packs by crews, canvassers,
specialist distribution companies or the Royal Mail


Pick-ups – from libraries, council offices, community centres, leisure centres and other public buildings
Posters in libraries, council offices, community centres, leisure centres, doctors’ surgeries, schools, local
shops, community notice boards etc
Each method has its advantages and disadvantages and the final decision over which method(s) to use is usually
determined by a combination of factors:





Effectiveness - will it reach the target audience?
Ease - will it be simple, complicated or time-consuming to organise?
Timescales - how quick/slow will it be? What are the lead times? Will it work in the timescale I need it?
Reliability - how reliable is this method? Can I guarantee people will see/read my message?
Cost - how cheap/expensive is it? Does it represent good value for money?
For more information about distribution methods - see Becoming an Expert No18.
Improving recycling through effective communications
39
6.5
Planning your Communications
The following section shows an extract from a typical communication plan to show how the communications
strategy could be developed and written.
6.0
Communications Strategy
In order to achieve these objectives the campaign will adopt the following strategic approach:






Deliver generic information to all households on the recycling services available in the district and what can
and cannot be collected in order to recycle as much as possible;
Deliver targeted information to households where there is low participation;
Develop and maintain recognition of the recycle for Moving Forward Council (MFC) branding;
Deliver recycling information to all MFC staff;
Develop effective partnerships with media groups to support the recycling services and the benefits
associated with recycling; and
Include monitoring and evaluation mechanisms within all communication activities to help measure their
effectiveness.
A way of identifying some of the audiences, the messages you are trying to get across and the methods that
could be used is shown in the table below.
Audience
All Householders
Message
 What you can recycle using the
 Direct Mail, instruction leaflets
 The benefits of recycling
 What happens to recyclables
 How to obtain more










existing services
information
Collection crews
Press and Media
Method
and calendar
Website
Council Helpline
Council Newspaper
Vehicle livery
Unmanned exhibitions
Roadshows
Feedback leaflets and surveys
New residents packs
Social Media Channels
Mobile phone text alerts
 How to deliver the services
 Benefits of the services
 How to advise householders
 Crew training
 Calling cards
 Information provided to
 Using the recycling services
 The benefits of recycling
 Events to promote the services
 Press releases
 Press briefings
householders
Improving recycling through effective communications
40
7.0
Campaign Activities
Develop individual activities
Your communication methods cover a wide range of individual activities and once you have decided on your
overall strategy and selected the mix of communication methods to use, you need to look in detail at the
communications activities you need to deliver your strategy’s objectives.
You should begin by looking at which communication activities to use as part of the mix of communication
methods you have selected – a list of potential activities is outlined below. Next, you need to set individual aims
and objectives for each activity and decide how to monitor and evaluate them. This will enable you to identify
which activities perform well, which perform less well and to report on your successes.
Communication
methods
Advertising
PR
Direct marketing
techniques
Community
engagement
Online
Social Media
Mobile phones
Internal
communications
Communication activities
External advertising – billboards, adshels, bus, train and tube
Internal advertising – bus, tube
TV and radio advertising
Online advertising
Press advertising
Free poster sites
Branding of collection receptacles
Information stickers for collection receptacles
Livery of collection vehicles
Signage at ‘drop off’ sites
Signage on bring banks
Signage on recycling and waste collection containers
Briefing local media (TV, radio, press and online media)
Launch event(s)
Press packs and press briefings
Council newsletters
Leaflets and service calendars (collection information)
Contamination cards
Door-to-door canvassing
Building on-going permanent relationships with local communities and community groups
Events, roadshows and drop-in days
Council website
Email and E-zines
Twitter, Facebook, Blogs & You Tube
Mobile phone text alerts and information services e.g. reminders to put recycling bins out
Intranet
Staff magazine
Briefings
Crew & staff training packs
Like your communication methods, your activities need to be selected using the following criteria:


Appropriate to your strategy and your chosen communication methods
Support the achievement of your overall aim and objectives
Improving recycling through effective communications
41




Appropriate for the services you are promoting
Best fit for the type of message and audience
Can be managed successfully with your available resources
Can be delivered within your anticipated budget – eg using a mix of ‘high cost’ and ‘low cost’ activities and
‘free’ media (such as posters in council/public buildings) wherever possible
Again, you should use a number of activities for each communications method because no single method will be
effective on its own and each activity (like their corresponding methods) has its advantages and disadvantages in
different situations. Also, you should develop an integrated strategy with a range of communication activities and
methods which overlap with each other. This will maximise the chances of hitting your target audiences by
delivering your messages via a number of different methods over a period of time and increase the overall impact
of your communications. Use the communications matrix from Becoming an Expert No14 to cross-reference
and integrate your communication activities with your overall methods and target audiences.
CASE STUDY: Campaign activities
London Borough of Barnet undertook a campaign to boost participation in recycling by people
living in flats.
The main campaign activity was door-to-door canvassing with the Council commissioning teams of recycling
promoters to visit all 15,000 flats with communal recycling bins. Return visits were carried out to achieve a 50%
face-to-face contact rate. The promoters offered residents free, reusable bags to store recyclable items and
handed out an information leaflet on recycling.
Other communication activities included:
 Media releases to achieve instant and sustained awareness and to launch the
Flats Recycling publicity campaign
 Newsletters – including features in local newsletters and community magazines
Website – the pages dealing with recycling on the council ’s website
(www.barnet.gov.uk) were updated with a separate section for flats
 Service leaflets were produced for distribution as part of the door-stepping
campaign
 Direct mail – a letter to provide information about the service was posted to
residents who were not in when the door-steppers called
 Posters featuring details of the campaign were produced for communal areas of
flats
 Reusable bags for storing and transporting recycling printed with service
information were distributed to all residents visited
 Signage on recycling containers – new clear, easy-to-follow information stickers conforming to national
‘Recycle Now ’ branded signage were introduced
 Show cards were produced illustrating the materials collected for recycling for use by residents who do not
speak English as a first language
WRAP Local Authority Communications Case Study: London Borough of Barnet
For more information about communication activities – see Becoming an Expert No19 and No20.
For more information on communications on a budget – see Becoming an Expert No22.
7.1
Individual aims & objectives
For each communication activity you need to identify an individual set of aims and objectives against which
progress and achievements can be monitored and evaluated. Your aims and objectives for each activity need to
link back to and support your overall aim and objectives. If they do not, you should question the value of a
particular activity. This approach will help you to be clear about the purpose of each activity and see how it fits
into your overall plan. Remember to make sure your objectives are SMART and include inputs, outputs and
impacts where relevant (NB you do not need to include input, output and impact objectives for every activity –
use them sensibly). Setting input and output objectives is relatively straightforward as they are easier to
Improving recycling through effective communications
42
measure. Objectives based on impacts should be approached with more care as it as be more difficult to
apportion impacts to specific communication activities. Be sensible with the measures you chose – make sure
they are appropriate, for example:
Activity
Posters in public buildings
and shops throughout
local authority
Door-to-door canvassing in
LPA
Inputs
Print 500 A4
colour
posters
3,000 houses
called at
Objectives
Outputs
Impacts
450 posters distributed
No objective set (too difficult to
400 displayed to the
apportion impacts (ie increased tonnage
public
of recyclate collected) directly to posters
1,000 people spoken to 5% increase in recyclate collected from
the round covering the LPA
To know more about setting aims and objectives and SMART targets – See Section 3: Aims and
Objectives and Becoming an Expert No6 and No7.
7.2
Communication tactics
Next, you need to look in detail at the individual tactics (or tasks) that make up each activity. You should list all
your communication activities and break down the individual tactics each one needs in order to be developed and
delivered successfully.
For an example of an activity breakdown, see the outline plan in Becoming an Expert No23.
For more information about planning your communications see Section 8: Planning your activities.
7.3
Agree Monitoring & Evaluation mechanisms
Each activity should have its own monitoring and evaluation system so you know whether it has succeeded in
meeting its aims and objectives. You need to measure the inputs, outcomes and impacts (as appropriate) of each
activity and determine whether they have met their aim and objectives. For example, the monitoring and
evaluation for an event could comprise:





The number of events organised (input)
The number of people attending the event (outcome)
The number of people spoken to (outcome)
The amount of information taken away (outcome)
A survey of attendees (all or a sample) to obtain information on attitudes towards, understanding of and
opinions about the event and recycling locally (impact)
For an introduction and overview of monitoring and evaluation - see Section 9.
For detailed information about target setting and monitoring and evaluating your
communications see Improving the Performance of Waste Diversion Schemes – A
Good Practice Guide to Monitoring and Evaluation. This comprehensive guidance
document gives detailed step-by-step guidance on a range of monitoring techniques for waste
operations and communications and can be accessed here:
www.wrap.org.uk/monitoringandevaluation
Improving recycling through effective communications
43
7.4
Planning your Communications
The following section shows an extract from a typical communication plan to show how the communications
activities could be developed and written.
7.0
Communications Activities
7.1
Recycling Guide and Collection Calendar
A recycling guide will be developed to inform householders of the materials they can recycle using the blue and
brown bin kerbside services and the HWRC and recycling bring sites. This will be mailed out in an envelope with
council branding to all households with the collection calendar.
The design of the leaflet will be eye-catching and integrate the recycle now branding and material stream icons
and the text will be kept concise.
Aims


To raise awareness of materials which can be recycled using the MFC kerbside, bring and HWRC recycling
services; and
To inform householders when their collections will be made.
Objectives


To design and deliver a recycling guide to all residents by the end of August 2013;
To design and deliver a collection calendar to all residents by the end of August 2013;
Tactics








Design and print 18,000 (allowing for spares) A5, 8 page, four colour, recycling guide;
Design and print 18,000 52 types A5 2 page, four colour, collection calendars;
Design and print 17,000 C5 4 colour overprinted envelopes;
Mail out calendars and recycling guides to all households;
Provide copies of promotional material to relevant staff e.g. crews, frontline staff, members;
Internal promotion to all staff using email;
Issue press release to local media groups; and
Update the recycling pages on the council website.
Monitoring Mechanisms




7.2
Number of recycling guides and calendars distributed;
Tonnage of dry recycling and organic waste collected before and after mail out;
Number of queries and requests received as a result of the mail out; and
Hits and visits to the recycling pages on the council website.
Website
The Council’s website has information on the recycling and refuse services which will be updated and improved
significantly to provide clear information on what householders can recycle. This will be done in a more visual
way and will use the new branding developed for all recycling and waste services.
A new URL will be developed to take householders directly to the recycling pages of the MFC website, this will be
www.movingforward.gov.uk/recycling. This address will be used on all communications as it is far easier for
residents to access the information rather than going via the Council’s home page. In addition a link from the
home page will also be developed to take users directly to the recycling pages.
Improving recycling through effective communications
44
Aim

To raise awareness and provide up to date information to householders on the waste and recycling services
and waste reduction initiatives provided by the Council on the MFC website.
Objectives


Make improvements and update the website recycling pages, develop a new URL for use on all promotional
material and create a link from the home page by July 2013; and
To increase the number of visits to the recycling and waste pages by 20% by March 2014.
Tactics



Develop updated, on-brand pages, new URL and link from home page and arrange upload;
Add information about new promotional campaigns as and when they are launched;
Ensure that regular website statistics reports are available for the waste and recycling pages to establish the
information readers are accessing – this can help shape and populate new pages.
Monitoring Mechanisms

Use statistics package to track website traffic to recycling and waste pages – monthly recording/ quarterly
reporting.
Improving recycling through effective communications
45
8.0
Planning Your Activities
Scheduling and costs
This section looks at the process of putting your ideas into a coherent implementation plan and provides you with
a mechanism to ensure that all activities are completed on time and within budget.
Firstly, you need to ensure your communications plan dovetails with any operational activity that is planned such
as the launch of new collections. Then the plan needs to take account of any national activities with which your
communications could link in order to generate added media and public interest. Once all these key dates have
been timetabled you can schedule all your communication activities and tactics. At the same time you need to
obtain costings for all the communications activities and materials in order to develop your budget.
The length of your plan will depend on how far into the future you need to plan and how far you can accurately
forecast your budget levels and make reasonable planning decisions. In most cases the best approach is to plan
and review communication activities over a 12 month cycle although occasionally, for short campaigns, your plan
may only need to cover a few months. It is a good idea though to have an overall strategy that covers 2-3 years,
though you do not need have prepared detailed plans for that length of time. Finally, you should consider the
level of detail for different people:

A simple overview of the main activities, timescales, deliverables and outcomes for senior managers and other
key stakeholders

A much more detailed version which you and your team will use on a day-to-day basis
In terms of the format for your plan, Excel or specialised software programmes such as Microsoft Project can be
useful in developing a visual representation of activities in the form of Gantt charts.
8.1
Link with service provision
Start your communications plan by looking at your service targets and operational activity. List the key
milestones and deadlines:


Operational/service performance targets
Operational activities and initiatives designed to achieve your service targets eg launching or changing a new
service

Changing collection times/frequencies
Consult your local authority waste strategy or colleagues for detailed information and pay particular attention to
those current and future operational activities that need communicating to householders (see the information you
gathered in Section 1). It may be useful to show key operational activities that will affect your communications
activities within the same plan to provide a focus for key deadlines. Operational actions could be shown in your
plan alongside communications activity by displaying it in a different colour, for instance.
8.2
Link with national events
Identify key national dates or events that you can use to base activities around or generate positive local PR, for
example the dates national recycling or environmental statistics are released. Key international, national
awareness days and events include:
Improving recycling through effective communications
46





Compost Awareness Week
Earth Day
World Environment Day
Recycle Week
The Clean Up the World Weekend
The national Recycle Now website www.recyclenowpartners.org.uk provides a campaign calendar which includes
information about upcoming events, advertising or special topics which can be incorporated into local plans.
National events can be used effectively by local campaigns and have a number of benefits:



There will be general public awareness about the national event as a result of national media coverage
Any event you organise locally in support is likely to attract more interest from the public
If you organise an event, it may attract the interest of your local media looking for a local angle or story about
the national event
8.3
Schedule campaign activities
When you have identified all the key dates, deadlines and milestones you need to plot them onto a Gantt chart,
planning each activity and breaking it down into its individual tactics (tasks). Look at when each activity needs to
be completed and allow time for all the tactics required to organise each one. Other key points to consider:



Allow time for funding or sponsorship applications and build in campaign meetings as required
When scheduling activities, remember to allow for holiday dates (staff, public and school holidays)
Booking advertising space (eg billboards) may need to be done well in advance to get the best spaces and
deals

Leaflet distributions may need to be ready a long time in advance – as much as a couple of months for Royal
Mail
You need to list your entire communications programme and schedule all your activities and tactics. Make sure
you include everything.
It can be useful to develop an Activity Table to schedule your communications activities, timescales and costs. A
sample table can be downloaded from www.wrap.org.uk/lpa
For more information about planning and using Gantt charts – see Becoming an Expert No23.
8.4
Outline indicative costs
You should make some initial budget decisions quite early on based on indications of the size of any budget you
are likely to have. As a rule of thumb, and based on WRAP’s experience of working with a large number of local
authorities, effective communications costs a minimum of £1.00 per household for ongoing communications. This
will vary depending on local circumstances, for example the figure for smaller LAs could be greater as core costs
for activities like monitoring will absorb a greater proportion of their funding. Also, if you are launching a brand
new service, you may need to spend more in order to ensure you do so successfully – up to £2 per household.
A reasonable starting point is to consider exactly how much money you need (in an ideal world) and compare
that to how much money you are likely to get (based, for example, on previous levels of communications
funding). Work to an initial target budget that is somewhere between the two figures (bearing the £1.00 per
household figure in mind). Cost efficiencies can be gained for some activities that could reach across a wider area
by working in partnership with neighbouring authorities.
Prioritise your activities into ‘must have’ and ‘nice to have’ activities and fully cost all your ‘must have’ activities
first. Is the budget figure you obtain higher or lower than your target budget? If lower, prioritise and start
costing your ‘nice to have’ activities until you reach your target budget. If the figure is higher you need to
investigate what scope there is for finding some extra budget or economise by prioritising your ‘must have’
activities: rule some out or find more economical ways of delivering them, for example, by reducing the scale of
Improving recycling through effective communications
47
activities such as five events instead of ten or two weeks press advertising instead of four. If you have to
economise you should also be wary of making some activities so small that they may not have any impact at all.
It might be better not doing them and reallocating that proportion of the budget to other activities that have a
greater chance of achieving your objectives. If your communications plan straddles a financial year, look critically
at what activities you can push back or pull forwards and adjust your budgets accordingly.
Remember, if you have to cut down, you may need to revise your aims and objectives down as well. If you have
to economise, you should consider whether you are still able to reach your targets with a reduced budget. If it
looks unlikely, use this information to make a stronger case for additional budget or seek agreement to a less
ambitious target..
WRAP has produced an Indicative Cost Guide that aims to help with costing
communications activities. These indicative costs cover a wide range of goods and
services and should help you develop initial budgets and obtain value for money.
This guide, however, is not intended as a substitute for seeking three estimates
from local companies. Refer to the procurement rules for your Local Authority.
Where you can secure suitable in–house services you should expect to make
savings.
http://www.wrap.org.uk/local_authorities/research_guidance/communications/com
munication.html
For more information on communications on a budget – see Becoming an Expert No22.
For more information about budgeting and costing communications - see Becoming an Expert No24.
8.5
Include contingencies
Your plan will need to allow for contingencies and the unexpected:

Time - you should build in time (‘slack’) for unexpected delays such as staff illness or key staff leaving,
decision-making delays or stoppages, having to re-do work etc

Emergencies - you should draw up an emergency plan and a crisis PR plan to deal with any crises, for
example: any local controversy which might arise related to your recycling communications or services such
as an accident involving a collection vehicle or plans for new services or facilities

Staff – some communications activities may require additional staff support. You should plan the time and
budget to secure and train temporary staff if necessary

Re-programming - plan to be able to respond to budget changes in either direction so that you know how to
maintain the best value for money and achieve your objectives

Budget – you should allow for unexpected costs or cost over-runs by including a contingency budget of
between 5%-10% of your overall budget
Communications sometimes end up costing more than expected if activities and materials are changed a lot,
especially at the last minute. Practical ways to avoid this are by having a clearly agreed plan at an early stage,
clear decision-making lines and by completing approvals on messaging and copy before the design stage.
Improving recycling through effective communications
48
8.6
Planning your Communications
The following section shows an extract from a typical communication plan to show how the communications
schedule and the indicative costs could be developed and presented.
8
Communications Schedule
Extract from Moving Forward Council’s (MFC) communications schedule
Improving recycling through effective communications
49
8
Indicative Costs
Moving Forward Council – indicative communications costs
Activity
Quantity
TOTAL £
Operational Issues
Vehicle livery - allowing £1,500/vehicle
5
£7,500
Design and print contamination tags for the blue bin service
2,000
£350
Design and print contamination tags for the brown bin service
2,000
£350
Design and print A6, full colour, double sided customer enquiry cards
2,000
£430
Design and print A5, 8 page recycling guides
18,000
£2,800
Design and print collection calendar
18,000
£4,000
Design and print mailout envelope and allow for insertion of calendar and
recycling guide
17,000
£1,500
Royal Mail postage
16,500
£5,000
Design and print 36,000 A4 blue and brown bin recycling stickers
36,000
£5,753
Design and print 18,000 residual bin stickers
18,000
£2,072
Recycling Guide and Collection Calendar
Bin Stickers
Apply stickers using agency staff
£5,000
Food Waste Kitchen Caddy Introduction
Design and print 18,000 A5 4 page introduction leaflets
18,000
£1,518
Address from database tab shut and mail out using Walksort 2
16,500
£1,500
Walksort 2 postage
16,500
£3,960
Design and print 18000 A5 8 page instruction leaflets
18,000
£2,358
To be determined - HWRC
5
£5,000
To be determined - Bring Sites
10
£4,000
4
£2,200
HWRC and Recycling Bring Bank Site Signage
New Year Recycling Campaign
Newspaper advertising - estimated for 4 events - including design (£200)
Roadshows/Displays
Develop exhibition boards for trailer (if relevant)
6
£2,000
Reusable bags
1,000
£1,000
Recycled Pens
2,000
£500
Street entertainer for 4 events (£250 each event)
4
£1,000
Design of mobile display 3 types manufacture 3
3
£1,200
Purchase leaflet stand
1
£300
50
£500
PR
Design and produce A4 press packs
£61,791
Improving recycling through effective communications
50
9.0
Monitoring and Evaluation
Evaluate effectiveness
Monitoring and evaluation is part of a continuous process of learning and improvement that enables you to assess
the performance of your communications against your aim and objectives. Effective monitoring and evaluation
will help you:


Know whether your communications plan has achieved or exceeded its aim and objectives
Identify which activities worked well and which didn’t and how they might be improved or whether they
should be substituted for other activities


Justify the expenditure on communications to senior managers and elected members
Develop better communications in the future by refining and improving activities, focusing spending more
effectively and achieving better results
The continuous improvement loop:
Improving recycling through effective communications
51
CASE STUDY: Monitoring and evaluation
Bath & North East Somerset Council ran a communications campaign to target householders in
hard-to-reach areas to increase awareness and take-up of its recycling services.
To determine whether the campaign had worked the council conducted:
 Pre-and post-campaign participation monitoring in the areas served by a kerbside collection and targeted by
the communications campaign
 Pre-and post-campaign usage monitoring in the areas served by mini recycling centres (MRCs) and targeted
by the communications campaign
 Pre-and post-campaign ‘committed recycler’ monitoring by surveying flats served by MRCs and shared houses
served by the kerbside collection service
 Monitoring of tonnage of recyclate collected at MRCs and by the kerbside collection service on rounds serving
the target community
The monitoring programme enabled the council to evaluate the achievements of its campaign against objectives:
 Participation monitoring in shared housing - 5.2% increase in the number of properties using the kerbside
recycling service
 Usage monitoring - 28% increase in reported usage of the mini recycling centres. This increase is supported
by the tonnage data (see below)
 Committed recycler survey - the proportion of committed recyclers increased by 5% in flats and 9% in shared
houses. Respondents claiming to recycle ‘a lot’ showed the most dramatic increases (26.2% in flats and
10.3% in houses)
 Tonnage monitoring - overall there was a steady increase across Bath and North East Somerset in the amount
of material being recycled and composted, and a decrease in the amount of residual waste being sent to
landfill. Data for houses was disrupted but for flats, tonnages increased from 554,053 tonnes to 621,922
tonnes
The monitoring programme provided evidence that the communications campaign had increased tonnage,
participation, usage and the proportion of committed recyclers. It also showed the importance of using a range of
monitoring techniques – supported by anecdotal information – as practical constraints interfered with some of the
monitoring methods (and therefore the results) and to add weight to results which, on their own, might not
appear as significant. By investing resources in measuring performance, it was possible to build evidence to
support the use of communications and to make the case for additional funding for future campaigns.
WRAP Local Authority Communications Case Study: Bath and North East Somerset Council
You need to be thinking about your monitoring and evaluation techniques right from the start of the
communications planning process:

If you undertake any pre-campaign research when you assess your current situation, consider whether it
could be repeated to form part of your post-campaign evaluation

You should ensure your monitoring and evaluation measure impacts which directly link back to the attainment
of overall recycling and waste management service targets eg increasing your recycling rate. Elements like
operational performance, should be monitored and evaluated on a continual basis

If you are measuring changes in awareness, attitudes and behaviour you need to undertake pre-campaign
baseline monitoring and then carry out post-campaign monitoring to evaluate changes
You will also need to decide who is responsible for undertaking the M&E activities and how much they will cost.
This last point depends on whether they will be managed in-house or contracted out to specialists (or a mixture
of the two).
Improving recycling through effective communications
52
For detailed information about monitoring and evaluation research for waste
operations and communications campaigns WRAP has produced a
comprehensive guidance document – “Improving the Performance of Waste
Diversion Schemes”. This good practice guide gives detailed step-by-step
guidance on a range of monitoring techniques.
www.wrap.org.uk/monitoringandevaluation
9.1
Overall aims and objectives achieved?
You should decide how to measure and evaluate your overall communications aims and objectives when you first
identify and set them. Your overall objectives (see Section 3 and Becoming an Expert No6 for more information
about aims and objectives) should relate to the impact of your communications. Measuring impact is essential as
this is the only way of knowing the extent of behaviour change and every campaign, even the smallest, should
aim to measure its impact.
There is a range of measures, relevant to waste management communications programmes, which you could use
to assess your communication activity including:




Collection tonnages
Participation rates
Set-out rates
Capture rates
As a minimum, you should use data from your council’s routine statutory recycling and waste management
performance reporting to measure the impact of your communications. Once you have chosen the methods you
are going to use you should schedule when all your monitoring and evaluation will take place:



Pre-campaign – measuring your baseline
During the campaign – measuring inputs and outcomes
Post-campaign – measuring impacts
Remember to allow time for tendering, briefing and start-up if you are using external consultants to help you and
don’t forget to schedule your post-campaign M&E to give you time for analysis, review and report writing before
any reporting deadlines.
How much to spend on monitoring and evaluation
The following table is a guide as to what WRAP thinks is reasonable.
Communications
costs
(excluding core
staffing and in-kind
contributions)
£1 - £10,000
£10,001 - £50,000
£50,001 - £200,000
Recommended types of monitoring
(both pre-campaign and post-campaign)
All routine operational performance monitoring, especially quantities diverted measured
as kg per household per week for recycling schemes
All routine operational performance monitoring, especially quantities diverted measured
as kg per household per week for recycling schemes
Optional - participation rates for kerbside schemes or usage rates for bring bank and
HWRC schemes
All routine operational performance monitoring, especially:
 Quantities diverted measured as kg per household per week for recycling schemes
Improving recycling through effective communications
53
Communications
costs
(excluding core
staffing and in-kind
contributions)
Recommended types of monitoring
(both pre-campaign and post-campaign)

£200,001 +
Participation rates for kerbside schemes, usage rates for bring bank and HWRC
schemes
 Proportion of committed recyclers
If relevant to an objective:
 Proportion of each targeted material captured or avoided or level of contamination
of recyclate
All routine operational performance monitoring, especially:
 Quantities diverted measured as kg per household per week for recycling schemes
 Participation rates for kerbside schemes or usage rates for bring bank and HWRC
schemes
 Proportion of committed recyclers
 Proportion of each targeted material captured or avoided
Only if relevant - level of contamination of recyclate
Note:
For authorities that operate alternate weekly schemes, participation rate monitoring is normally less
important than monitoring capture rates and contamination rates. This is because the most people will participate
to a certain level in alternate weekly schemes because of the restricted waste container capacity. However,
incorrect participation is likely to be higher. Alternate weekly authorities should therefore consider whether they
should substitute participation monitoring for capture rate analysis or contamination analysis, even at the lower
levels of campaign value.
9.2
Individual aims and objectives achieved?
As well as your overall communications aims and objectives you should have set individual aims and objectives
for all your communication activities. Your individual objectives (see Section 3 and Becoming an Expert No6 for
more information about aims and objectives) should consist of the following types:



Input objectives
Outcome objectives
Impact objectives
All three are useful for different reasons but measuring impact is the most important as this is the only way of
knowing the extent of behaviour change and the relative success of your communications in improving recycling.
There is a range of measures, relevant to waste management communications programmes, which you could use
to assess your communication activity and these are shown in the table on the following page.
Improving recycling through effective communications
54
Measures used to evaluate communications
M&E Technique
Input
Advertising reach
Brochure requests
Calls to freephone number
Capture rates
Collection tonnages
Competition entries
Consumer research
Doorsteps visited
Employee survey
Journalist research

Leaflets printed
Leaflets distributed
Members survey
Participation rates
Press coverage
Roadshow attendance
Sales of composting bins
Set-out rates
Website hits
Objectives
Output



Impact















In order to measure them, you need to ensure the monitoring and evaluation system developed for your overall
aim and objectives covers your individual activity objectives too. If it does not, you should add extra monitoring
and evaluation to measure the relevant inputs, outcomes and impacts of your activities.
9.3
Review impact of campaign activities
When you evaluate the monitoring information you have gathered you should review the impact of your
communications by answering the following questions:
Did you achieve your
overall aims and
objectives?
Did you achieve the aims
and objectives for your
individual communication
activities?
What was the overall
impact of your
communications?
Investigate any other
issues (positive or
negative) which you
identify or relate to your
communications objectives
Refer to the overall aims and objectives you set and check the
corresponding monitoring and evaluation information you have gathered.
Refer to the aims and objectives you set for your individual
communication activities and check the corresponding monitoring and
evaluation information you have gathered.
Identify the overall or ‘headline’ achievement of your communications eg
increased tonnage collected, increased participation etc.
The review process may uncover some unexpected results (good and/or
bad) that require investigation as well. You should look at all the issues
your monitoring and evaluation reveals in order to conduct a thorough
review and build on your successes and avoid repeating any mistakes.
Dealing with disappointing results
If you have followed all the advice in this document your communications should be effective, but success can
never be guaranteed and any communications programme may experience disappointing results from time to
time.
It is important that any temporary setbacks or disappointments – which may have had causes entirely outside
your own control, or which may have nothing to do with your communication activity – are not seen as failures by
key stakeholders and budget holders.
Success in dealing with such situations lies in the consistent and credible presentation of results in an easy to
understand format, always relating the actions undertaken to the objectives. Honesty is essential – it is never
acceptable to misrepresent or overstate results.
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Finally, even disappointments can be turned to your advantage as they will undoubtedly form opportunities to
learn. When presenting disappointing results, it is important to show what has been learned as a result and what
will be done differently in future.
9.4
Determine future activities
Once you have established whether your communications have succeeded or not you should study the
information again in more detail to see what you can learn for future campaigns. This final review could even act
as the first stage in your next communications plan with the results forming your baseline information. You
should:

Identify activities that worked well, for example, reached lots of people in a cost effective manner, had high
impact, produced marked increases in participation or tonnage. Could any successes be replicated or built
upon in future campaigns? Review the M&E information gathered about the inputs, outputs and impacts of
your communications activities. Identify which activities worked well and which worked less well. Consider
what changes you might need to make in order to repeat successful activities in a different location, on a
different scale, with a different audience etc. You may want to conduct debrief meetings with relevant staff to
look at the information in more detail

Identify activities that weren’t so successful and possibly why not. Look at your weaker performing activities
and try to identify the reasons for their weaknesses. Could their shortcomings be eliminated or avoided?
Would it be better not to repeat the activity? Is the activity basically ‘sound’ but needs improving in some
way? NB - weakness does not necessarily mean failure to reach an objective, it may be a particular activity
performed less well than others eg an event that attracted less visitors than other similar events. Again, you
may want to conduct debrief meetings with relevant staff to look at the information and implications in more
detail.

Review the findings, identify and list your key recommendations for future communications
This final assessment process will give you a firm, factual basis on which to:



Build evidence to support the use of communications
Make the case for additional funding for future communications
Build and develop campaigns which achieve even greater results in the future
Your results should be summarised, written up into a short campaign report and disseminated to key internal
stakeholders and used to gain support for further communications. The findings should also be used in internal
communications to thank staff involved in the campaign for their support and in press releases to give feedback
to the public on how well they are doing, to thank them for their efforts and urge them to continue to recycle.
This will generate additional positive media coverage and further your overall communications aim.
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9.5
Planning your Communications
The following section shows an extract from a typical communication plan to show how the monitoring and
evaluation mechanisms could be developed and written.
9
Monitoring and Evaluation
It is necessary to monitor the success of each of the activities detailed in Section 7 so that activities and tactics
can be changed if they are found not to be as effective as planned. Strategies will be constantly reviewed and
updated in order to keep pace with the changing environment. By monitoring all the activities, it will be possible
to determine which are the most successful for MFC and ensure that the communications budget is spent on
activities that will produce best value for money. The WRAP monitoring and evaluation toolkit will be used as a
reference document to conduct monitoring of the campaign where appropriate.
9.1
Determine whether overall aims and objectives have been met
The recycling rate for 2013/2014 will be calculated from the annual tonnage figures for all recycling and residual
waste.
Participation monitoring will be conducted in February/March 2014 at the end of the campaign.
9.2
Determine whether individual aims and objectives have been achieved
These will be measured using the individual monitoring methods detailed in Section 7.
9.3
Assess the impact of the individual campaign activities
The impact will be measured by the parameters detailed in Section 9.1 and by the individual monitoring
measures in Section 7.
9.4
Review monitoring information to determine future communication activities
The success of the campaign overall will be assessed by comparing its achievements against the aims and
objectives set. If some or all of the overall objectives have failed to be met, then the Council will consider
alternative communications activities. Individual communication activities can and should be assessed. If they
have failed to make a significant impact, then other activities should be considered to achieve future aims and
objectives.
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10.0 Conclusion
Once you have reached this point, by working through this document, you should have prepared and finalised
your communications plan and be ready to start delivering your campaign(s). By now you will be familiar with all
aspects of communications planning but there are a few key points to re-emphasise:

Your communications need to reflect your situation and your aspirations. Your area and its issues will be
unique and may require tailored solutions to encourage and embed long term behaviour change.
Understanding your area, the people living in it and the barriers present are all key to the development of a
campaign which successfully increases recycling performance

You will need to use a range of different communication methods and activities to target your audiences
successfully and you will need to use all the resources available to you imaginatively in order to achieve your
objectives
Careful objective setting together with intelligent use of monitoring and evaluation techniques are vital to
measure success and to build on your achievements for the future.
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Becoming an Expert No1: Gathering demographic and socio-economic
information
Your communications might need to communicate with all those living within your local authority area, specific
sections of the population (eg affluent families, young professionals, new families, students etc) or people living
in particular geographic areas (eg particular housing estates, neighbourhoods, towns or villages, specific council
wards or collection rounds). Whichever it is, you need to gather as much demographic and socio-economic
information about your local householders as possible including:









Number of people/number of households
Age/gender profile
Social grade/income levels
Religion/ethnicity
Housing types - proportion of each and distribution
Rural/urban split
Life stages of residents (students, young and single, new families, mature families, elderly)
Levels of car ownership/use of public transport
Levels/areas of deprivation
This information can be gathered from a variety of sources.
Sources of demographic information
Your local authority
Your own local authority will have a wealth of statistical information on its local population, the economy, levels
of deprivation, affluence and housing. Departments that might be able to help you include:
Waste management
Housing
Planning
Strategy and planning
Social services
Education
Research
There may be external sources such as your local Primary Care Trust that can be excellent resources for
information about the local population.
Office for National Statistics (ONS) http://www.statistics.gov.uk/default.asp
This website gives access to the 2001 census statistics, commentaries, profiles and downloads from the Office for
National Statistics, together with details of forthcoming releases. The ONS website has a number of reports and
search facilities across all kinds of government statistical information:

Social Trends draws together social and economic data from a wide range of government departments and
other organisations to provide a comprehensive guide to UK society today and how it has been changing

Regional Trends is a comprehensive source of official statistics for the regions of England, Wales, Scotland
and Northern Ireland. The report includes demographic, social, industrial and economic data
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The information is based on the last census carried out in 2001 so may be dated.
Neighbourhood Statistics http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/
This site can be used to view or download local area statistics for wards or local authorities in England and Wales
on a wide range of subjects including population, crime, health and housing. It is searchable by postcode, town,
city, local authority area (borough/district or ward), or region.
Examples of neighbourhood statistics available:
Key figures for 2001 Census: Key Statistics
Age Structure
Cars or Vans
Communal Establishment Residents
Country of Birth
Economic Activity - All People
Economic Activity - Females
Economic Activity - Males
Ethnic Group
Health and Provision of Unpaid Care
Hours Worked
Household Composition
Household Spaces and Accommodation Type
Households with Limiting Long-term Illness and
Dependent Children
Industry of Employment - All People
Industry of Employment - Females
Industry of Employment - Males
Living Arrangements
Lone Parent Households with Dependent Children
Marital Status
National Statistics Socio-economic Classification - All
People
National Statistics Socio-economic Classification Females
National Statistics Socio-economic Classification - Males
Occupation Groups - All People
Occupation Groups - Females
Occupation Groups - Males
Qualifications and Students
Religion
Rooms, Amenities, Central Heating and Lowest Floor
Level
Tenure
Travel to Work
Usual Resident Population
Again, this information is based on the last census carried out in 2001 so may be dated. You should check any
information you obtain to see whether it looks accurate and whether there is any more recent information that
supports or updates it.
Up My Street http://www.upmystreet.com/
A commercial website, Up My Street lets you search and compare basic information about a specific postcode,
city, town, district or region. By entering the postcode of an area Up My Street can give you various pieces of
useful information such as a full neighbourhood profile or comparison of the local population to the national
average:
Up My Street uses ACORN profiling data and is not as detailed as ONS but does provide useful and quick
overviews of population data for an area. ACORN (A Classification Of Residential Neighbourhoods) is a
geodemographic classification system that is in widespread use by UK local authorities. It is provided by the CACI
company and uses audience segmentation – a process of dividing a varied and diverse range of people into
smaller groups with broadly similar characteristics or needs. For more information about audience segmentation
and profiling (including geodemographic systems such as ACORN and MOSAIC) see Section 4 and Becoming an
Expert No8.
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National Readership Survey (NRS) social grade definitions (UK)
The NRS social grade definitions have been used for decades, mainly for audience profiling and targeting by the
media, publishing and advertising industries. They have become established as a generic reference series for
classifying and describing social classes. These social grades are used in the Neighbourhood Statistics site.
social grade
social status
occupation
A
Upper middle class
Higher managerial, administrative or professional
B
Middle class
Intermediate managerial, administrative or
professional
C1
Lower middle class
Supervisory or clerical, junior managerial,
administrative or professional
C2
Skilled working class
Skilled manual workers
D
Working class
Semi and unskilled manual workers
E
Those at lowest level of
subsistence
State pensioners or widows (no other earner), casual
or lowest grade workers
Using demographic information
This information is valuable to the communications planning process for a number of reasons:

It enables you to develop a deeper understanding of your main target audience – the people living in your
local authority

It will help you take a completely fresh look at your local authority area and ensure you are not overlooking
anything significant


It might reveal important characteristics that had not been recognised previously
The information might give you insights which might lead to new ideas for communication messages or
activities to target specific groups or areas
As you gather your demographic information you should cross-reference as much of it as possible to build up a
series of ‘layers’ that will give you an overall ‘picture’ of your local authority and the people living in it. For
example:

Start with a map of your local authority and note the key features – population centres (towns, villages,
particular housing estates), rural or open areas (countryside, parks etc), industrial or retail areas

Next, look at the statistical information you have and see what it tells you about the people living in your local
authority (age structure, economic activity etc). Also consider household types, living arrangements and any
and all other information that helps you understand the lives of people living in your local authority. This
information is particularly useful if reviewed on a ward by ward basis so that local variations show up

As you go along, compare your information to national averages and neighbouring local authorities – you are
looking for any marked differences which may highlight unusual or even unique characteristics of the local
population – characteristics that your communications may need to take into account in order to improve its
chances of success eg wards with higher than average BME population or people living in flats

Finally, list the main features and characteristics of your local authority, highlighting anything significant
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Becoming an Expert No2: Listing current and proposed recycling services
You should gather information about all the recycling and waste services found in your local authority because it
will help you to remember the full range of services that you need to communicate to your residents and it will
also provide background information for non-waste staff or partners reviewing your communications plan.
Services and facilities to list include:
Kerbside collections





List what is collected in what type/s of container and how often.
Describe the collection arrangements eg are materials collected on the same day or different days?
Is the service run in-house or contracted out?
Are there any special provisions for particular areas or property types such as flats?
Are there any seasonal collections or service variations eg garden waste, Christmas and other bank holiday
collections?

Do you have any specific collection policies such as no side waste, lids down, assisted collections? How are
these monitored and enforced?
Bring sites & HWRCs

List all your recycling sites, their locations, the materials collected at each, access arrangements and opening
times
Other facilities and services
It is good practice to compile a list of all the other recycling services that are available to householders in your
area, for example:

The arrangements for collecting bulky waste. How to they access it? What do they have to do? Do residents
have to pay for this?




Are there any community sector recycling schemes such as furniture reuse schemes?
List local charity shops and what they collect
Is there a schools recycling collection service?
Are there special collection services for flats?
This information will be useful because all these facilities and services divert waste from landfill which is highly
desirable because:


Any material diverted from landfill will help your local authority meet its statutory targets
You may want to promote waste prevention/minimisation or community sector recycling and re-use as part of
your communications

Householders may want information about the other things they can do to recycle and reduce waste and look
on your website or call your telephone helpline
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Other issues

Are there any planned changes to your services? If so, what are they and what is the timescale for their
introduction?



Where does all the material you collect for recycling go? What happens to it and what is it used to make?
Are any recycled products used by your local authority? What are they and where are they?
What does your council do to recycle the waste it generates through its own activities eg office waste, food
waste or green waste from parks?
This latter information (recycled products and council recycling performance) may be useful for persuading some
target audiences to start recycling or put more effort into their recycling because they can see that you are doing
your bit as well.
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Becoming an Expert No3: Local authority information and data
You should review any relevant information and research that your LA has already gathered such as:
Waste monitoring
data
Communications
campaigns
Attitudinal
Information
Crews and other
frontline staff
feedback
Call centre
enquiries
Best Value
Performance
Indicators (BVPI)
Survey
Tonnages, both recyclate and residual e.g. overall tonnages, materials/container
specific tonnages and tonnages by round to compare them and identify areas for
improvement
Participation/set out rates e.g. to identify rounds with lower performance
Waste compositional analysis
Capture rates - can highlight if you need to improve the collection of specific
materials
Contamination rates - number of kerbside boxes rejected due to the wrong
materials or percentage of contamination reported by MRF
Numbers of container requests/bulky uplift requests
Other, please specify
Campaign reports and monitoring and evaluation information from previous
communications e.g. how successful was it, what worked, what didn’t and why?
Attitudinal surveys (market research surveys) of local people showing the number
of committed recyclers, their claimed behaviour, satisfaction levels and barriers to
recycling
Feedback from canvassers and fieldworkers
Anecdotal information and feedback from council staff can be very useful in
highlighting potential issues eg recycling performance of certain rounds/areas or
access issues in particular areas/types of housing. However, factual evidence
should be gathered to substantiate any information from these sources.
Calls to telephone helplines should be examined as they could provide information
about householder issues and concerns for example: missed collections,
complaints, or container requests.
BVPIs provide a rounded view of local authority performance delivery. They are
designed to:
 Enable central government to monitor progress over a period of time
 Allow authorities to compare their performance against that of their peers
 Provide residents with information about the performance of their local
authority
Local authorities in England also undergo a series of surveys which ask
citizens and other users of specific services about their satisfaction with the
services provided by their LA. Surveys are carried out either by post, face-to-face,
by telephone or using citizens panels. These are conducted every three years.
For more information see:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/localgovernment/performanceframeworkpartnersh
ips/bestvalue/bestvalueperformance/
Your local authority will measure and record its waste management and recycling data on a regular basis for
performance reporting. Find out what information is collected, how it is collected and how frequently. To be of
use in monitoring communications you should aim to have operational monitoring data available on a monthly
basis where possible.
Review all the data and information you have collected from the types of sources listed in the table above and
identify whether there are any gaps. If your current information gives insufficient detail, is too broad or
potentially highlights an underlying issue that needs investigating you should consider undertaking additional
Improving recycling through effective communications
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research to fill in the gaps in your knowledge. Depending on what gaps have been identified, the additional
research could be carried out in-house by staff or contracted out if you have the budget. Funding and other
types of help and support may be available from external sources (eg WRAP) for some types of research –
contact WRAP’S Local Government Services Team for further information. Contact Alison Day on 01295 819661 or
email LAsupport@wrap.org.uk.
For further information about monitoring waste operations and communications see the
WRAP monitoring and evaluation toolkit – “Improving the Performance of Waste Diversion
Schemes”. This good practice guide gives detailed step-by-step guidance on a range of
monitoring techniques.
www.wrap.org.uk/monitoringandevaluation
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Becoming an Expert No4: Identify potential sources of funding and support
It is useful to identify potential sources of support, resources and funding from a variety of internal and external
sources right from the start of your communications planning process. For example, people, teams or
departments:




With available budget and/or resources
With a direct interest in the success of your communications plan and who may want to help you
That work in the areas or with the communities you want to target
With useful knowledge about the areas or communities you want to target
The list below gives you an idea of some of the potential sources of help and support – it is by no means
exhaustive and every local authority area and campaign will be different.
The more support you can secure the better your communications are likely to be. However, don’t spread
yourself too thin – focus on those groups and other sources of support that will be of most help to you. You will
need different people or groups at different times so remember to keep everyone informed of progress and
success as your communications progress (see Section 4 for more on stakeholders).
Internal
Waste management
department
Communications/PR/
marketing team, design &
print unit
Housing department
Council Tax department
Council telephone helpline
staff
IT and council website
management staff
Elected members
Education department
Community development
External
Waste management or
recycling collection
Support and resources
Staff time - working directly on the communications.
Collection crews and other front line staff with first-hand knowledge of the issues
in the field.
Permanent recycling wardens or canvassing staff.
Professional communications staff who may be able to give you their time, advice
or practical help e.g. media relations, leaflet design and printing, advertising etc.
Council offices in campaign areas.
Caretakers or wardens for residential properties such as high-rise.
May be able to put editorial / advertising in tenants magazines or on rent
statements. May also be able to add recycling information to new resident packs
Comprehensive address list for all householders. May be a channel for distributing
waste service information to new or existing residents. Staff will also know about
any specialist mailing services used by the council.
Taking general enquiries from the public. There may be a specific allocation for
the waste department so additional resources may need to be negotiated should
you require additional helpline call time such as when implementing a new service.
Developing new or updating existing council recycling website information and
advising on website development. Tracking visitors to the website.
Support for your communications both internally to secure funding but also within
the communities they represent – especially those representing target areas.
Practical support for waste education programmes in schools.
Practical support to help you understand particular communities and how best to
communicate with them. May be able to identify local community groups for you
to approach and work with. May have outreach workers who might be able to help
deliver your message.
Support and resources
Staff time to help with communications.
Collection crews and other front line staff with first-hand knowledge of the issues
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Internal
contractor
Neighbouring local
authorities
Waste Partnership or
Waste Disposal Authority
Private sector waste or
recycling industry
organisations
Support and resources
in the field.
May have responsibility for some of your communications, depending on their
contract.
Sources of ideas and examples for communications activities.
Staff time working on wider regional campaigns.
Co-ordination of activities over a larger area. Sources of ideas and good practice
for communications. Economies of scale can be gained from partnership working.
Organisations like Alupro or British Glass may be useful sources of information
and/or other support for local authority communications that help them meet their
aims and objectives, for example, they may supply communications material for
you to deliver locally in support of larger national recycling campaigns.
The Reload Fund, run by European Metals Recycling, allows individual local
authorities to apply for up to £60,000 for new and existing projects either wholly
or partially devoted to metal packaging, including a maximum allocation of
£10,000 for communication activities. The funds can be spent over a period of two
years and tend to prefer capital projects that deliver practical improvements and
long-term sustainability. For more information see:
www.emrltd.com/reloadform.asp.
Community sector
recycling organisations
Local community
organisations
WRAP
Other sources
The Yellow Woods Challenge is an environmental campaign for schools run by
Yellow Pages, working in partnership with the Woodland Trust and local
authorities across the UK. The Challenge aims to:
 Recycle old Yellow Pages directories and reduce demands on landfill
 Educate schoolchildren about the importance of recycling and conservation
 Support the Woodland Trust, the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity
For more information see www.yellow-woods.co.uk/.
Possible practical help and support for communications where they meet their
aims and objectives. You may need to provide them with resources or funding for
them to be able to do this.
Possible practical help and support for communications. However, don’t expect
too much as their resources will be even tighter than yours. You may need to
provide them with resources or funding for them to be able to deliver your
message. A community sector approach may be useful for hard to engage groups
and for waste minimisation messages.
WRAP’s team of Recycling and Collections Advisors and the Community
Partnerships team can provide expert advice and support on a wide range of
technical waste, recycling and communications issues.
Contact Alison Day on 01295 819661 or email LAsupport@wrap.org.uk.
Other sources of funding and support become available from time to time such as
EU funding or Neighbourhood Renewal Funding. Be alert for these funds and
apply if they are applicable and you meet the criteria.
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Becoming an Expert No5: PEST and SWOT analysis
There are two main methods used to analyse issues for organisations (or communications):

A PEST analysis - used to look at external issues that may affect an organization or, in this case, a
campaign. PEST stands for Political, Economic, Social and Technological

A SWOT analysis - used to look more closely at your current situation. SWOT stands for Strengths,
Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats
These techniques are useful for working in teams or groups to look at the current situation and analyse it. This
will then help when you come to develop your strategy later on in the planning process.
PEST Analysis
Best used with a group of people (e.g. in a workshop), the PEST analysis template is a grid, comprising four
sections, one for each of the PEST headings: Political, Economic, Social and Technological (see example below)
which can be used on a computer screen or flipchart. A PEST analysis uses these four themes to undertake a
general audit of external influences that are likely to have an impact on an organisation or campaign. The basic
model can be expanded to include Legal, Environmental and Ethical implications if you want. The approach
encourages creative thinking and can help you to understand in more detail the implications of a project or help
you to choose between projects based on the implications.
PEST analysis template
The template includes a number of question prompts (see below), the answers to which can be inserted into the
relevant section of your empty PEST grid. The issues highlighted are examples and you should make up your own
PEST questions and prompts to suit the issues and the situation being analysed, the experience and skill level of
whoever is completing the analysis, and what you aim to produce from your analysis.
Subject for PEST analysis – (insert)
political
Government policies
Government term and change
Council policies
Council term and change
Funding, grants and initiatives
Lobbying/pressure groups
economic
Local and national economic situation and
trends
Cost of waste disposal
Cost of LATS fines
Markets for recyclables
social
Lifestyle trends and demographics
Consumer attitudes and barriers
Media views
Law changes affecting social factors
LA image and communications brand
Seasonality/weather issues
Major events and influences
Ethnic/religious factors
technological
Use of new technology/ equipment
Replacement technology/ solutions
New waste disposal technology
Innovation potential
legal (optional)
Current and future UK/EU
legislation
Regulatory bodies and
processes
environmental (optional)
Ecological/environmental
issues
Climate change & carbon
reduction
ethical (optional)
Ethical issues
LA own recycling
performance
Here’s an example of a completed PEST analysis:
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Subject for PEST analysis: (insert eg Communications to support kerbside recycling)
political
EU Directives
Waste Strategy for England
economic
Cost of landfill increasing
Don’t want to miss LATS targets
and be fined
Need to keep spending on waste
under control
social
Increased public awareness about
environmental issues, especially
climate change
Recycling has widespread public
support
Some groups within society have
barriers to recycling which need
to be addressed
technological
RFID tags for containers
New collection containers and
vehicles
legal (optional)
Fines or other action for poor
performance or missing targets
environmental (optional)
Recycling has lower carbon footprint –
reduces impact of climate change
ethical (optional)
Council should use recycled products
wherever possible, ideally from
material recycled & remanufactured in
the UK
It is important to clearly identify the subject of a PEST analysis, because if the subject is blurred you will produce
a blurred picture - so be clear about the issue you use PEST to analyse. Also, be sure to describe the subject for
the PEST analysis clearly so that people contributing to it and those seeing the finished work properly understand
it and the implications.
When you have completed the PEST analysis you should review the information and use it to develop your
communications plan.
SWOT analysis
The SWOT analysis is a useful tool for developing understanding and helping decision-making for all sorts of
situations. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. It consists of internal
(organisational) strengths to maximise and weaknesses to minimise such as available resources, expertise,
partners and issue priority. Then, a similar list is made of external forces in the marketplace that represent
opportunities you should plan to take advantage of, or threats you should prepare for.
The SWOT analysis template
The SWOT analysis template is normally presented as a grid, comprising four sections (see next page).
Subject of SWOT analysis: (define the subject of the analysis here)
strengths
Advantages of idea?
Do we have the capability
(resources, people etc)?
Do we have the experience,
knowledge, or information?
Campaign awareness or
branding?
Location?
Environmental benefits?
Ease of use (is it
convenient to use and
simple to understand)?
opportunities
Societal, community or lifestyle trends (eg public
attitudes to recycling and consumption of resources)?
Technology development and innovation (eg RFID tags)?
Good news or new issues (eg reaching 40% recycling
target)?
What can we surprise people with?
What does our information and research tell us?
How could we use any partnerships?
Are there any seasonal opportunities?
Economic downturn may reduce consumption and waste
weaknesses
Disadvantages of idea?
Do we have gaps in our capabilities?
What are our known vulnerabilities (eg reliability issues
due to old collection fleet breaking down)?
What are the timescales, deadlines and pressures?
Do we have the necessary budget?
What effects will there be on workload?
Will we be distracted from core activities?
threats
Political or legislative effects (eg of not reaching LATS
targets)?
What will be the media/stakeholder reaction?
Will waste continue to grow?
Are there any environmental impacts?
What about public apathy or disillusionment?
Will new technologies, services, ideas emerge that will
be better?
What are the barriers?
Will there be insurmountable weaknesses?
Economic downturn affect on material prices
Improving recycling through effective communications
69
The example template has questions, or discussion points that can be altered depending on the subject of your
SWOT analysis. When doing a SWOT analysis, remember that weaknesses should be able to be turned into
strengths and threats into opportunities.
An example of a completed SWOT analysis is shown below:
Subject of SWOT analysis: Launch of new recycling service
strengths
Recycling will be more convenient for householders
New scheme collects more materials and will increase
recycling substantially
Collections will be kept as simple as possible
Relatively easy to implement new scheme
A new fleet of collection vehicles
weaknesses
Additional container – householders may have storage
issues
Overall scheme may be becoming too complex
opportunities
Public support recycling and want to do more
They are familiar with the current service and use it well
A new targeted communications campaign will explain the
new services adequately
threats
People don’t use the service properly because they
don’t understand it
Use the information generated by the SWOT analysis to develop your communication plan.
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70
Becoming an Expert No6: Setting aims and objectives
All communications must have aims and objectives so it is clear what you are trying to achieve. Your objectives
will also give you a clear direction and purpose which will help you select your communication methods and
activities and how you will measure them.
An aim is:
An objective is:







A general statement of purpose or intention
It can include vague and undefined terms
Generally you will have only one aim
A clear or specific statement of what you plan to achieve
Terms will be defined and the concepts understood
Quantified and given a specific timescale
Several objectives might work together to meet an overall aim
The main difference between aims and objectives is that you can demonstrate that you have achieved an
objective but without objectives you can only argue whether you have achieved an aim. It is always better to
know when you have succeeded.
Setting your communications aim
You may need to discuss your aims and priorities with senior managers, other departments and possibly
members to agree the most effective way forward. Your initial research and analysis should have helped to
identify the main focus of your communications, which could be:



Increase recycling and composting
Launch a new recycling service
Target specific areas to increase participation and reduce contamination levels
Your aim should link with and support your council’s wider waste strategy targets or indicators under the
Performance Framework for Local Authorities and Local Authority Partnerships, for example:
Waste strategy and statutory targets
EU Waste Framework
Requires local authorities in the UK to recycle 50% of household or similar waste by
Directive
2020
National Waste
Requires local authorities (in England) to recycling and compost at least 40% by 2010,
Strategy for England
45% by 2015 and 50% by 2020
Performance Framework for Local Authorities and Local Authority Partnerships
NI 191
Residual household waste per household
NI 192
Percentage of household waste sent for reuse, recycling and composting
NI 193
Percentage of municipal waste landfilled
Your overall communications aim and strategy could look ahead (up to 2-3 years) and have distinct (but linked)
campaigns with related aims for each year to fit with annual budget cycles. These campaigns and their aims
should build on each other year after year, for example:
Year 1
Increase recycling by launching a new recycling service and increasing participation and
reducing contamination
Year 2
Introduce near-entry recycling systems for all flats and high-rise dwellings and increase
participation in low participation areas.
Year 3
Further increase overall recycling rate to meet and exceed 40% recycling target set by English
Waste Strategy
Improving recycling through effective communications
71
Setting objectives
An objective, as distinct from an aim, is a clear statement of what you are planning to achieve, quantified and
given a specific timescale. There are three types of objectives:



Input objectives
Output objectives
Impact objectives
You must always include at least one impact objective as they are the only way you can measure the result of
your activity i.e. behaviour change.
Inputs
Outcomes
Impacts
Input Objectives
Outcome Objectives
Impact Objectives
This means an activity carried
out on the way to delivering an
outcome
It is easy to measure
It measures your effort (but
not your achievement)
These relate to changes that
happen as a result of your
efforts
It is a step on the way to
achieving an impact
Example:
12,000 leaflets distributed to
households across the LA
Example:
6,500 more households aware of
the kerbside scheme
These are the ultimate result of
your activities
For example, the change in
behaviour of households results
in more people participating and
as a result, increased recycling
At least one objective should
relate to an impact
Example:
2,500 more households participating
in the scheme
Increase tonnages of recyclate
collected by 100 tonnes
Setting overall communications objectives
Your overall communications objectives should include one or more impact objectives. You will also need to set
objectives for all the communication methods and activities you use in your communications plan so you can
monitor and evaluate them. This is discussed in more detail in Section 7.
For further information about setting aims and objectives for waste operations and
communications campaigns, refer to “Improving the Performance of Waste Diversion
Schemes”. This good practice guide, produced by WRAP gives detailed step-by-step
guidance on a range of monitoring techniques.
www.wrap.org.uk/monitoringandevaluation
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Becoming an Expert No7: Setting SMART objectives
The essence of objective setting is the knowledge of what success looks like and that relies on having:


A clear idea of what you want to achieve at the outset
A monitoring and evaluation system in place that will allow you to measure the effect of your communications
and identify when you have reached your goal
Your council will have robust operational monitoring systems to report to government on its performance with
respect to statutory waste strategy targets and national performance indicators. Use these as a framework,
together with other information, for setting your communications objectives and your monitoring and evaluation
system. The usual method of setting targets is to make them SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic,
Time-bound. Remember to link them to Inputs, Outcomes and Impacts. SMART targets are:
Specific




Participation will rise by 10%
The recycling rate will rise by 5%
Contamination will be below 2%
Don’t assume everyone will understand what your objective means – always clarify the terms
Measurable


You must think how you will measure success before setting out to achieve it
You will know how to monitor your objectives and how to set up on-going monitoring or an end-of-campaign
evaluation


Participation will be evaluated by pre- and post campaign participation monitoring
Tonnages of materials collected for recycling and residual will be collected as part of routine operational
performance management

Contamination levels will be monitored
Achievable


Experience and talking to neighbouring local authorities will give you an idea of what is achievable.
Use your baseline evaluation or historical information so you know where you are and can set achievable
targets

Don’t set objectives you cannot meet. Expecting a communications campaign with a £10,000 budget to raise
your recycling rate by 25% in six months without any changes in service is neither realistic nor achievable
Relevant


Your targets must relate to what your are trying to achieve or the activity your are undertaking
Check that your objectives are relevant to achieving your aims
Time bound

Always set a deadline to aim for by which your objective will be met. This marks the point against which you
can evaluate it, for example: participation to rise by 10% by 30th September 2009
Improving recycling through effective communications
73
Remember to budget for any extra costs associated with monitoring and evaluating your communications. Do
not set objectives that you do not know how you will monitor or evaluate – you may find out later it is too
difficult or too expensive. Sections 8 and 9 contain more information about planning and monitoring and
evaluation.
For further information about target setting for waste operations and communications
campaigns WRAP has produced a comprehensive guidance document – “Improving the
Performance of Waste Diversion Schemes”. This good practice guide gives detailed stepby-step guidance on a range of monitoring techniques.
www.wrap.org.uk/monitoringandevaluation
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74
Becoming an Expert No8: Identifying and segmenting target audiences
Understanding and identifying your target audiences is important for communications as they will guide the
development of your messages, its strategy as well as which communication methods and activities to use and
where to deploy them. For example, if you want people to start composting at home, some people may be
influenced by the ‘composting saves the environment’ message and others may be influenced by ‘composting
saves you money’. Using the wrong message may undermine your communications so you need to know about
who you are communicating with and what issues are likely to motivate them in order to increase the chances of
your communications succeeding.
Audience segmentation is the process of dividing a varied and diverse range of people into smaller groups with
broadly similar characteristics or needs. It can be a useful tool for local authority recycling communications but
should be approached carefully. Any targeted group must be large enough for the communications investment to
be worthwhile, but small enough for the people within it to have genuine similarities in terms of recycling
attitudes and barriers, media usage and other relevant factors.
There are a number of approaches and tools to identifying target audiences but all require detailed knowledge
and understanding of the ‘real’ people you wish to target. Relying solely on audience classification techniques like
ACORN and MOSAIC to identify and segment your target audiences without any kind of local audience research is
risky because, as the area and number of people gets smaller the likelihood increases that the local people will be
different to profiles based on national statistics. For example, your ACORN profile might tell you the population of
a particular area is Category 4 – Modest Means (a very broad classification) but only local knowledge will help you
understand the actual make-up and everyday complexities of the local community in that area. You must
research your local population thoroughly first and use the information you gather to check whether additional
information from other sources supports what you see on the ground. If your sources complement each other it
is probably safe to put them together to increase your overall knowledge and understanding. If they do not
match, you should undertake sufficient research to determine the most accurate sources and use only those.
Sources of local information and research should be obtained at first-hand from the audience or community
concerned, for example:






Local satisfaction or other attitudinal research
Surveys or questionnaires completed at local roadshows or other events
Call centre enquiries and complaints
Crew feedback
Focus group research or feedback from citizen’s panels
Any other sources available to you (see Section 1 and Becoming and Expert No1 for information sources for
background research)
If you don’t think you have enough first-hand information about your local population then you should look at
ways of gathering it. Once you have this basic information, other techniques can be used to increase your
understanding in order to help you develop your communications strategy. Remember, however, to always check
all your information and findings - apply a ‘sense-check’ to everything by asking yourself whether any new
information fits what you already know and increases your knowledge or is it contradictory? If it does contradict
what you already know, that doesn’t necessarily mean it is wrong – you should understand why it is different and
then decide what to do: rule out the new information because your local information is the more reliable of the
two or revise your overall thinking in light of it. Your overall approach to identifying and segmenting your
audience should be:
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75
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Gather and analyse background information
Review and list main findings together with key questions which need answers
Look at audience barriers
Consider whether further local research would be useful. Carry out if necessary
Look at audience classification systems like ACORN and MOSAIC
Apply a ‘sense-check’ throughout – check each set of new findings against previous information to see
whether it supports of contradicts it. Add to your overall body of knowledge or find out why the new
information is contradictory (NB. it may be a genuine finding, uncovering new, previously unknown
information). Rule it in or out
Continue this process until you have a good picture of each of your target audiences
Finally, check proposed communications messages and activities with your target audiences to ensure they
will work.
Audience classification tools
An example which most people will be familiar with is the National Readership Survey (NRS) social grade
definitions (UK). The NRS social grade definitions have been used mainly for audience profiling and targeting by
the media, publishing and advertising industries. They have become established as a generic reference series for
classifying and describing social classes:
Social grade
A
B
Social status
Upper middle class
Middle class
C1
Lower middle class
C2
D
Skilled working class
Working class
Those at lowest level
of subsistence
E
Occupation
Higher managerial, administrative or professional
Intermediate managerial, administrative or professional
Supervisory or clerical, junior managerial, administrative or
professional
Skilled manual workers
Semi and unskilled manual workers
State pensioners or widows (no other earner), casual or
lowest grade workers
There are more modern and complex commercial audience classification systems like ACORN, CAMEO and
MOSAIC and your council may use one of them. ACORN is widely used by local authorities and stands for ‘A
Classification of Residential Neighbourhoods’. It is a classification scheme developed by the consumer research
agency CACI. The table on the next page has simple descriptions for the five principal ACORN Groups, Categories
1 to 5, and the 17 subsidiary ACORN Groups organised within the five primary Categories.
Improving recycling through effective communications
76
ACORN Categories
1 - Affluent Achievers
2 - Urban Prosperity
3 - Comfortably Off
4 - Modest Means
5 - Hard Pressed
ACORN Groups
1.A - Wealthy Executives
1.B - Affluent Greys
1.C - Flourishing Families
2.D - Prosperous Professionals
2.E - Educated Urbanites
2.F - Aspiring Singles
3.G - Starting Out
3.H - Secure Families
3.I - Settled Suburbia
3.J - Prudent Pensioners
4.K - Asian Communities
4.L - Post Industrial Families
4.M - Blue Collar Roots
5.N - Struggling Families
5.O - Burdened Singles
5.P - High Rise Hardship
5.Q - Inner City Adversity
Audience classification can provide a useful framework for profiling target audiences but it is not a complete
replacement for local knowledge and research and should be used in conjunction with other communication
planning tools. It can also be too time consuming, complicated and expensive for communications plans with
small budgets.
The first question to answer, therefore, is whether you need to segment the audience at all. If you have a small
budget, are focusing on a single issue or message, or your whole audience is likely to be receptive to the same
message and can be effectively reached through the same communication methods, you do not need to segment
your audience. In some cases, however, the audience will benefit from some degree of segmentation and your
communication activities should be more effective as a result. A number of local authority communication
campaigns have segmented their audience and designed customised messages and activities to target specific
groups (see case studies in Section 4).
Many local authorities use systems such as ACORN for strategic planning and other purposes and you may be
able to use it – find out from colleagues or other departments. If your local authority does not already use a
classification system like ACORN or MOSAIC, the costs of purchasing the system or having a classification exercise
carried out for your local authority may be prohibitive. Also, you should carefully consider the implications of
segmenting your audience too much:

You may dilute your effort too much by trying to do too many things with too many audiences but not enough
with any one of them to get your message across with sufficient weight for them to notice it and respond to
the degree you want

If you tailor your communications for different audiences your design and print costs will increase as you will

Finally, any targeted activities or communications should, ideally, be tested carefully
need more materials and shorter print runs, losing economies of scale
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77
A Framework for Pro-environmental Behaviours
Probably the most comprehensive current segmentation research specifically undertaken to look at environmental
behaviour is that published by Defra in January 2008. “A Framework for Pro-environmental Behaviours” focused
on 12 headline behaviour goals ranging across low/high impact and easy/hard environmental behaviours (not just
recycling). Looking specifically at waste related issues, the research shows:



Who is currently doing what in terms of low and high impact CO2 behaviours
That recycling and wasting less food are high on the list of current environmental behaviours
That wasting less food and recycling score highly in terms of both people’s ability and willingness to act
This analysis was further developed by looking at peoples’ barriers and motivators and segmented the population
to enable more tailored approaches designed to overcome the barriers and enhance the motivations of specific
groups. This gives an understanding of which groups:



Are the most unwilling to act or sceptical
Could be persuaded to act given the means or right information
Could be advocates for more environmentally friendly behaviours amongst their social group
Defra’s environmental segmentation model divides the public into seven clusters each of which shares a distinct
set of attitudes and beliefs towards the environment. For a more detailed profile of each audience look at the
Defra research can be accessed online at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/evidence/social/behaviour/index.htm. You
should look at the report if you are working alongside other environmental behaviour change campaigns, as there
may be useful crossovers in terms of activities targeting similar audience groups.
Recycling barriers and audience segmentation
WRAP conducted research looking at people’s barriers to recycling and developed an audience segmentation
model based on people’s competence, which is highly relevant for local authority recycling communications. The
results were mapped across Defra’s pro-environmental behaviours segmentation model and ACORN to produce a
useful tool with which to:


Identify and understand the barriers and motivations of key target audiences
Understand which communication methods/activities were better at reaching them and what kinds of
messages they were likely to respond to
The barriers research is also used considered in Section 5, which looks at communications messaging. The
research identified four main barriers to recycling and segmented the population into seven main recycling
competence levels as shown in the next two tables on the following pages.
Improving recycling through effective communications
78
Barriers to recycling:
1. Situational barriers
Current recyclers say they would recycle a
little or a lot more if they had:
 A wider range of materials collected (52%)
 Bigger containers (23%)
 More containers (20%)
 More space to store their container/s
(19%)
 More frequent collections (18%)
 Containers that are easier to move (16%)
3. Lack of knowledge
2. Behaviour
Current recyclers still sometimes or often:
 Bin things because they are not sure if they can be
recycled (48%)
 Throw recyclable bathroom wastes in the residual bin
(41%)
 Put things in the recycling even if they’re not sure they can
be recycled (36%)
 Forget to put out the recycling because they are not sure
of the collection day (33%)
 Bin things because their recycling container is full (21%)
 Bin things rather than cleaning them for recycling (19%)
For most recyclers (95%) recycling has become part of the
‘everyday household routine’. However:
 53% found it harder to recycle at Christmas16% in the
winter generally
 8% on holiday or in the summer generally
They are also put off a little or a lot by:
 Fear of identity theft (16%)
 Having to store recyclables (12%)
 Having to clean them (7%)
4. Attitudes and perceptions


Less than half of people (48%) understood
‘very well’ what they are supposed to use
their recycling containers for
 About a third of recyclers said it would
increase their recycling if they had better
information about their recycling services
Some recyclers also said that Council
information had not helped them:
 Understand their local recycling
scheme as a whole (21%)
 Understand the real benefits of
recycling (12%)
 Knowing what can and can’t be
recycled (12%)
 Knowing when the collection service
operates (5%)
Source: WRAP
The vast majority of recyclers (90%), say they are ‘happy
to be doing their bit for the environment’
 69% say they feel ‘good about themselves’ when recycling
 However 29% feel they are just ‘doing it because the
Council is telling us’ and 17% ‘do it because everyone else
is doing it
Recyclers would still be encouraged to recycle more by:
 Seeing the practical impact of recycling in their local area
(86%)
 Feeling more appreciated by the Council (52%)
 Receiving an incentive for recycling (56%)
 Being fined for not recycling (34%)
Overall if asked which of three reasons best sums up why they
recycle:
 59% said ‘because they believe in it’
 27% say ‘it’s part of the everyday household routine
 14% ‘because the Council asks them to do it’
For declared non-recyclers (only 6%) their main reasons for
not recycling at all were:
 It is easier to throw everything in the bin (46%)
 Not seen any information about recycling (44%)
 Not knowing what can and can’t be recycled (32%)
 Having nowhere to store recyclables (also 32%)
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79
Recycling competence levels:
Recycling
Recycling
rate
competence
levels
0%
0%
1. Recycling
unaware
2. Aware but
inactive
Sporadic
3. Contemplated
but not engaged
A little
4. Unreliable
A fair
amount
5. Trying their
best
A lot
6. Broadly
competent
100%
7. ‘The Complete
Recycler’
Description
Just not on their radar, no
idea about it at all
Know about it but have not
seriously contemplated doing
it
May have dabbled, possibly
elsewhere, may do
occasionally, drifted back
Recycle but sometimes
forget, or miss out, recycle
opportunistically not
regularly
Usually take part, recycle
‘staple’ items but confused
about other items
Reliable and regular but may
still miss out some materials
or collections
Recycle all available items of
all recyclable materials all of
the time
WRAP
committed
recycler
status
Non recycler
Non recycler
% of
population
}
6%
Recycler but
not ‘committed’
Recycler but
probably not
‘committed’
Committed
recycler
Supercommitted
recycler
Supercommitted
recycler
}
}
}
23%
41%
30%
Source: WRAP
The table on the next page gives a good idea of the approximate amounts of each group present within the UK.
Remember however, that smaller audiences will become skewed in some way depending on the concentration of
particular audience groups in particular areas. For example in a low performing area the numbers of ‘recycling
unaware’ and ‘aware but inactive’ could be significantly higher. ACORN profiling has been used to understand the
segments identified and profile them demographically. It is also worth remembering that, whilst this is a useful
tool for profiling these segments it is not a perfect science and representatives from all segments will be found in
the groups used by ACORN. It does however, give a broad indication of the likelihood of finding these barriers
amongst these segments, but should not be seen as a replacement for local knowledge and research and should
be used in conjunction with other communication planning tools, such as WRAP’s low participation area guidance.
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80
Recycling
Competence
Level (1 to 7)
1. Recycling
unaware
2. Aware but
inactive
3. Contemplated
but not engaged
4. Unreliable
5. Trying their
best
6. Broadly
competent
7. ‘The Complete
Recycler’
Description
Just not on their radar, no idea about it at all
ACORN categories: 2, 4
Age: 18-24
Property: Flats, terrace, maisonette
Know about it but have not seriously contemplated
doing it
ACORN categories: 2, 4
Age: 18-34
Property: Flats, terrace, maisonette
May have dabbled, possibly elsewhere, may do
occasionally, drifted back
ACORN categories: 2, 4, 5
Age: 18-34
Property: Terrace, bungalow
Recycle but sometimes forget, or miss out, recycle
opportunistically not regularly
ACORN categories: 3, 5
Age: 35-54
Property: Bungalow, terrace, semi-detached
Usually take part, recycle ‘staple’ items but confused
about other items
ACORN categories: 3, 5, 2
Age: 35-54
Property: Semi-detached, bungalow
Reliable and regular but may still miss out some
materials or collections
ACORN categories: 1, 2
Age: 55 and above
Property: Detached, semi-detached
Recycle all available items of all recyclable materials
all of the time
ACORN categories: 1
Age: 55-64
Property: Detached
Profile – tend towards
having one or more of the
characteristics below
Lifecycle: Young single, no
kids yet; single parent
Lifecycle: Young single, no
kids yet; single parent
Lifecycle: Solitary retiree,
single parent
Lifecycle: Solitary retiree,
solitary adult worker
Lifecycle: Full nest couple with
kids, solitary retiree
Lifecycle: Empty nest, couple
with no kids
Lifecycle: Empty nest, children
living elsewhere
This approach requires a clear analysis of the target audiences' barriers – as they perceive them. It is not
intended for this research to substitute locally generated research and you should carry out dedicated research to
identify the actual barriers of local people, especially in smaller areas as they could be specific to those areas and
different from anywhere else. Use this approach, together with your local knowledge, to map, analyse and
segment your target audiences to gain a better understanding of the barriers which are common amongst your
target audiences and develop appropriate communications plans and operational interventions. For example:


Some groups need better services (situational)
Others may need better information and practical advice about how to use your scheme (behaviour,
knowledge and understanding)

Others need to be shown why participation is worthwhile (motivational)
Possibly of more value than the audience segmentation are the implications of this approach for the
identification and development of communications messages, communication methods and
activities. This is considered in more detail in Section 5 and Becoming an Expert No13. For culturally
diverse communities – see Becoming an Expert No10.
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81
The research, a summary and a full report can be accessed online from here:
www.wrap.org.uk/barrierstorecycling
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82
Becoming an Expert No9: Internal and external groups
Stakeholders can be important to your communications despite seeming to have varying degrees of interest and
usefulness. They can be useful sources of information when you are researching your background and audience
and can be useful in delivering your communications messages. There are two main types, internal and external:
Mapping your stakeholders
The first stage in working with internal and external groups is to identify who they are. You should begin by
mapping your stakeholders and group them according to their level of interest/likely engagement and the power
they have to help you influence your consumer audiences. Using the template on the next page, list your
stakeholders and position them on the grid to identify those you need to concentrate specific efforts on, for
example those who need to be directly involved and those that just need to be kept informed.
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83
High Influence
High influence, less interest. Consider
whether it is useful to try to increase the
interest of this group in the recycling system.
Keep them up to date with your plans and
seek their input but bear in mind they may
not want all the details.
High influence, high interest. These are the
people you must make the greatest effort to
satisfy, so make them a priority of engagement
activities and try hard to get their support.
Low interest
High interest
Low influence, low interest. This group is not a
priority but it is still useful to keep in touch from
time to time to check that problems are not
developing.
Lower influence, high interest. Keep this group
informed of progress and ensure they do not have
any major issues or concerns. These people could
be useful for championing recycling and may have
knowledge that can assist you.
Low influence
Here is an example of a completed stakeholder map for a new recycling service in a tower block:
High Influence
High influence, less interest:
High influence, high interest:
Councillors (direct interest in recycling)
Other community organisations (identify
each one)
Residents, tenants association, local councillors,
local community groups (identify each one),
collection crews servicing the flats, local media
Low interest
High interest
Low influence, low interest:
Lower influence, high interest:
Local MPs, MEPs
Councillors (not from the immediate locality),
other community groups (identify each one)
Low influence
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Improving Low Participation Areas – Effective communications planning
The document is available on the WRAP website:
www.wrap.org.uk/lpa
WRAP Flats Guidance – Recycling Collections for Flats
This is an online guidance tool which can be found on the WRAP website:
www.wrap.org.uk/flats
Internal groups
These are individuals, teams or whole departments within your local authority that must be informed about your
communications because they:

Are involved in the delivery of services that deal directly with householders or stakeholders e.g. recycling
collection crews, in-house PR or communications team

Might provide help and support or influence audiences e.g. elected council members
All internal stakeholders you identify must be communicated with and brought 'on-side' and 'on-message'. These
audiences need to be engaged at different stages throughout your communications plan and some will be
involved as early the initial research stages. Generally, the earlier you engage with them the better.
They should be consulted or kept informed about your communications as necessary and you should determine
the frequency, type and detail of communications at the outset. Do not forget them or treat them as an
afterthought – they are too important. On the other hand, you should aim to strike a balance between internal
consultation and information sharing and delivering your communications. Too much time spent on the former
will affect your ability to deliver the latter. Focus on those activities that support the achievement of your
communications objectives.
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Examples of internal groups
Internal
stakeholders
Elected
members
Why they need to be kept informed
Communication channels
When/how often to consult
They may make the final decisions, allocate budgets and can
champion the system publicly and within the council.
Via regular council communications
with members.
Briefing notes
Call centre staff
They will be involved in dealing with enquiries from members
of the public.
They may be involved in communicating with the local media,
providing support on planning, assisting with communications
activities, etc.
They may be handling enquiries from the public, handing out
information etc.
They can also provide support on planning, assisting with
communications activities, design and production of
communications literature and other material etc.
The council website may need updating with new information.
They will be helping to deliver services to the public, dealing
with residents, giving out information and promoting the
campaign identity, e.g. on vehicle livery, clothing etc.
Local ambassadors, leading by example.
At your workplace via internal
communications and training.
At your workplace.
Quarterly or at other times as required depending
on the frequency of council-member
communications.
Communications leading up to key meetings and
decisions are particularly critical.
As required in the development and lead-in period
to the launch of a new campaign.
Routine monthly/weekly meetings.
At your workplace via internal
communication channels.
At your workplace via internal
communication channels.
As required in the development and lead-in period
to the launch of a new campaign.
As required in the development and lead-in period
to the launch of a new campaign.
At your workplace via routine
meetings or internal communication
channels.
At your workplace via internal
communication channels.
As required in the development and lead-in period
to the launch of a new campaign.
Other departments may be relevant to recycling
communications:
 Planning departments can encourage the provision of new
recycling facilities
 Highways departments may be able to help plan collection
routes and schedules
 Leisure and amenities departments can help promote
recycling in leisure and sports centres etc
At your workplace via internal
communication channels.
In-house press
office
Receptionists
Marketing and
web-site staff
Contractors/
Operational
staff
Other
employees
Other
departments
As required in the development and lead-in period
to the launch of a new campaign. They also need
feedback as the campaign progresses.
As required in the development and lead-in period
to the launch of a new campaign.
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Internal communication channels
The communication channels that will work best will vary with each local authority but some example activities
are listed below:






Intranet site - create a ‘recycling’ area on your local authority intranet (if you have one)
E-mail - issue regular e-mails with regularly updated information on recycling schemes and communications
Internal newsletters with regularly updated information on recycling schemes and communications
Internal briefings e.g. for senior officers/members
Produce a podcast
Launch recycling communications campaigns internally, through informal meetings, cascade briefings or other
approaches, before launching them to the public. Explain what you are doing and why

Give personal briefings to receptionists, call centre staff etc on materials available to explain recycling – e.g.
leaflets and web addresses

Pass on information at regular team briefing sessions, personal or group meetings with key staff, or use
conference calls and communications packs for line managers

Discuss materials, in draft format, with front-line employees before producing them. Employees are
householders too – they can act as a simple and accessible focus group and give valuable feedback on the
quality and usability of the materials

Train front-line staff such as council helpline staff to understand and talk about recycling issues as well as
dealing with enquiries. Collection crews and recycling site staff need to be trained in customer relations and in
knowing the right information to be able to answer basic questions and giving good advice. Brief them in
advance of new campaigns - the more familiar they are with what you are trying to do, the more they will be
able to help you. WRAP may be able to assist you with front-line staff training, contact
LAsupport@wrap.org.uk.


Use office message boards/noticeboards
Other opportunities as applicable
Remember that councils should also lead by example with schemes for staff to recycle and reduce their carbon
emissions.
Working with elected members
Individual local authority members are a critically important audience for recycling programmes and for your
communication activities. Members work under a range of unique pressures that have a direct effect on their
information needs as well as their responses to your activities. You should aim to take them through the stages
outlined in the table on the next page.
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Awareness
Understanding
Appreciation
Make members aware of what you are doing, or planning to do, in advance.
Recycling communications are high-profile activities and waste services may
be the most visible council service your residents receive. It may be useful
to make members aware of the statutory targets, possible Government
intervention and Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme (LATS) fines as a result
of inaction. Even members with no particular personal interest in the
campaign need to be kept informed.
You should aim to help members understand what you are doing and why
you are doing it, even if individual members do not seem to support the
activity. You may not be able to win them round, but you may be able to
prevent them influencing other members against your proposals.
Help members to value your communications (and to support investment in
it) by regularly feeding back information on successes in a format that they,
in turn, can pass on to others.
Information for members should be:


Short, simple and clear - avoid technical jargon
Focussed on necessity – demonstrate the need for public communications and show that doing nothing is not
a “no-cost” option



Demonstrating the public’s support for recycling - use surveys or opinion polls
Demonstrating the financial case for communications - show value for money
Reassuring – show the total cost of communications and explain how the budgets are derived and how
spending will be managed

Feeding back progress and good results regularly, especially positive outcomes
There are a variety of communications methods and activities designed to communicate with your internal
stakeholders and these are dealt with in Sections 6 and 7 and the corresponding Becoming an Expert briefings
Numbers 13 and 16.
External groups
These are individuals or organisations that are important to your communications’ success because they:


Can lend their support or give advice
Deal directly with key target audiences and can reinforce your messages and extend the reach of your
communications
Building relationships is a complex process - do not underestimate the time and effort it can take to gain the
support of important groups, especially community groups. Remember:

You will need a regular programme to keep your key stakeholder groups informed, on-message and
supporting you throughout your campaign

Strike a balance between delivering your communications activities and liaising with all your stakeholders –
your priority is delivering successful communications
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External
stakeholders
Community
leaders, parish
councillors, local
religious
leaders, local
community
groups and
organisations
(including local
recycling groups
and charities)
Key opinion
formers such as
MPs and MEPs
Local media
Why they need to be kept informed
These groups can all support your
communications in the following ways:
 Attend regular communications update
meetings to share ideas, give and receive
feedback and help solve problems
 Support the campaign directly by
distributing communications information,
hosting exhibition displays at their own
community events
 Be advocates by publicly supporting your
communications or establishing their own
recycling schemes at, for example,
community centres or places of worship
 Develop creative projects to promote the
campaign such as public art and
community events
 Provide staffing for events and door-todoor canvassing
 Help the communications target hard-toreach groups by supplying their local
knowledge, expertise and specialist
networks or organise joint campaigns
with other stakeholders
They can become campaign advocates and
opinion formers for your target audience.
Information should be of a similar format to
that given to elected council members.
They that can assist communication of the
new system and provide PR opportunities.
The media is a particularly important group
and you should have an existing and ongoing media relations programme with
additional, dedicated PR activities as part of
your communications in order to generate
positive media coverage for your campaign
and the issues your communications are
addressing.
Communication
channels
By direct contact
with leaders.
When/how often
to consult
They should be
consulted in the
lead-in to a new
service or campaign
and during the
launch period. Key
figures and groups
should be kept
informed on a
quarterly basis.
By direct
communication via
letters, e-mail etc.
They should be
consulted in the
lead-in to a new
service or campaign
and during the
launch period.
They should be kept
informed on a
quarterly basis.
By direct contact
with key
journalists and via
press releases,
photoopportunities etc.
As required in the
development and
lead-in period to the
launch of the new
service or campaign
or whenever there
is positive news to
communicate.
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The community sector
The term community sector covers a huge range of organisations and falls into a number of general areas:
Interest
groups
Social
economy
Voluntary
groups
Unpaid groups with no specific interest in recycling, but who may be persuaded to help as
a community service. Examples include religious organisations (such as churches and
mosques), sports clubs and Round Tables.
Organisations with a specific remit to work as a recycling business (either profitably or
not-for-profit) on behalf of society or the community. Examples include appliancereconditioning organisations such as Create, the Furniture Reuse Network (FRN) or
Renew, the Community Recycling Network (CRN) and the Community Composting
Network.
Unpaid groups with a specific remit to work with society or the community. Examples
include Neighbourhood Watch, Scouts & Guides, the Women’s Institute (WI) and
residents’ associations.
To get the community sector involved you should begin by conducting a ‘community stakeholder mapping
exercise’ of your area. As an initial starting point, consider approaching internal press, communications and
community development sections as they may already have contact details of local community groups. You can
then expand this list if required to include other relevant stakeholders.
Next, contact the relevant groups to establish if they would be willing to help and the level of support they could
provide. This may vary from using a local sports hall for a recycling event to organising a direct-mail drop.
Then, develop partnerships with community groups and work together for mutual benefit. For example, is there
an opportunity to develop a feature article on a recycling project that both the local authority and community is
involved with, or alternatively can you run a joint recycling event to raise awareness?
Developing ongoing relationships is a critical element of working with the community. Keeping community groups
involved through regular meetings and briefings ensures ownership of projects. It also provides a mechanism to
discuss issues and problems that can then be addressed and resolved.
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Becoming an Expert No10: Culturally diverse communities
This briefing looks at characteristics of culturally diverse groups, which may be useful for engaging these
communities in recycling activity and overcoming communication barriers.
Characteristics of Ethnic Groups
Within ethnic groups themselves, there is a high level of diversity, which is most marked between generations
with second generations often becoming more anglicised than their parents. People from different countries and
cultures may also have widely differing perceptions of the concept of recycling. With this in mind, the following
table presents some general findings on the characteristics of culturally diverse groups, the issues these create
and the considerations you should make when developing communications. These should not be taken as
representative of these populations as a whole and it is recommended that local authorities undertake research to
explore the characteristics of ethnic groups in their areas in more depth prior to developing their communications
campaigns.
Characteristic
Age
Issue
Age profile tends to be younger than
white British population, although less
true with Jewish population
Employment
patterns
Workers from ethnic minorities are more
likely to be working in low-paying sectors
than white workers and seem to be
predominantly filling low skilled vacancies
Deprivation
Over two thirds of England’s ethnic
minority population live in the 88 most
deprived local authority districts1.
1
Consideration
Commitment to recycling is strongly related to
age, for example:
 18-24 – 19% are super-committed
 55-64 – 37% are super-committed
 65+ - 35% are super-committed
Issues relating to working in the low pay
sector could include:
 Poverty is likely to be a more pressing
concern than recycling;
 May be working long hours and don’t
have time to recycle; and
 Working shifts, so are not at home to
speak to doorsteppers.
When broken down by ACORN categories the
results follow a pattern where the most
competent recyclers fall under ACORN
category 1 and the least competent fall under
Acorn 4 and 5. Also, it is generally the case
that more deprived areas comprise high
density housing where service delivery is
worse
Source: Office of National Statistics (2003) 2001 Census
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Waste composition
Little evidence that waste generated from
culturally diverse households compared
to that of White British households is
different.
Perceptions of
recycling
New entrants to the UK from developing
countries may be familiar with the
concept of reuse, but they are unlikely to
have practiced recycling in the formalised
way now common in this country.
There is no real evidence that Asian
households produce more waste per
capita than White households2.
 WRAP has shown that with respect to
avoidable food waste, White British,
Black and Asian households produce
exactly the same amounts of avoidable
food waste, suggesting that food waste
is a problem that is unrelated to ethnicity
per se3.
When developing communications you need
to take into account the following issues:
 First generation immigrants are less likely
to understand the concept of recycling
and are more aware of reuse;
 Subsequent generation immigrants are
more likely to have a westernised
approach and understanding of recycling;
 Immigrants from urban areas are more
likely to understand recycling better than
those from rural area; and
 Better educated groups are more likely to
have behaviours closer to the white
British population.

Identify your audience
It is very important to research and understand your local ethnic communities before embarking on a
communications programme to ensure that the communication methods you use will be effective. Each
community will have its own characteristics and the key to success is to define your audiences, investigate their
particular barriers to participation and develop specific communications solutions accordingly. Before you embark
on any communications, consider the reasons why you want to do this and do some research in order to establish
the following:





Current behaviour – do the residents recycle at all at present? Do not assume that because they are from an
ethnic minority that they will not be recycling. This will enable you to establish a baseline from which to
work;
Have they had any experience of recycling previously; if they are immigrants what was their experience of
recycling in their home country and how will this affect your communications;
Barriers to participation/communication;
Cultural beliefs and references that you will need to take into account; and
Messaging techniques that may resonate specifically with particular groups.
This will help you to build a picture of your target audience’s understanding, beliefs and current behaviour in
order to communicate recycling to them.
If you think that an area with a culturally diverse population is not participating in your recycling services, you
may want to investigate this further by using the Low Participation Area guidance - www.wrap.org.uk/lpa. This
will assist you in identifying whether you have areas of low performance within your district, and whether these
correlate with areas of high ethnicity. You may find it useful to use this tool even if you want to communicate
more effectively with your culturally diverse residents for other reasons such as racial equality or social inclusion
2
An indicative study with small sample sizes carried out in Bradford in 2002 found that Asian households produced just over
18kg of waste per household per week compared with just over 14kg per household per week for White households and that
Asian households threw away 5kg of food waste compared with 3kg for White households. The study also found that on a per
capita basis White households produced more than Asian households. Luckin, D. 2003. Ethnicity, waste generation and waste
related behaviour (draft unpublished report to the Bradford Environmental Action Trust).
3
Source: WRAP “The Food We Waste”
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as it will take you through a step-by-step process to build a profile of your target audience, identify
communications barriers and develop a communications plan to overcome these.
Identifying the characteristics of your culturally diverse communities is the first step to take, consider and take
action on the following issues:
Issues
Identifying groups
Actions
Identify the ethnic make-up of an areas using the following means:
Office of National Statistics’ neighbourhood website can provide sociodemographic data about your area,
http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk . (WRAP’s Monitoring &
Evaluation Guidance provides step by step guidance on this);
 Your council may have a team already engaged with culturally diverse
groups who will have a lot of information and will be able to help;
 Previously gathered data in your council on ethnicity;
 Information from other council departments such as housing; and
 The Department of Work and Pensions provides data on the National
Insurance numbers provided for foreign workers.
Identify the stages of life of your culturally diverse groups, such as:

What information do you have
on life stages of culturally
diverse residents
What information do you have
on lifestyles of culturally
diverse residents



What is the predominant age group;
Are they living alone; and
Do they have children and are they of school age.
Identify the lifestyles of your culturally diverse groups, such as:



What are their purchasing and disposal habits? Consumer behaviour
information can be obtained from www.upmystreet.com ;
Do they use your recycling services and what is the participation rate
compared to other areas; and
What is the turnover of households in their area, is it a stable population or
is the turnover of families and individuals at a high level.
Are there cultural issues that
need to be considered?
Establish any cultural issues that you may need to take into account in your
promotions, such as:
 Limited knowledge of the English language;
 Not understanding the concept of recycling in the way we do it in the UK;
 Some groups do not drink alcohol; and
 Women in some groups will not talk to men they don’t know.
What community networks,
groups or organisations are
active in your area and may
be able to help deliver your
message?
Identify groups, networks and organisations that are active in your area and
how you can make contact; they will be helpful in getting your messages
across. These could include:







Religious or faith groups;
Ethnic groups;
Environmental networks;
Culturally diverse radio and newspapers;
Housing groups;
Social groups; and
Informal meeting places like shops and cafes.
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Case Study: Bristol
As part of a targeted campaign to increase participation in recycling by ethnic groups, Bristol City Council used
Bristol Muslim Cultural Society to run a ‘Recycling and Islam’ element of the campaign. This focused on mosque
visits and sermons and community resources such as the Salaam-Shalom radio station. Multi-lingual
communications materials linked recycling messages with Islamic teachings.
Eleven mosque visits took place and over 1,200 contacts were made. Bristol’s Imams were contacted and
meetings arranged at which links between the teachings of Islam and responsible environmental behaviour and
the Recycle for Bristol campaign were discussed. Following these initial meetings, the Imams delivered a
recycling ‘khutba’ or sermon at Friday prayers and the campaign staff distributed the ‘recycling and Islam’
leaflet as people left the mosque. An advert, based on an edited version of the ‘khutba’, ran on Radio Salaam
Shalom (a joint Islamic/Jewish radio station run by Bristol Muslim Cultural Society).
For information on engaging culturally diverse groups in recycling – see Becoming an Expert No15.
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Becoming an Expert No11: Campaign branding and identity
Branding is the way in which organizations distinguish their product or
service from others. A brand incorporates a distinctive name, style and
design which combined, express the promise to the customer. The
message, on the other hand, is the communication of information using
words, a call to action and a particular tone of voice. It is important to be
clear and single minded about your main message.
Brands are often embodied by a logo (such as the Nike tick or Ferrari
horse) but are actually much more than this. A brand projects itself
through the whole look, feel and tone of its communications. This is
achieved by using particular fonts, a set suite of colours, set layouts (this
applies particularly in leaflets) so that everything can instantly be
recognised as coming from the same brand.
Colour is important as colours and symbols have different connotations
for different countries and cultures, for example, white signifies spirituality
and purity in western culture and death in Chinese culture. You should
check that any colours you use are suitable for your target audiences. You
should also check that your branding and designs meet the requirements
of the Disability Discrimination Act. WRAP has ensured Recycle Now
meets the current Disability Discrimination Act guidance, namely that
signs and their information should be clear, concise and consistent.
The Recycle Now brand
Recycle Now is the national recycling campaign for England, supported and funded by Government, managed by
WRAP and used locally by over 90% of all English authorities. The brand was developed specifically for recycling
after a great deal of research and testing and is designed to engage the public in a positive manner . The recycle
icon is the logo of the brand and is designed for easy recognition. It embodies the feel-good nature of recycling.
Both the recycle icon and Recycle Now ‘call to action’ were extensively researched with consumers before the
campaign started. They tested very positively.
It’s simple, descriptive
and says:
‘I love recycling’
The recycle mark includes a clear call to action and
should be included on all communication and
operational materials – everything from leaflets to
vehicle liveries. Here is a good example of local
authority branding and overall design:
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Hanging banners in town centre:
Householder leaflet:
Reusable shopping bag:
Householder newsletter:
Bin hangers for plastic recycling campaign:
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Why use Recycle Now?
There are a number of reasons for local authorities to use the Recycle Now branding for their local
communications. Your campaign and your message are fighting for attention - estimates of how many messages
people are exposed to every day vary from a conservative 500 to over 3,000. When competing against global
marketing and advertising budgets running into £millions, your recycling message has to work very hard indeed.
Recycle Now was designed with this in mind.
It is well recognised by householders in England
Brand recognition by the public stands at 74% (2009) and this will probably increase in the future. In 2009 the
number of committed recyclers rose to 67% of adults.
Recycle Now offers consistency
The campaign logo and iconography is in widespread use by around 90% of local authorities. A consistently
applied brand will reap benefits over time in terms of increased recognition during the campaign and an extended
period of brand recall compared to campaigns with inconsistent branding:
Effect
30% to 40%
Consistent,
Strong branding
Inconsistent,
Weak branding
Time
Source: Saatchi & Saatchi
Recycle Now is being used more and more by commercial
brands
Many leading companies and brands use the Recycle Now icon and
new, on-pack recycling labels are being gradually phased in by
Britain’s leading retailers and brands. The scheme, which is led by
the British Retail Consortium and supported by WRAP, has been
developed to reduce consumer confusion and provide simple advice
on what can and cannot recycle based on access to recycling
facilities.
Recycle Now can be localised and you can maintain your local identity
Adopting the national Recycle Now brand locally:



You will give a consistent brand for householders
By using the logo, householders will identify your communication as recycling information
Saves money – there’s no need to pay designers to develop new materials – it’s available to download free of
charge


It’s tried and tested
Research shows consumers like the logo, identify with it and it is known to engage people with recycling
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Recycle Now can help you spend your money more effectively

Testing and analysis – the recycle now brand and communications materials have been extensively
researched and tested, meaning you don’t have to spend money doing this again

Using the tools, resources and templates on the partners site means you do not have to pay design costs
have these drawn up again

Recycle Now brand guidelines can be adapted for your own local authority use, helping you save both time
and money for your authority by offering clarity and consistency of message and brand use
Recycle Now resources
Via Recycle Now, WRAP provides a wealth of support materials and resources for local authorities to use and
localise. These include:





A photo library
Access to all the Recycle Now iconography including the main icon and material stream icons
Template posters and adverts
A pick and mix section to enable authorities to create their own materials
Template press releases
All resources are available on www.recyclenowpartners.org.uk.
Implementing Recycle Now locally
This section and the next two (Becoming an Expert Numbers 11, 12 and 13) cover branding, tone of voice and
messaging and contain a number of examples of different types of communications literature. Refer to the
examples in these sections to get ideas of how local authorities are successfully using the Recycle Now brand
locally.
All communications materials should adhere to the Recycle Now brand guidelines in order to preserve the
integrity of the brand and its benefits. However, that does not mean it cannot work alongside and integrate with
your own council identity and corporate design guidelines.
Some local authority campaigns, with either strong corporate identity or comprising a number of councils working
together, have developed their own brand guidelines to ensure the needs of all parties are met. For example:
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Liverpool City Council – brand identity guidelines and green waste collection calendar:
Gloucestershire County Council – Recycle for Gloucestershire brand guidelines:
It is not necessary for every council or campaign to go to the effort of developing their own local campaign
guidelines but every campaign should check their designs are compatible with their own corporate design
guidelines and those of Recycle Now. To help you implement the Recycle Now campaign brand locally and make
best use of it in a wide variety of situations, Recycle Now has produced a set of guidance documents to help you
use the Recycle Now brand on local communications and produce clear, well designed communications materials.
These can be accessed online at www.recyclenowpartners.org.uk.
Recycle Now Brand guidelines
A new set of brand guidelines for Recycle Now has been developed which
explain how best to use the Recycle Now logos, icons, colours and artwork
templates. The new guidelines are an amalgamation of the previous brand
and partner guidelines, updated to be an easy-to-use and highly interactive
document.
http://www.recyclenowpartners.org.uk/local_authorities/brand_benefits.html
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In addition, there are some more generic documents on the WRAP website designed to help you with many
aspects of recycling communications. Some of the key ones relating to branding and design include:
Design of Communication Material
This document gives basic and practical suggestions on the design of effective
communications. These principles can be applied to collection calendars, leaflets, adverts
and other marketing communications.
http://www.wrap.org.uk/local_authorities/research_guidance/communications/index.html
Printing processes explained
The aim of this guide is to explain the design and development process that you will go
through in commissioning promotional material for waste management services, whether
through an outside design agency or through your own internal design team. It takes you
through the design and development process from the initial concept for a promotional item
through to the delivery of the final product and what happens at all stages.
http://www.wrap.org.uk/local_authorities/research_guidance/communications/index.html
Guidance on Developing Collection Calendars
Kerbside collection calendars are an essential communication tool for most authorities,
enabling them to provide essential information to householders about their waste and
recycling services with instructions on how to participate.
This document guides you through all the elements of putting together a clear and easy to
understand calendar.
http://www.wrap.org.uk/local_authorities/research_guidance/communications/index.html
Developing recycling and waste websites
This guidance document and web page review methodology has been developed as a result
of requests for waste and recycling web page reviews from a number of London Boroughs to
help ensure they provide relevant information about the services, make them easier to use
and enhance the user experience.
An evaluation matrix was developed to assist with the review process, which systematically
outlines essential information the recycling and waste web pages should contain.
http://www.wrap.org.uk/content/resources-local-authority-communications
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Becoming an Expert No12: Campaign tone of voice
Tone of voice enables a brand to convey its values or qualities through the words and language it uses and
research shows that the right tone of voice is critical to the success of communications. The tone of voice you
adopt can make all the difference to how your message is received by the public. Remember, tone of voice is not
so much about what you say - it’s about how you say it. For example – you could take an authoritative approach
– such as:

‘You must use your new recycling service now’
Or, you could talk to people in a way that is warm and friendly such as:

‘We’re here to help you get the most from your new recycling service’
In both the above, the overall message is the same, but the tone of voice is markedly different. Extensive
research shows people have clear preferences in the way they want to be talked to:



Ensure your written copy always uses positive language and a positive tone
People do not want to be told what to do, be ‘preached at’ or patronised
They need to be given the facts and persuaded to use recycling services in the spirit of partnership i.e. “we’re
all in this together” and “we’re all doing our bit to help”
Look to promote
Friendly
Factual
Simple
My voice
Mainstream
Benefit to me
Seek to avoid
Guilt
Threat
Public Service/Duty
Waste
Fringe
Rubbish
Recycle Now is designed to engage consumers with clear messages in a positive, warm and friendly tone as the
examples on the following pages show.
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Front cover of a recycling leaflet from Tower
Hamlets in London, written in a light friendly
style:
General recycling poster from the Recycle for
Gloucestershire campaign:
Both examples have a light and friendly style, tone which is supported by the images with the smiling Recycle
Now ‘family’ and the bright, vivid colours used in the designs.
On the next page is an example of a ‘change in service’ leaflet produced by Rochdale Metropolitan Borough
Council. Again, it is written in a warm friendly style; it does not preach, nor does it patronise; it starts by asking
for people’s help then goes on to explain the new service and some of the key issues that householders are likely
to have.
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103
Changing your tone of voice for different target audiences
For most communications you will use the same positive tone of voice because it has been shown to work with
most of the people most of the time. There are times, however, when a different approach might be better.
Some audiences respond better to slightly different messages, images and language and you could change your
tone of voice to engage these audiences more effectively. If you decide to take this approach, it is vital that you
thoroughly research and test your communication messages and materials with your target audiences to ensure
they are likely to achieve the desired result. The following examples show how the tone of voice has been altered
to appeal to a very different target audience, namely students.
Compare these conventional recycling leaflet and poster designs…
To these recycling campaign posters for students:
These communications materials are specifically designed to appeal and be relevant to students.
Tone of voice for a low performing area
Despite having a recycling rate of 47%, Melton Mowbray Borough Council decided it wanted to encourage its
residents to do even better and produced a leaflet designed to simultaneously target two audiences:
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

Excellent recyclers (75% of local households)
Poor recyclers (25% of local households)
Their leaflet had a ‘certificate of excellence’ congratulating the excellent recyclers on one side and an alternative
message on the other for low recyclers:
The text on the reverse of the leaflet was designed for both groups: to congratulate the high recyclers and to
make low/non-recyclers aware of the consequences of their lack of action in a way that had a low likelihood of
irritating them. It is reproduced below:
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Becoming an Expert No13: Developing campaign messages
Your message is the communication of information through the combination of words, imagery and your tone of
voice. It is important to be clear and single minded about your main campaign message.
You messages need to be developed with your aims and objectives in mind – they should be designed specifically
to help you achieve them. For example, if you want to launch a new kerbside service for food waste it would not
be appropriate to spend a large proportion of budget on advertising promoting your recycling banks. There are
times however, when integrated communications will promote different aspects of recycling or waste prevention
over the life of a communications strategy and these will have to be carefully planned and scheduled to give each
issue space so as to not overwhelm people with too many messages at once. Communications literature which
tries to say too much becomes confusing and people will not to respond to it as well as a single, clear, simple and
focussed call to action.
Finally, your messages should always be tested on your intended target audience. Recycling can be a sensitive
issue and it can take a great deal of thought to come up with an effective idea. Messages can sometimes have
unexpected effects – both positive and negative. Occasionally the most unlikely and unpromising message can be
the one to spark a reaction within people. Different audiences are likely to respond to different messages – the
message that motivates a high recycler will leave a non-recycler cold. Always test your messages to make sure
they work as you intend them.
The following examples from the Recycle for Gloucestershire campaign show how different messages have been
used in different situations.
A poster promoting new cardboard and plastic recycling facilities in Cheltenham (post-it section note blown up
for clarity):
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Finally, reproduced across the next two pages is a very different leaflet promoting recycling and home composting by telling people where their recycling goes and what
happens to it:
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Recent research by WRAP has shown that both committed and non-committed recyclers are encouraged to recycle more by knowing more about what happens to their
recycling after the council takes it away.
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Another poster, this time promoting plastic bottle recycling in the aftermath
of regional flooding:
The text at the top of the poster reads:
“Got Bottle?
Recycle it!
Due to the recent floods you may have many plastic bottles. Please recycle
them at your nearest bottle recycling site.”
This is a clear call to action on what was probably a highly topical local
issue.
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Primary and secondary messages
Once your message has been identified, you have to present it in the right way and that partly lies in good
design. There are a few key principles that you should follow:
Headline
Hierarchy
(secondary
messages)
Make it
personal to the
reader
Make it positive
Action
Make
Information
Understandable
In a calendar, leaflet or advertisement the most important element is the headline. The
headline is either the heading that goes at the top or if there's no heading, it's the first few
words. The headline needs to grab peoples' attention and tell them what it is about.
Keep it simple; do not try to be too clever – a catchy and appropriate strap line is best. A
clever concept can go over peoples’ heads – they don’t have the time or the inclination to
try and work it out.
It is very important that you develop a hierarchy so that the most important information or
message is at the top and the least important at the bottom. Peoples’ attention span can be
short and they will skim the information after the first few sentences unless you can
maintain their interest.
The copy of your calendar, advertisement or leaflet needs to be a personal communication
to the individual reading it. It should address their specific interests or known concerns and
it needs to constantly communicate the benefits of what you are offering.
Generally the message you are trying to get across or the service or product you are
introducing is a positive thing – otherwise you would not be doing it!
Focus on the message.
Very simple this one – preferably one sentence only. Your communication must make it
clear what action you want people to take.
Make sure information is easy to understand and uses simple and concise language. If you
are using facts and figures make sure information is as up to date as possible. Use clear
and simple terminology that householders will understand and do not use jargon which
may be familiar within your industry but to no one else.
Example poster showing primary and secondary messages:
Primary message:
“Recycle your newspaper. It’s good news for everyone.”
Secondary message:
“Recycle your newspaper and in seven days it could be another
newspaper”
Messages and addressing barriers to recycling
Research by WRAP into people’s barriers to recycling has shown that people need different messages which
relate to their situation and/or specific barriers. In reality people often experience a mix of barriers which means
a single ‘silver bullet’ message may not work and you may need overlapping messages covering a range of
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barriers to be successful. Ensure your headline message addresses the most significant or widespread barrier
and any secondary messages address other barriers.
The two posters below are examples of two messages addressing the most basic barrier to recycling – easy
access to recycling services: the first poster highlights the fact that all households in the local authority area have
a recycling service; and the second tells people what they can recycle and where it goes.
The main findings of WRAP’s research,, looking at barriers, audiences and messaging is shown in the table on the
next page. The table gives an indication of, for each audience, the types of messages most likely to strike a chord
with them. Use this table in conjunction with the information about identifying your target audiences (see Section
4 and ‘Becoming an Expert No8: Identifying Target Audiences’) to identify the messages most likely to produce
the desired response from your target audience. There is a further table in Becoming an Expert 14 which looks at
messages, audiences and the most appropriate communication methods. Remember however, this information
can only give you an indication of the likely barriers and issues of a particular audience and is no substitute for
local knowledge and research which may identify some quite different factors unique to your area. You should
always test your ideas and messages on representatives of your target audiences before you start your
campaign.
For more detailed information consult WRAP’s research – ‘Barriers to recycling at home’ which
provides in-depth information about people’s barriers and looks at the links between social
grade, barriers and messaging. It is referenced a number of times and can be accessed online
here:
www.wrap.org.uk/barrierstorecycling
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Recycling
Competence
Level
(1 to 7)
1. Recycling
unaware
Just not on their radar, no idea
about it at all
2. Aware but
inactive
Know about it but have not
seriously contemplated doing it
3.
Contemplated
but not
engaged
May have dabbled, possibly
elsewhere, may do occasionally,
drifted back
4. Unreliable
Recycle but sometimes forget, or
miss out, recycle opportunistically
not regularly
5. Trying their
best
Usually take part, recycle ‘staple’
items but confused about other
items
6. Broadly
competent
Reliable and regular but may still
miss out some materials or
collections
7. ‘The
Complete
Recycler’
Recycle all available items of all
recyclable materials all of the time
Description
Profile - tendency to
have one or more of the
following
characteristics
ACORN categories: 2, 4
Age: 18-24
Property: Flats, terrace,
maisonette
Lifecycle: Young single,
no kids yet; single parent
ACORN categories: 2, 4
Age: 18-34
Property: Flats, terrace,
maisonette
Lifecycle: Young single,
no kids yet; single parent
ACORN categories: 2, 4,
5
Age: 18-34
Property: Terrace,
bungalow
Lifecycle: Solitary retiree,
single parent
ACORN categories: 3, 5
Age: 35-54
Property: Bungalow,
terrace, semiLifecycle: Solitary retiree,
solitary adult worker
ACORN categories: 3, 5,
2
Age: 35-54
Property: Semi-detached,
bungalow
Lifecycle: Full nest couple
with kids, solitary retiree
ACORN categories: 1, 2
Age: 55 and above
Property: Detached,
semi-detached
Lifecycle: Empty nest,
couple with no kids
ACORN categories: 1
Age: 55-64
Property: Detached
Lifecycle: Empty nest,
children living elsewhere
Main messages and
actions
a) Instructions
b) Explanations
c) Dispelling the myths
a)
b)
c)
d)
Instructions
Explanations
Dispelling the myths
How it works
a)
b)
c)
d)
f)
Instructions
Explanations
Dispelling the myths
How it works
Saving cash
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
Instructions
Explanations
Dispelling the myths
How it works
Rewards
Saving cash
a)
c)
d)
e)
f)
Instructions
Dispelling the myths
How it works
Rewards
Saving cash
a)
c)
d)
e)
f)
Instructions
Dispelling the myths
How it works
Rewards
Saving cash
a)
d)
e)
f)
Instructions
How it works
Rewards
Saving cash
Key to main messages and actions:
a) Instructions
What, when and how to recycle - details of the service and how to use it
b) Explanations What is recycling? Why should you do it? What are the benefits to people and the
environment?
c) Dispel myths Education about the good & bad things in recycling & waste disposal from simple
operational issues to more complex ones eg the relationship between landfill and climate
change.
d) How it
What happens to recyclables once collected – where they go and what they are made into.
works
e) Feedback
Tell people how they are doing and how well they compare to everywhere else. Thank them
and thanks
for their efforts.
f) Saving cash
What are the costs and financial benefits of recycling, waste disposal, LATS etc
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The use and importance of facts and data in messaging
Facts and data can be useful to help illustrate your points. For example:
National Recycle Now campaign examples



Recycling just one glass jar saves enough energy to power a light bulb in your home for one hour
Recycle your metal can and it could come back as part of a car, a plane or even another can
Recycle your newspaper and in seven days it could be another newspaper
Local authority campaign examples
Why am I being asked to separate my food waste?
Approximately a quarter of the waste in an average household bin is food waste. When it decomposes in a
landfill site it produces methane – a greenhouse gas 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide. This waste can
now be recycled into a compost which will be used as a soil improver on farms.
Source: Oldham MBC
Thank you South Staffordshire
Your contribution to recycling in South Staffordshire makes all the difference and means that we are now
recycling 43% of our waste! With your continued help we can do even better!
Source: South Staffordshire Council
Data and facts however, must always be used carefully. Using research data that is incorrect, has been
misinterpreted, or is not directly relevant to your specific situation or your target audience, leaves you open to
criticism, which may undermine your credibility and your entire communications effort.

Use data (facts and figures or other information) sensibly – express the information in terms people can relate
to. No one knows what 10,000 tonnes of waste looks like but they will have an idea of the scale of 250
juggernauts





Keep it relevant, meaningful and personal (to local people or the local area)
Keep it simple
Only use data from reputable and impartial sources which can stand up to scrutiny.
Always reference data and keep a central file of the information and where it came from in case it is queried
Check the context of the information you want to use and ideally check it personally with the organisation or
person you got it from to ensure you understand the underlying data completely and that it fully meets your
specific needs. This is especially true for information that converts waste or recycling data into energy
savings or CO2 emission equivalents

Be very careful with the way you phrase or express the information as a word out of place can completely
change its technical meaning. If in doubt, get it verified
If you are using some key facts in your communications:

You must base them on robust, authoritative research data which can be substantiated and relied upon (see
above)

The information you use must comply with the Code of Practice of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)
www.asa.org.uk

If challenged, you must be able to substantiate any statistics or claim
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Examples of facts used in local authority campaigns
Example of local authority literature using facts :
Front:
Back:
Text from right hand leaflet:
Where does it go?
All glass collected in the County is reprocessed at a facility in Southampton and then used in road
aggregate, water filtration units or made into new glass bottles and jars.
Did you know?
 The average Buckinghamshire family throws away over 300 glass bottles/jars a year.
 Glass can be recycled indefinitely. Up to 80% of the bottles you buy can be made from recycled
glass.
 The largest glass furnaces produce more than 400 tonnes – that’s more than one million bottles and
jars – each day!
 The energy saving from recycling one glass bottle will power a 100 watt light bulb for almost an
hour.
 One bottle bank can hold up to 3,000 bottles before it needs to be emptied.
 Finely ground glass (or processed sand) is used in golf bunkers.
Source: Buckinghamshire/Aylesbury Vale Council
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Becoming an Expert No14: Communications strategy
Your overall approach
Your communications strategy is the overall approach you take with your communication methods and activities
(bearing in mind your target audience and general situation) in order to achieve your aims and objectives. This
section takes you through the process of developing your strategy and contains a number of tools designed to
help you make the right decisions based on your situation and circumstances. There are two critical stages to
communications that aim to change behaviour:

Initiation - the communications need to get people to adopt the new behaviour and start doing it e.g. using
a new kerbside collection service. This is a critical stage - their perceived barriers must be recognised and
properly addressed for them to change their behaviour and it may take very little (e.g. one missed collection)
to discourage them and for them to stop doing it

Persistence - once people have changed their behaviour, their new habit needs reinforcing with further
messages and communications delivered over time to keep them motivated. As above, it is very easy for
people to find excuses to give up and on-going communication must address these issues
Your overall strategy should consider both aspects over a long-term period (i.e. more than one year).
Developing your communications strategy
You should develop your communications strategy using your aims and objectives as a guide together with the
information from your background research, your knowledge of your target audiences, your timescale and your
likely budget, to decide which mix of communication methods and activities will be the most effective to reach
your target audiences and deliver the desired result. In considering your strategy there are three key questions to
ask yourself:



Do I need to reach everyone across the whole LA area?
Do I need to target particular audiences or people in particular areas?
What type of information or message do I need to communicate? Is it simple or complicated?
The key stages in developing a communications strategy are:
1.

2.


Decide who you want to communicate with:
Everyone in your local authority, specific audiences or a mixture of the two
Do you need one campaign for everyone or a number of interlinked campaigns targeting different audiences?
3.


Decide what you need to communicate:
Launch a new service, promote an existing one, recycle plastic bottles etc
Decide on the mix of communication methods to use. Look at the attributes of the different methods
and how they can help communicate:
Simple messages and/or detailed information to lots of people (broad-brush)
Simple messages and/or detailed information to specific audiences (tailored)
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115
4.





Review your initial list of communication methods:
Will they help you reach your aims and objectives?
Are all your target audiences covered?
Can they be delivered in the required timescales?
Do you have enough budget to pay for them?
Do they support each other to increase their overall impact?
Choosing the right communications methods
Your communications strategy will use two main types of communication methods:


Broad-brush communications aimed at all residents
Targeted communication aimed at specific audiences
Both types have advantages and disadvantages for communications and often, a combination of methods (known
as the communications mix) are used together to form an integrated strategy.
Communications
Broad-brush
Advantages
Disadvantages

Can target many people with
focussed recycling messages
Good for targeting lots of
people at the same time with
the same message

Good for targeting specific
issues or barriers in particular
areas or to target specific
audiences
Messages and methods can be
tailored for each area or
audience group
Can target hard to reach or
hard to engage groups which
can be resistant to broad brush
communications and messages



Targeted








May not address specific barriers in
particular areas
May not address barriers of specific
segments of population
Cannot communicate complex information or
multiple messages easily
Not as good for large areas
Messages generally only work for the group
or area they are designed for – limited use
elsewhere
Targeted communications can be more
intensive - requiring as much or even more
time than broad-brush communications to
organise and deliver
They can require more research to
understand the issues/barriers and check the
message is likely to work
Can be more expensive
You will also need to ensure the methods you use integrate with each other, i.e. your communication methods
and activities overlap in a complementary manner to:

Target all your audiences with appropriate communications messages, using the right communication
methods and activities over a period of time

Provide support for each other - reinforcing each other and increasing their overall impact and that of your
communications
There is a range of communication methods to choose from (note - detailed communication activities are
considered in Becoming an Expert No19, 20,21 and 22).
Advertising
Advertisements in printed publications (newspapers and magazines); in the outdoor environment (posters, bus
backs, billboards, etc.); or in the broadcast media such as television or radio are best for broad-brush
communications, have high impact and can generate significant awareness but are relatively expensive. They can
be useful for targeted communications but only if used intelligently (as their accuracy is difficult to control), for
example by booking particular advertising spaces in certain areas or in specific publications read by key target
audiences. You will need to consider the scheduling of advertisements and consider whether you want a constant
drip, or a burst of activity. Outdoor advertising spaces often need to be booked well in advance.
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Specific activities include: radio, press, TV, outdoor advertising (static external – billboards, adshels, train, tube
etc and static internal – bus, tube etc), mobile advertising (e.g. bus, advan and adbike). Alternatives include new
livery for collection vehicles and free poster sites in public buildings and other places. It should generally be used
to support other methods.
Advantages
Disadvantages






Best for targeting lots of people (broad-brush)
with a simple message or call to action
Can be used in a variety of different ways
Some types are good at targeting specific areas
e.g. local free newspapers
Some types are good at targeting specific
audience groups
Can be relatively expensive
Will be seen by lots of people, not just target
audience – you pay for that as well
Difficult to monitor and evaluate the
outcome/impact
Needs good design and testing of messages to
ensure success
Can’t communicate detailed or complex information



Vehicle livery and operational signage
A form of advertising, so vehicle livery and operational signage are good broad-brush techniques.
Advantages
Disadvantages





Vehicle livery best for broad-brush communications
Highly visible and cost effective form of advertising
Static infrastructure can be tailored for specific
audiences/locations
Long lasting and cost effective provided graphics
don’t get damaged


Can seem relatively expensive due to cost of
special outdoor graphics
Vehicle livery can’t convey detailed or complex
information
Can be damaged
PR
Public relations (PR) at its simplest is media relations and is intended to help pass messages from an organisation
to its various audiences via radio, press, TV and online media. By linking to topics of public interest and news
items, PR can help to secure positive media coverage and engage the public. Because PR works through credible
third-party outlets (like newspapers) and is subject to scrutiny by them, it offers a credibility that advertising does
not have. PR can be used to build rapport with your residents. When used effectively, PR, is a tool that can
provide invaluable support to any local authority communications.
It is predominantly a broad-brush method although some targeting can be achieved depending on the distribution
and coverage of local media outlets. You should have a continual and on-going media relations plan. PR can:





Provide more in-depth information on communications issues, report on events (e.g. launch etc)
Launch and promote new services via events, photocalls and press packs
Report on the success of new services by reporting higher collection tonnages, meeting specific targets etc
Thank residents for their efforts
Provide continual feedback e.g. at various milestones such as 1,000th tonne of x material, annual tonnages
collected
Advantages
Disadvantages






Good for all types of communications but probably
best for broad-brush
Can be very effective in communicating complex
information and issues
Can communicate your messages in a positive
manner
Can tailor messages to different types of media
(radio, press, TV) and their audiences

Bad publicity can damage your campaign
The media wants ‘news’ – it can be challenging
to be constantly thinking of new stories/angles
on recycling
The media can get ‘bored’ of recycling
Roadshows and Events
Events are generally considered a discipline within PR but can form a part of community engagement activities.
Depending on the nature of the event, they can be broad-brush or targeted e.g. a road show event in a town
centre or an exhibition display in the foyer of a block of flats.
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Advantages
Disadvantages










Good for broad-brush and targeted communications
Good to engage with people on an individual basis
Good for launches, promoting simple and/or complex
messages
Can generate additional media coverage which takes
your message to more people
Locations need careful selection
Events can take a lot of management
Difficult to monitor and evaluate
Can be expensive
May not reach as many people
It is easy for the effort needed to exceed the
benefits
Direct marketing techniques
Direct marketing is based on a direct one-to-one relationship between you and the householder. Direct marketing
activities typically include direct mail, leaflet inserts (in newspapers) and door–to–door canvassing. When using
direct marketing techniques, take care to ensure that the material you provide is fit for purpose and focuses on
clear service information. Unless material is clearly relevant, general leafleting and inserts in particular can be
thrown away as “junk mail” which sends out the wrong message to householders – particularly if you are running
a mail preference campaign yourself!.
It can work at both broad-brush and tailored levels, for example:


Pre-service leaflets/fliers delivered to all households receiving new services
Service information leaflets (to include instructional and motivational information), delivered to all households
receiving new services, ideally at the same time as any new containers

Service calendars (collection information) delivered to all households receiving new services, ideally at the
same time as any new containers. Calendars can be tailored to individual rounds and should be delivered on
an annual basis


Branding new collection containers
Dedicated council recycling newsletter (if you have a general council magazine you should target this as part
of your media relations)

Crew information cards (for householders)
Advantages
Disadvantages





Can be used for broad-brush or targeted communications
Can be highly effective in targeting hard to reach or hard
to engage audiences
Delivering leaflets or other information door-to-door is
very effective in getting your message to everyone you
want
Door-drops can be tailored to deliver specific material to
specific areas


Can be relatively expensive depending on
the technique
Distribution needs careful planning and
management as they can go wrong or some
houses or streets may be missed out
“Junk Mail” image
Direct marketing can use a range of distribution techniques and these are discussed in more detail in Becoming
an Expert No 18.
Door-to-door canvassing
Door–to–door canvassing can be considered a form of direct marketing and is an effective technique for recycling
services where the issue is to explain the service being provided. Through face-to-face contact with residents, it
is possible to give much more targeted information with a personal approach. For waste minimization, however,
where the issues are about personal behaviours, door step canvassing is not cost effective and other techniques
would be better.
Advantages
Disadvantages






Can be highly effective in targeting hard to reach
or hard to engage audiences
Can deliver complex information
Information can be tailored to the needs of
Time consuming and relatively expensive
Requires a lot of management but can be outsourced
Canvassers need to have good people skills – if they
don’t your communications won’t be as effective
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

individual people and locations
People’s issues and barriers can be addressed
Communications can be planned down to street
level

Canvassing is seasonal and weather dependent –
people don’t like standing and chatting about
recycling when it is cold, dark or wet
Community engagement
This is the term for the process by which organisations like local councils, charity or community groups and
individuals build ongoing, permanent relationships with local communities in order to work together for the
benefit of a community. It is ideal for tailored communications targeting specific audiences. Approaches include:



Local events promoting and explaining a new service to local householders
Working in partnership with local community groups and other organisations
Special support e.g. undertaking home visits to deal with issues and queries from householders
Optional extra activities may include door-to-door canvassing for low performing areas.
Advantages
Disadvantages









Good for targeting hard to reach or hard to engage audiences
Can deliver complicated information
Information can be tailored to the needs of individual
communities, cultures and locations
The barriers and issues of individuals as well as the wider
community can be addressed
Very good at addressing low participation issues
Residents may trust the messages from people they know
more than from the council
Can be time consuming
Long term (‘slow burn’) activity
Can take time to win trust and for
message to spread
Online
Online has so far been mainly used as a broad-brush method though some activities (like e-mails) can be
targeted. There are likely to be significant developments in the use of this medium. There are already a number
of different types of online communication such as websites, blogs and viral e-mail.
Use of social networking sites, and web based campaigns are sure to develop but it is too soon to try to identify
best practice. The bedrock of any activity will be your council or campaign website which should be regularly
updated with a wide range of information about your services and more generally about recycling and waste
issues.
Advantages
Disadvantages





Can be used to broad-brush or targeted activities
Can be very effective in communicating complex
information and issues
Can communicate your messages in a positive
manner
You have complete control over the information



The information is passive i.e. people have to
interpret and understand it
People have to find it for themselves
Poor website design and layout of web pages can
be a barrier
Not everyone has internet access
Internal communications
Internal communications is used to communicate with local authority employees, elected members and
employees of contractors working for local authorities. It helps ensure council staff and members understand the
waste and recycling services and their benefits. Some key activities for which internal communications is an
important component include:





Briefing or training telephone helpline staff and providing regular briefings and FAQs on services
Crew & staff training to keep front-line staff engaged and on-message
Staff newsletters
Briefing sheets
Intranet
Improving recycling through effective communications
119
Asking the public to recycle if the Council’s staff does not could be a significant communication problem and your
internal communications should be used to encourage use of the Council’s in-house facilities. Some Councils run
specific campaigns to address this issue like Gloucestershire’s OHIO (Own House in Order) campaign for this
reason.
Advantages
Disadvantages




Can be very effective in targeting specific internal
audiences with complex information
Can communicate your messages in a positive manner
You have complete control over the information
Can be time-consuming
Selecting your communications mix
As well as looking at the basic attributes of the different communication methods (see previous pages) it is
important to consider the following factors to help you decide which to use:


The impact, influence and targeting of the technique
The barriers of your audiences, their messaging preferences and the types of messages you wish to
communicate
Impact, influence and targeting
These refer to the following attributes:



Impact - the degree to which the communication will be noticed by the person receiving it
Influence - the extent to which the technique will influence the recycling behaviour of the people receiving it
Targeting - the precision with which the technique can be used to reach a very specific audience or group
These attributes can be applied to different communication methods and activities as shown in the table below.
The table also gives an indication of the cost effectiveness of each method as well as assigning a priority level.
So, for example, TV advertising is a high impact medium, has a medium ability to influence people, low targeting
ability and low cost effectiveness. As a result, it is given a low priority for local authority recycling
communications. Note that while ‘high’, ‘medium’ and ‘low’ are used as relative terms, not absolute definitions,
they are useful in assessing which method, or combination of methods disciplines, may be most appropriate for
your communications.
Communication Method
TV Advertising
Local newspaper advertising
Billboard advertising
Radio advertising
Public Relations (PR) - editorial
coverage (e.g. in local
newspaper)
Direct marketing (e.g. welldesigned addressed mail)
Marketing (incl. design,
branding and communications
literature)
Leaflet drops through
letterboxes
Door-to-door canvassing for
recycling
Roadshows
Community engagement
Schools visits
Impact
Influence
Targeting
Cost
effectiveness
High/ Med/
Low
Priority
High/
Med/ Low
High
High
Mid
Mid
Mid
Mid
Low
Mid
Low
Mid
Mid
Mid
Low
Medium
Medium
Medium
Low
Medium
Medium
Medium
High
High
Mid
High
High
High
High
High
High
High
High
High
Mid
Mid
High
High
High
High
High
High
High
Medium
High
High
High
High
High
Mid
Mid
High
High
Medium
High
Medium
Medium
Medium
Medium
Improving recycling through effective communications
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Communication Method
Impact
Internet – council website
Internet - viral e-mail (e-mail
not addressed to named
individuals)
Social Media
Internal communications
Operational signage and vehicle
livery
Promotional activity with
retailers
Influence
Cost
effectiveness
High/ Med/
Low
Targeting
Priority
High/
Med/ Low
High
Mid
Low
High
High
High
Low
Low
Unknown
Low
Mid
Mid
Mid
Mid
High
High
Mid
High
Low
High
Mid
Mid
High
Medium
High
Mid
Mid
Mid
Medium
Medium
Messages and communication methods
Depending on the type of message, different communication methods may need to be used to gain the best
impact. The table below shows different communication methods and the types of messages they are best suited
for:
Communication Method
Messages
Simple
Advertising
Posters
Operational signage and vehicle livery
Door-to-door canvassing
Community engagement
Communications literature (service leaflets, newsletters etc)
Display panels
Public Relations (PR)
Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, Blogs & You Tube)
Complex


















The key issues in deciding which message and communication method to use is any given situation are:



What do you want to communicate - do you want to raise awareness or inform/educate?
Where do you want your message to be seen/heard?
Will people have time to read it or does it need to be taken in quickly?
If you want to raise awareness you should use short messages in highly visible locations where lots of people will
see (or hear) it. If you need to communicate detailed information you need to consider other methods that will
deliver larger amounts of information to people in situations where they will have the time to read it.
Examples of simple messages include:
Large billboard advert:
Improving recycling through effective communications
121
Bus shelter advert:
Taxi livery and bus rear poster:
Audience barriers and messages
At the same time as considering the impact, influence and targeting of the communication methods, you should
also cross-reference them against your audiences and their barriers. The table on the next page allows you to
cross-reference your target audience/s against the message and communication methods/activities. Use it to
check your choice of communication methods to make sure they are likely to be appropriate for both your
message and audience. Remember, however, that your local circumstances may present you with a situation
where a different approach to normal may be required.
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Recycling
Competence
Level (1to 7)
Description
1. Recycling
unaware
Just not on their radar, no idea about it at all
ACORN: 2, 4 Age: 18-24 Property: Flats,
terrace, maisonette Lifecycle: Young single, no
kids yet; single parent
2. Aware but
inactive
Know about it but have not seriously contemplated
doing it
ACORN: 2, 4 Age: 18-34 Property: Flats,
terrace, maisonette Lifecycle: Young single, no
kids yet; single parent
May have dabbled, possibly elsewhere, may do
occasionally, drifted back
ACORN: 2, 4, 5 Age: 18-34 Property: Terrace,
bungalow Lifecycle: Solitary retiree, single
parent
Recycle but sometimes forget, or miss out, recycle
opportunistically not regularly
ACORN: 3, 5 Age: 35-54 Property: Bungalow,
terrace, semi- detached Lifecycle: Solitary
retiree, solitary adult worker
Usually take part, recycle ‘staple’ items but
confused about other items
ACORN: 3, 5, 2 Age: 35-54 Property: Semidetached, bungalow Lifecycle: Full nest couple
with kids, solitary retiree
3.
Contemplated
but not
engaged
4. Unreliable
5. Trying their
best
6. Broadly
competent
7. ‘The
Complete
Recycler’
Messages
a) Instructions –
what, when and how
to recycle. Details of
service and how to
use it
Reliable and regular but may still miss out some
materials or collections
ACORN: 1, 2 Age: 55+ Property: Detached,
semi-detached Lifecycle: Empty nest, couple
with no kids
Recycle all available items of all recyclable
materials all of the time
ACORN: 1 Age: 55-64 Property: Detached
Lifecycle: Empty nest, children living elsewhere
b) Explanations – what
is recycling? Why should
you do it? What are the
benefits to people and the
environment?
c) Dispel myths
– education about
what is good &
bad in recycling &
waste disposal
d) How it works –
what happens to
recyclables once
collected
e) Feedback and
thanks – How we
are doing
compared to
everywhere else
f) Saving cash –
what is the cost of
recycling, waste
disposal, LATS etc
Leaflets,
Calendars
Bin/box stickers,
Contamination
tags
Door knocking &
leaflets, Local displays/
events, Adverts - TV &
local radio, local
newspapers, outdoor
Leaflets,
Newsletters/
council
newspaper,
Local PR
Vehicle livery, PR
Newsletters,
Council
newspaper,
Advertorials,
Events/displays
PR, Newsletters,
Council
newspaper,
Advertorials,
Events/ displays
PR, Newsletters,
Council
newspaper,
Advertorials
Improving recycling through effective communciations
123
Developing a wider strategy for behavioural change
Communications need to use a range of communication methods and activities to stimulate the uptake of new
behaviours and ensure people persist in them. They also need to be able to encourage people to do more and go
further in their new behaviours. In order to develop strategic approaches that take in a wider range of potential
activities which can influence behavioural change, DEFRA produced a framework – the 4Es model - to help plan
communications for behaviour change. The framework (which WRAP has used in its waste prevention toolkit –
www.wrap.org.uk/wptoolkit), is designed to ensure that all the factors necessary to change behaviour are
present.
The framework was developed as part of the UK’s Sustainable Development Strategy – Securing the Future,
published in 2005. This evidence-based strategy gives a strong lead to delivering sustainable behaviour change
by engaging individuals, households and communities. It recognises the complexities that influence behaviour
and the need for the consistent approach required to change deep-seated habits. The 4Es model defines a new
approach that focuses on the need to enable, encourage and engage people to help them towards
sustainability (by for example recycling and waste prevention) and recognises the need for those delivering the
change to lead by example – exemplify.
All these elements (to enable, encourage, engage and exemplify) are necessary for change to take place,
the aim being for the combined package to catalyse people into action and for the new behaviour to become the
norm over time - at which point further possibilities for progress may be opened up. A diagram showing the 4Es
model is shown below.
Defra 4Es model:
Source: Defra
The framework is designed so that your approach evolves as attitudes and behaviours change over time.
Catalyse – breaking the habits: What will really make things change? Unsustainable behaviour may be deeply
entrenched and require powerful catalysts to change habits and ease the way to more sustainable habits like
recycling and waste prevention. This means that you need to look at how your waste and recycling strategies
come together as a package and how they are used to trigger change.
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124
Enable – making it easier: this is the starting point. There is no point asking people to recycle if they don’t know
how. Or, if they know what to do, what they need is not readily available. People need help to make choices by
providing them with education, skills and good quality information. To help people make easy choices, an easily
accessible alternative and suitable infrastructure will need to be provided.
In some cases “enabling” may be all that is needed – for example by providing multi-material kerbside collections.
Encourage – give the right signals: this is about selecting the most effective techniques to encourage and,
where necessary, enforce behaviour change.
Engage – get people involved: people need to take personal responsibility for what they do. This can work best
if your target audience is involved early on in developing actions jointly – an approach known as co-production.
Face-to-face contact often works best, e.g. via focus groups. People also care about real-life examples that they
can relate to – so a localised approach works best. It is also recognised that remote messages from local
government are often not the best way to get people to act and take responsibility. Working with local partners –
organisations that are known locally and deemed to be “trusted” – is important to reinforce messages and
encourage participation.
Exemplify – Local government takes the lead: local authorities need to lead by example this can include:



Demonstrating your own commitment through in-house recycling, reuse and waste prevention schemes
Using staff (and their stories) as local champions, e.g. real nappies, recycling and home composting
Using partners, such as local businesses (who have environmental policies) or work with local communities
and demonstrate their own commitment


Promoting internal council waste prevention activities in council newsletters
Ensuring that consistent policies are in place
It is a good idea to use the 4Es model as a framework to look in detail at the actions and messages you want to
deliver. It may be useful to conduct this exercise as a team and brainstorm ideas using a framework like the one
outlined on the next page to list all the activities your council could undertake in the four quadrants to enable,
engage, encourage and exemplify. Focus on your overall aims and objectives and the key actions you want to
change. A comprehensive strategy should have activities in all four boxes.
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Your actions:
Examples: Provide multi-material kerbside recycling
collections and assisted collections
Recycling bring sites and HWRCs
Provide information about collections
Special services for high rise properties
Your actions:
Examples:
Restrict residual
bin size/
collections
Compulsory
recycling
No side waste
policies
Enforcement
action
Incentive
schemes
Competition
between wards
Contamination
cards
Your actions:
Enable
Encourage
Catalyse
Engage
Examples:
Door-to-door
canvassing
Community
engagement
programme
PR campaign
Stakeholder
engagement
programme
Exemplify
Your actions:
Examples: Council uses recycled products and materials
Council recycles own waste
At the meeting, explain to participants the benefits of the framework and how it can be used. Use flip charts,
ideally laid out in the “diamond” shape. The aim is to capture responses so that everyone can see their ideas and
how the framework builds. Structure the time to ask the following questions:
Enable
– making it easier


Encourage
– give the right signals
Engage
– get people involved
Exemplify
–local government
takes the lead










What type of infrastructure, services, guidance, information and/or support is
needed to reach statutory targets? What do you currently have in place? What do
you need?
How will you make it easy for households to change behaviour and recycle more/
differently?
What measures are needed to provide benefits and incentives?
How will you encourage responsible behaviour?
How will you provide feedback
How will you involve your audience early on in the process?
Who are the local networks that you could establish relationships with (at a general
level)? If you know your target audience, then you can aim to be more specific
Who will you partner with?
What type of communication and engagement methods will you use?
What do you need to do to demonstrate you own commitment?
Who else is demonstrating/reinforcing their commitment (e.g. businesses,
communities)?
What internal policies do you need to put in place to ensure consistency,
particularly to help reinforce your messages
Improving recycling through effective communications
126
This framework can be used to refine your strategy and ensure your overall approach considers the widest range
of factors that can positively influence behavioural change and reinforce your communications.
Audience planning
Once you have developed your overall communications strategy you should check that your communication
methods cover all your target audiences and approach them in a number of different ways to maximise their
overall impact. Use an audience-planning matrix like the one below (you should make your own to suit your
situation) to map your communication methods against your target audiences.
Example communications matrix:
Audience
Communications
Method
Advertising
Posters
PR
Council magazine
Direct marketing
techniques
Information pack
Annual calendar and
reminder leaflet
Community
engagement
Roadshows
School visits
Door-to-door
canvassing
Online
Internal
communications
Waste minimisation
messages
Hard to reach
communications
Multi-occupancy
campaign
All
Residents
New
Residents
X
X
X
X
Low
MultiParticipating
occupancy
Areas
Local
groups
X
X
X
X
Schools
Staff and
members
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
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Becoming an Expert No15: Engaging culturally diverse communities in recycling
This briefing looks at communications messages and methods, which may be useful for engaging culturally
diverse groups in recycling activity and overcoming communication barriers.
Communications messages and targeting
It is important to ensure your communications messages are appropriate for a specific audience. Look at the
expert briefing on Identifying and engaging culturally diverse communities in recycling to help you with this.
Attitudes to recycling differ across ethnic groups, therefore communications approaches aimed at these groups
should also differ as with targeting to any audience. However, whilst modifying communications messages to
specific culturally diverse groups is a good idea, it is important not to make any group feel it is being singled out
as non-recyclers as this can cause resentment and discourage participation.
Be careful with the messages you use, as blanket messages across all groups will not be effective. You will need
to use different hooks for the different groups you are targeting.
Example
In Leicester, different outreach and support approaches
are used to address three types of ethnic minority
community:



The newly-arrived (who may have limited English
and few established social networks)
Those with high levels of dependency on support
from statutory agencies, but who have developed
community welfare and support networks
Those who are well established and largely selfsufficient, but may still experience prejudice.
Targeting audiences should be based on
knowledge of their socio-economic profile, culture,
behaviour and attitudes – ethnic minority
communities are markedly different from each
other, and like any community often have internal
divisions too.
Responsibility to family can be a strong motivator
for many ethnic groups, especially within Asian
and Chinese cultures. Messages encouraging
residents to recycle for ‘the future of their children’
can prove particularly effective with these groups.
Bristol also found that a storyboard format also
worked well with cultures where story telling is
common.
Using religious messages to encourage recycling could also be considered; this could be particularly effective
within Muslim, Jewish and Sikh communities. Whilst religion can be an effective motivator, caution should be
used when considering this approach. It is vital to check all messages and communications material with
someone who has deep understanding of the religion as you may inadvertently cause offence in the way material
is presented. Ideally a representative from a local centre of worship, for example the rabbi, should be asked to
review and approve any material.
Improving recycling through effective communications
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An example of a storyboard leaflet from Bristol
Communications methods
As with any communications it is important to tailor your methods to your target audience. Once you have
clearly identified your target audience and the messages you want to get across, the next step is to investigate
the available media relevant to these groups.
Once you have decided on which activities to use to target your culturally diverse groups, it is essential to plan
your communications as it will enable you to effectively structure the delivery of your activities, maximise the use
of resources and enable you to confirm a realistic budget and timescales for the project.
For help with planning your communications look at WRAP guidance Improving Recycling Through Effective
Communications. This will help you to select communication activities and to plan your activity. The two sections
below identify issues and activities you should consider when delivering communications to ethnic communities.
Leaflets and Written Material
Many local authorities already provide copies of leaflets translated into languages other than English, nevertheless
the case for translation is divided. Translation can be positive as it helps promote inclusion of culturally diverse
groups (i.e. all residents are provided with the same information); however, translation may not always be
appropriate or necessary. Many authorities say that residents welcome translations as it shows the authority has
made and effort (e.g. Preston City Council) but these are used as part of a wider programme of engagement and
not stand alone. If local authorities are considering translation they should bear in mind the following:



It can be difficult to determine in which languages leaflets should be made available and thought should be
given to how the translation is phrased, as a straight translation from English may not always be suitable. If
you plan to translate any written material always make sure you check with your community contacts which
languages are most suitable. Once you have translated the text it is recommended that the style of the
language is reviewed by a native speaker to ensure it is appropriate to your audience.
Many people from culturally diverse groups may not read their own languages, meaning a translated leaflet
could be as inaccessible as one in English.
Local authorities should consider the cost of translation against the cost of other approaches and the likely
benefits of each. Translation can be costly and for the reasons outlined, translated leaflets may not be the
best approach to communicating with residents for whom English is not their first language.
Improving recycling through effective communications
129

If people have to ring a helpline in order to request a translated leaflet, they are unlikely to do so as the
person answering the call will probably speak to them in English. Local authorities using this method have
had a poor response rate.
An alternative to translation is to offer leaflets primarily in English with key phrases in other languages; this will
enable members of the household with a better understanding of English to translate orally for the rest of the
family.
An example of a bilingual leaflet from Preston
A higher pictorial content and use of diagrams should be considered, as this will significantly reduce language
barriers. It is important that the images used should be clear and instructive or descriptive to make sure that they
illustrate the message. Images which are too stylised may be confusing. Simple leaflets clearly illustrated with
images are often most effective.
The London Borough of Bexley found that translated leaflets with a strong pictorial element were more effective
than simply translating leaflets. For more information, please see the case study. Derby City Council also
developed a recycling booklet where the emphasis was on graphics after consultation with the local community,
see their case study.
Characters should be credible and recognisable in terms of their ethnic and cultural identity, but not
stereotypically “ethnic”. Photographs including people from the local community have been used to good effect in
several local authorities. The use of photographs rather than cartoon or animated characters is recommended for
less integrated culturally diverse communities as animated characters could be viewed as non-serious.
Using WRAP’s iconography or photographs on your collection containers may help to overcome language barriers,
making it easier for ethnic residents to understand what materials go in which container. Breckland District
Council and Preston City Council provided bin stickers with images and a simple translation of the material in
areas where they had a high proportion of Eastern European residents. The full case study for Breckland can be
found here - http://www.wrap.org.uk/lpa . This method may also be useful in areas where there is a high
turnover of residents.
For help on developing printed material look at WRAP Design Guidance for Local Authorities.
Working directly with communities
Sometimes, outreach can be the most effective way to overcome the cultural, language or physical barriers,
which prevent individuals and communities from accessing services or information. But it also offers great scope
Improving recycling through effective communications
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to create credible advocates, increase trust and empathy, demonstrate the organisation’s commitment to the
community and target effort with great accuracy. Outlined below are a number of methods for working with local
communities.
Opportunities
Presentations to groups
Utilising existing
environmental networks
Events
Actions
Give presentations (or get a local leader to do so) on recycling and/or re-use to
local community groups. When arranging a meeting, consider whether:
 A translator will be required;
 You will need printed supporting material; and
 It would it be helpful to take along examples of containers and recyclable
materials
Contact established environmental organisations, for example:
 The British Trust for Conservation Volunteers;
 Wildlife Trusts;
 Groundwork; and
 Black Environment Network.
Contact local community groups to find out if there are any events happening
in your area and make arrangements to attend. As part of your event planning
bear in mind:
 Have people manning your stand who speak the appropriate language;
 Asian women are unlikely to interact with men outside their family –
therefore a mix of men and women on the stand is vital;
 Ensure staff are dressed appropriately to respect the cultural norms of your
target community; and
 If translation is appropriate make sure you have enough translated or
pictorial material available.
Liaison with community and
religious groups
Identify relevant local groups in your area and investigate ways they could
promote your message to their members, ideas include:
 Putting up posters and distributing leaflets;
 Including recycling messages in group discussions;
 Developing activities for the groups to undertake that involve recycling
 Act as recycling ‘champions’ in their area; and
 Carrying out informal research of awareness and attitudes to recycling
amongst their group.
Using ethnic media
Ethnic media is available in English and ethnic language formats, and includes:
 Satellite TV channels;
 24-hour a day local commercial Asian radio stations in the major urban
conurbations;
 Ethnic language publications;
 English language publications;
 Monthly magazines;
 Weekly newspapers;
 Websites and social media.
Ethnic language media is more appropriate for targeting 1st generation BME
groups and those who may have little or no English language.
Door-to-door canvassing has proved to be an effective communications
mechanism to target culturally diverse residents. In an area with a high ethnic
population it is important to bear in mind the impact of cultural issues such as:
 Use a mix of male and female doorsteppers as Asian women are unlikely to
be drawn into a discussion with an unknown man;
 Seek advice from someone within the community to ensure that you are
not overlooking any important cultural issues;
 Recruiting doorsteppers with relevant language skills; and
 If it is appropriate, translated or pictorial communications materials should
also be produced, these can be left with households to reinforce the
message
Look at the WRAP step by step guide to door-to-door canvassing for more
information.
Door to door canvassing
Improving recycling through effective communications
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Case Study: London Borough of Bexley
Bexley has a population of nearly 3,000 Sikhs, many of whom use the Gurdwara (Sikh temple) to worship. In
line with the teachings of the Sikh religion the Gurdwara has a volunteer-run free kitchen open seven days a
week. The main kitchen waste consists of milk bottles, food cans, cardboard boxes, glass jars and vegetable
peelings, all of which could be recycled but were being disposed of in the general refuse bin instead.
After discussion with the Gurdwara elders, the council was allowed to install bring banks at the kitchen. Prior to
this the recycling officer met with the kitchen volunteers to make sure that they were ready for the scheme.
Posters and stickers were produced in Punjabi and English and supplemented with pictures so that all of the
congregation would be reached by the recycling message. The council has also installed recycling facilities at
the nearby Belvedere Community Centre. It is estimated that 80 per cent of the waste produced at this
Gurdwara has been diverted from landfill and messages have been linked to make the Sikh community more
aware that they can recycle at home, at work and at school, as well as at the Gurdwara.
Improving recycling through effective communications
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Becoming an Expert No16: How communications can support operational activity
There are a number of communication methods and activities, which are particularly suitable for providing direct
support to operational services in different situations. These methods fall into three types:


Tailored methods which are specifically useful for particular situations
Generic communications methods which should be running continuously regardless of other activity and
updated or boosted with tailored methods as necessary e.g. when a new service is launched

Optional communication methods which can help strengthen your communications by reaching more
people or increasing its overall impact
The table below shows the communication activities which are considered to be essential in different operational
situations:
Service Area
Essential Communication Activities
Maintaining an
existing service
Service leaflets (to include instructional and motivational information)
Service calendars (collection information)
Branding of collection receptacles
Lorry livery of collection vehicles
Introducing a new
service
Pre-service leaflet (to introduce the new service)
Service leaflets (to include instructional and motivational information)
Service calendars (collection information)
Branding of collection receptacles
Lorry livery of collection vehicles
Launch event(s)
Exhibitions
Changes to service leaflet/information pack
Service calendars (if relevant)
Launch event(s)
Exhibitions
Contamination stickers
Contamination notices
Crew information cards
Signage at ‘drop off’ sites
Signage on bring banks
Service information leaflets (combined with kerbside services where possible)
Crew & staff training packs
Website
Helpline
PR and Press packs
Changing an
existing service
Reducing
contamination
Promoting ‘drop off’
sites
Generic Areas of
Support
Improving recycling through effective communications
133
Service Area
Essential Communication Activities
Optional Extras
Door-to-door canvassing for poor performing areas
External advertising – billboards, adshels, bus, train and tube etc
Internal advertising – bus, tube etc
Radio advertising
Posters
Information stickers for collection receptacles
Roadshows & giveaways
Crew information cards
Council newsletters
Maintaining an existing service
In the absence of anything ‘new’ to communicate you will need to work harder to make your communications
grab peoples’ attention and maintain existing changed behaviours or building on them by encouraging further
changes in behaviour.
If you want to improve your overall performance (from a reasonably good starting level) your research, audience
segmentation and messaging will have to be even better to identify key communications/audience issues and
opportunities. You will also need to be more imaginative in your communication methods, messages and design
in order to capture people’s attention.
Communication
methods
PR
Direct marketing
techniques
Community
engagement
Online
Internal
communications
Examples
PR should run a series of mini-campaigns and run ‘good news’ stories about recycling to
keep awareness high:
 Report successes and milestones e.g. 1,000,000th can recycled etc
 Highlight interesting recycling stories e.g. initiatives by community groups or individuals
 Focus on stories showing the end result and local benefits of recycling
 Organise recycling collections by council staff for special causes e.g. clothing and textiles
collected for an air ambulance etc
If you have any areas that perform relatively less well e.g. through lower participation or
there are quality or contamination issues with collected recyclate, you should consider
specific campaigns for each area using direct communications with households using a
combination of contamination stickers, contamination notices and crew information cards.
The aim is to make individuals aware that they are participating incorrectly and encourage
them to recycle the correct materials.
On-going, permanent relationships should be built with local communities to nurture the
development of a recycling culture within local people.
Information on the council website should be refreshed at periodic intervals. Recycling
should be featured permanently on the council home page with links to pages containing
relevant information e.g. press releases with latest news or information about services.
Internal communications with all relevant council staff should continue with a steady stream
of news and information.
Themed communications
Themed communications can be useful if you want to have a number of activity peaks to retain awareness over a
long period or you want to promote a particular material. Themes could include:

Specific materials (e.g. glass, plastic or food waste) which could be targeted in a series of mini-s throughout
the year, coinciding with periods when households may be throwing more of them away e.g. plastic bottles
and drinks cans in summer, food cans in the autumn/winter, glass at Christmas etc

Seasonal communications which could focus on the materials generated at that time of the year e.g. garden
waste in summer, DIY waste around Easter, Christmas waste (cards, trees, food and packaging) around
Christmas and new Year

Communications focused on specific audiences and the materials they generate, possibly at particular times of
the year e.g. DIY enthusiasts, gardeners, students etc
Improving recycling through effective communications
134

Local communications supporting national or regional themed or celebratory days e.g. Recycle Week, World
Environment Day, Composting Awareness Week, Yorkshire Day etc
Your communications need to be co-ordinated and planned well in advance to ensure they don’t clash or occur
too close together to give yourself enough time to organise everything properly (try to allow a minimum 6 weeks
between any activity peaks).
Introducing a new service
If you are introducing a new service you have an immediate advantage – a good local news story to tell. You
should consider a range of activities including the following:
Tailored activities

Targeted advertising is useful but should be considered an optional activity and used selectively to target as
many people as possible. You should consider new livery for collection vehicles

PR is an essential activity and can be used effectively to launch a new service by holding a launch event (or
events) to promote it and obtain local media coverage. The local media should be kept informed and fed
positive news stories and information from the very earliest stages and your activity should culminate in your
launch event

Direct marketing is also essential as it your main means of direct communication with householders. You
should produce material like a pre-service leaflet, a service information leaflet (to include instructional and
motivational information) and service calendars with collection information. All items to be delivered to all
households receiving the new service (the service leaflet and calendar should be delivered at the same time
as any new containers). All new collection receptacles should be branded

Community engagement is also valuable with events and other activities designed to promote and explain the
new service to local householders
Generic activities

PR is an on-going process and after the launch you should proceed with a series of follow-through PR
activities reporting on the success of the new service, thanking residents for their efforts and providing
feedback at various milestones e.g. 1,000th tonne of x material, braking the 40% recycling barrier etc


Online activity includes revising the information on your council website
Internal communications should consist of updated briefings and training for all relevant front line council staff
(collection crews, telephone helpline staff, recycling wardens, canvassers etc) to ensure they know about the
new service and can deal with enquires from householders effectively. Your internal communications also
needs to target relevant elected members to ensure they understand the new service and can answer
questions from householders in affected wards or direct them to the right source of information
Optional activities

Further supporting advertising could be conducted if necessary to increase the profile of the campaign and its
impact

Community engagement activities could be extended to provide special support for householders e.g.
undertaking home visits to deal with individual issues and queries
Communications in support of new operational activity should follow the relevant elements of the joint LGA/WRAP
Waste Collection Commitment4, including:



4
Make potential users aware of the new service or facility
Address any likely public concerns
Explain clearly and simply to people how to use the new facility or service:
www.wrap.org.uk/local_authorities/waste_commitment.html
Improving recycling through effective communications
135

For kerbside collections, what can be collected for recycling, what won’t be collected, how to collect and
store materials at home, when to put containers out for collection


Where a new recycling site is located, what can be recycled, opening times
Explain the benefits of a new service and why it is important:


Easier to use, collects more materials, more convenient etc
Reduces waste to landfill which in turn reduces cost to council tax payers of waste disposal (which is
rising)



Landfill space might be running out
Reduction in landfill site gas emissions that contribute to climate change
Your council has legal targets to meet and there are financial penalties for not meeting them – financial
penalties which council tax payers will have to pay

Communicate specific policies or rules connected with recycling:




Policies regarding side waste, missed collections, contamination of containers, assisted collections etc
Any rewards for people who recycle (if applicable)
Any policies on penalties (if applicable)
Provide contact information
You should also consider whether to have special support on hand to undertake home visits to deal with issues
and queries e.g. requests for assisted collections, dealing with new policy enforcement issues, people being
confused and ‘getting it wrong’ at first.
Changing an existing service
If you are changing existing services or collecting a new material using existing containers or adding new
containers and materials, you should treat it as if you are launching a new service (see previous section) but
substitute the following instead of a new service leaflet and calendar:



A “changes to service” leaflet/information pack delivered to all affected households
Revised service calendars delivered to all affected households (if relevant)
Small changes to existing services may just require revised leaflets, calendars and online information
In addition you must consider the following:

Your promotional materials should make the changes appear as simple and as easy for people as possible –
simplicity and clarity of branding, messaging and leaflet design is essential. Focus on:






The changes - clearly and simply tell people what, where, how to recycle
Explaining the benefits and why these changes are being introduced
Addressing likely concerns
Highlighting the benefits
Pointing out the consequences of inaction
Briefing and training for all relevant front-line council staff (collection crews, telephone helpline staff, recycling
wardens, canvassers etc)
Reducing contamination
Has your research identified specific low participation issues and are these confined to certain geographical areas
or do they extend throughout your local authority? If you have low participation areas (LPAs) you will need to
investigate the reasons for low performance thoroughly, address the barriers people have to recycling and
develop dedicated communications targeting the people and communities living in those areas.
Depending on your exact situation, you could tackle issues in areas of low participation by using one or more of
the following:
Improving recycling through effective communications
136
Tailored activities

Reducing incorrect usage by using contamination stickers/notices and crew information cards
Generic activities

Explaining to people how to use the existing facilities or service by issuing additional information leaflets
locally:

For kerbside collections, what can be collected for recycling, what won’t be collected, how to collect and
store materials at home, when to put containers out for collection etc

Where a recycling site is located, what can be recycled, recycling site etiquette, opening hours etc
Optional activities

Undertaking communications with specific hard to reach groups to make people aware of the service - tell
them how to use it and how easy it is to use and why it is important. Your communications must address their
perceived barriers

Engaging local communities, cultural groups or specific areas with targeted communications addressing their
barriers and issues:


Working with local community leaders and community or cultural groups can be very effective
One-to-one engagement through door-to-door canvassing can be very effective in addressing people’s
barriers
For more information on tackling contamination – see Becoming an Expert No 17
As well as this guide, WRAP has produced two other toolkits that would be useful for those contemplating a
communications designed to improve the performance of existing services:
Improving Low Participation Areas – Effective
communications planning Guidance Document
Barriers to recycling at home
www.wrap.org.uk/barrierstorecycling
www.wrap.org.uk/lpa
Promoting ‘drop-off’ sites
If you want to stimulate collections at bring sites or HWRCs for materials not collected at kerbside you should
consider the following:
Tailored activities

Issuing revised service information leaflets (combined with kerbside services where possible) promoting the
sites and services

Improving signage at ‘drop off’ sites and on bring banks
Generic activities

Ensuring information about sites on your council website is up to date
Improving recycling through effective communications
137

Issuing press releases marking particular recycling bank milestones or achievements
Optional activities

Run mini campaigns promoting bring banks and HWRCs in particular areas
Improving recycling through effective communications
138
Becoming an Expert No17: Communications to improve the quality of
commingled collections
Usually there are three main aims for communications to support recycling collection services:



increasing participation and the quantity of material collected;
demonstrating service commitment to keep residents well informed; and
improving the quality of material collected.
Improving quality is an area where operations and communications have a close relationship. Evidence shows
that getting both right so that they mutually support and reinforce each other delivers better results. As with any
communications, there are a number of key steps to consider when planning activities to address quality issues:




firstly, understand your current situation:
o What is the nature of the contamination? – is it material that cannot be recycled or materials that
could be recycled but are not accepted by your kerbside service (e.g. non-target plastics);
o What is the cause of the contamination? : are there any service or communications issues which
need to be addressed;
secondly, make any necessary improvements in service design and provision before embarking on
communications activities;
thirdly, develop and deliver integrated communication activities which address the issues and support the
service provided; and
finally, undertake pre and post monitoring to accurately measure the impact of your activities, and learn
lessons for the future.
Reasons for performance issues
A number of reasons have been identified for the presence of non-target materials in commingled collections,
including:









types of materials collected for recycling are limited by the scheme (materials such as glass bottles, tetrapaks
and plastic packaging can be recycled by some local authorities but not all, leading to confusion if residents
move between local authority areas);
communications not reaching residents – due to high turnover of population, access issues, delivery issues;
communications not being understood by residents – due to language or literacy issues and cultural barriers;
communications do not contain the appropriate information – for example, lack of awareness of assisted
collections for elderly people or those with disabilities;
lack of regular information – evidence shows there is a need to reinforce correct behaviour repeatedly and
give feedback on progress;
poor service provision (missed collections, not returning bins, damage, unhelpful staff etc.) resulting in a lack
of commitment by householders to the recycling scheme resulting in disenchantment and less efficient
segregation;
cross-border effects i.e. the influence of a neighbouring authority’s scheme which may encourage residents
to put out the wrong materials because their friends, neighbours or relatives are recycling different materials;
lack of convenient facilities for flats and houses in multiple occupation (HMOs); and
poor understanding amongst collection crews about what the recycling scheme target materials are and why
the quality of the materials collected is important.
Improving recycling through effective communications
139
There are a number of ways of identifying the issues underlying the contamination of the recyclables collected.
These include:
visual monitoring which looks at disposal behaviour. It can tell you what types of contaminants are visible in
collection containers, as well as give an indication of the frequency with which contaminating behaviour by
households is observed. This can be presented as the proportion (%) of bins containing non-target materials
and can tell you how widespread the issue is;
 a waste composition analysis which will provide data on the quantity
Case Study: Kingston Upon
(tonnage) and type of contamination by non-target materials which
Thames
can be presented as a percentage of material set out for recycling;
Prior to the launch of its new
 talking to crews about the problems they encounter on their
collection scheme, the Royal
collection rounds; and
Borough of Kingston upon
 undertaking quantitative or qualitative research (surveys or focus
Thames conducted a trial to test
groups) with local residents into how they use the recycling scheme
its operation. Set out and nonand whether they experience any problems with it.
target material levels were
monitored over a six week period
Visual monitoring can be carried out at the kerbside and waste analysis
and where non-target material or
at the transfer station or MRF. These methods can also be used pre and
side waste issues were identified,
a leaflet was left with the resident
post intervention to monitor the impact of any service change or
explaining the problem. Residents
communications campaign. For further information about monitoring and
who required additional support
evaluation see: ‘Improving the Performance of Waste Diversion
were offered home visits by a
Schemes: A Good Practice Guide to Monitoring and Evaluation’
team of recycling advisors who
(www.wrap.org.uk/monitoringandevaluation).
helped residents by providing
advice on contamination, storage,
Used together, these techniques can identify problems in terms of the
washing, waste minimisation and
nature of the issue(s) and which collection rounds are most affected.
recycling.

Methods for improving quality of recyclate
Once the issues have been identified, there are three main methods of
improving the quality of recyclables collected by commingled collections:
Levels of recorded contamination
reduced from 9.8% of residents
to 6.8% of residents during the
last five weeks of the 12 week
trial. The reminder cards were
welcomed by residents and new
cards were developed to
accompany the Borough-wide rollout including a plastic specific
factsheet for residents when it
was found that this was the most
frequent -target material found in
containers.
It is important to stress that each one is as important as the other and that a weakness in one can undermine the
others and the performance of your entire collection scheme. In summary, your scheme must:



be easy for all residents to access, use and understand;
be delivered reliably and to a high standard; and
be communicated to all residents in a clear, straightforward manner.
Improving recycling through effective communications
140
Internal communications
Your collection crews are one of the key instruments for
improving the quality of material collected. Any initiatives should
involve crew training so that they:





understand how the MRF works, what it can process and why
the quality of material collected at the kerbside is so
important;
can recognise non-target materials in containers and reject
contaminated bins at the kerbside;
understand the importance of householder satisfaction with
services;
are able to engage householders and encourage them to
recycle correctly; and
understand that their work and the reliability/ consistency
with which it is delivered is important and valued by
residents.
Case Study: London Borough of
Lewisham
The London Borough of Lewisham provided
training for its collection crews about the
recognition of target and non-target
materials. The crews also record properties
which presented non-target materials at the
kerbside. This has been done in conjunction
with the introduction of:



new bin-stickers which clearly state
what can and cannot be recycled;
a ‘ checklist’ which enables crews to
tick a box next to specific non-target
materials present within the material
presented at the kerbside and post this
through the door; and
a bin hanger which also states that
non-target material has been
presented at the kerbside.
Initiatives to train crews to be more pro-active in identifying and
addressing contamination issues need to be supported by
communications to raise awareness amongst the public regarding
reasons for possible rejection as well as telling them the correct
way to recycle.
Waste advisors also visit properties where
issues with non-target materials have been
recorded by collection crews.
It can be useful to get a supervisor or crew member to review
your communications materials before they are printed as they
can often point out where things aren’t clear or common issues
which they find with collections.
This programme resulted in the level of
non-target materials in the recycling
collections declining over a 12 month period
from 22% to 13%.
It is also important to have regular communications between the
local authority and MRF regarding material quality so that any issues arising can be dealt with as promptly as
possible.
Communications with householders
Providing householders with a clear and simple service reminder leaflet at least annually will help them
understand how and what to recycle. However, almost every local authority in the UK has areas (streets,
neighbourhoods, wards or even larger geographical areas) that under-perform compared to neighbouring or
similar areas within the same authority. The range of communication activities which can specifically address
contamination issues are outlined in the table below:
Communication Activities
Targeted
communications
Training crews to understand quality and contamination issues, recognise non-target
materials in containers and reject contaminated bins at the kerbside.
Training crews how to engage with householders and encourage them to recycle correctly
Information cards to remind crews which are target and non-target materials
Contamination cards or stickers for crews to put onto contaminated containers highlighting
what the problem is and explaining why it has not been collected
Contamination notices (to give to residents/post through letterboxes) explaining why their
container has not been collected
Internal systems to: record householders which participate incorrectly; carry out follow-up
visits by staff to explain why their container was not emptied and how they can recycle
correctly and feed-back information on actions undertaken to crews
Internal systems to collate resident feedback and use to inform future communications
Door to door canvassing and community engagement with local groups to explain the
message and receive feedback and reach hard to engage groups
Improving recycling through effective communications
141
General service
communications
Other
supporting
communication
activities
Optional
activities
Regular service leaflets (to include information on how and when to use the service and
why it is important
Service calendars (collection information and dates of changes to the normal service)
Branding of collection receptacles to show target materials
Vehicle livery showing target materials
Training for council telephone call centre staff to ensure advice is accurate
Clear, accurate and regularly updated information on council website
Regular communications providing on-going, regular feedback to residents about their
recycling scheme (how well they are doing, what to collect/not to collect, what happens to
materials, why separating the right materials is important etc.).
Briefing the press on service changes, new initiatives etc., PR and Press packs
Posters
Exhibitions and roadshows at supermarkets / shopping centres / leisure centres
Incentive campaigns for crews – e.g. reward crew areas which show the best
improvement (best reductions in contamination/increases in tonnages collected)
Council newsletters
External advertising – billboards, adshels, bus, train and tube etc.
Internal advertising – bus, tube etc.
Radio advertising
Social media where appropriate such as Facebook and Twitter,
When planning your communication activities, research shows you
can start from the presumption that householders want to do the
right thing. In the first instance you should work on the basis that
incorrect use of the system is probably a matter of misunderstanding
about the system or the problems which are caused by putting out
the wrong materials. The tone of communications will be important
in gaining the co-operation of the householder. It needs to be
explanatory rather than accusatory. WRAP’s report on ‘Barriers to
recycling at home’ (www.wrap.org.uk/barrierstorecycling) provides
advice on the best mix of communications for different audiences.
Additional approaches which may be useful in areas with low
participation or high rates of contamination include:







Case study: Durham County
Council
Durham County Council promoted their
Kerb-it campaign to increase
participation and improve quality of
recyclables in areas of low
participation. In all, 36,000 households
were targeted by the campaign which
used a number of resources including:
adverts, posters, leaflets, bus back /
sides, road shows and door-to door
canvassing (which managed to contact
12,000 people).
Non-target material rates were only
use of pictures on labels on bins;
measured in areas with high student
leaflets illustrated with images;
population, but within these areas
leaflets primarily in English with key phrases in other languages
rates decreased from 17.5% to 5.8%
as an alternative to translation for BME communities;
during the trial period.
using Community Liaison Officers who understand and
empathise with concerns of the particular communities;
recruiting some of the refuse and recycling crew members from the target communities;
landlord forums (for owners of HMOs) to give landlords the chance to meet with council officers, find out
about and discuss issues relating to council services, including the waste and recycling; and
engaging with local community leaders, networks and organisations offers opportunities for influencing
behaviour change. This is generally a long-term approach as it takes time to develop relationships, but it can
be very effective.
I want to know more about Low Participation Areas – see the specific guide
developed by WRAP to help users identify areas of low participation, examine why they
experience low participation and to develop effective communication solutions. The
document is available on the WRAP website
www.wrap.org.uk/lpa
Improving recycling through effective communications
142
Becoming an Expert No18: An overview of different distribution methods
There are a variety of ways to distribute communications materials and information to target audiences including:



Door-to-door distribution (door-drops) of leaflets/calendars/service information packs by crews, canvassers, specialist distribution companies or the Royal Mail
Pick-ups – leaflet displays in libraries, council offices, community centres, leisure centres and other public buildings
Posters in libraries, council offices, community centres, leisure centres, doctors’ surgeries, schools, local shops, community notice boards
The table on the next pages looks at each distribution method in terms of:





Impact – what is the impact of this method on the target audience?
Ease - will it be easy, complicated or time-consuming to organise?
Timescales - how quick/slow will it be? What are the likely lead times? Will it work in the timescale I need it?
Reliability - how reliable is this method? Will it reach the target audience? How can I guarantee people will see/read my message?
Cost - how cheap/expensive is it? Does it represent good value for money?
Warning – if you have complex collection arrangements because you have a number of containers collected on different days in different combinations across your local
authority, your information leaflets and calendars, together with their distribution may become complicated and problematical. You will need to manage your distribution very
carefully to ensure the right households receive the correct information. Your design and print costs will also increase if you have to produce lots of slightly different
leaflets/calendars to cope with the complex variety of collection information. Potentially, this is the single-most expensive item in your communications plan and one of the
most important. If householders don’t get the information or get the wrong information then it is a waste of time and money. Be careful to select the best method for your
needs. If possible it may be better to review whether the service can be simplified. Complex schemes are not as effective as simple ones.
Improving recycling through effective communications
143
Distribution
Impact
Method
Door-to-door (leaflets, letters, service packs etc)
Crews
Generally very good so long as materials
are well designed and easy to
read/understand.
Ease
Timescales
Reliability
Cost
Needs careful planning
and liaison.
Generally very good (as above).
Easy as part of
communications training.
Specialist
distributors
Generally very good (as above).
Relatively straightforward
with careful planning.
Can be difficult if there
are problems.
Royal Mail
Generally very good (as above).
Relatively straightforward
with careful planning.
Good but does depend on crews.
Careful planning and management
is required especially for
calendars, which need to be
delivered to specific properties.
Good briefing of crews essential.
Good but careful planning and
management is required especially
for calendars, which need to be
delivered to specific properties.
Beware of the distribution
distracting them from their main
task – talking to people!
Should be very good but can be
variable. Get recommendations
and find a good, reliable company.
Careful management and planning
is required especially for
calendars, which need to be
delivered to specific properties.
Very reliable. Careful management
and planning is required especially
for calendars, which need to be
delivered to specific properties.
There may be
additional staff
overtime costs.
Door-to-door
delivery by
canvassers
Long lead-time.
Execution can be
relatively quick (2-3
weeks depending on
number of households/
complexity of delivery).
Depends on scale and
duration of campaign.
Can be relatively long
(4+ weeks).
Electoral
register
distributors
Inserts in local
free paper
Depends on scale.
Relatively short
execution (2-3 weeks)
depending on number
of households/
complexity of delivery).
Cheap if you are
already doing
canvassing.
Can be expensive.
Don’t necessarily go
for the cheapest - look
closely at value for
money and track
record.
Long lead times –
Can be relatively
possibly as much as 2 expensive. Probably
3 months prior to actual
the best quality
distribution date.
though. May not cover
Deliveries are relatively
all areas.
quick.
Note: the Royal Mail has a range of services for letters and Door to Door (for leaflets). For more information see Royal Mail Delivery Services and Marketing
Services respectively - www.royalmail.com.
Generally very good (as above).
Needs careful planning.
Variable depending on
Good but careful management
Check costs as they
the amount of planning
and planning is required especially can vary considerably.
required. Actual
for calendars, which need to be
Like other distribution
delivery should be
delivered to specific properties.
methods, reliability
relatively quick (2-3
tends to improve in
weeks).
line with rising costs.
Not very effective as your leaflet can be
Relatively easy to
Can be done on short
Can be unreliable.
Medium cost.
one of many.
organise.
timescales.
Improving recycling through effective communications
144
Distribution
Method
Council
magazine
Impact
Ease
Timescales
Reliability
Cost
Impact could be variable – depends on
Relatively easy – liaise
position in publication and
with internal production
design/presentation of material. Probably
team.
more effective with audiences that take
notice and read such publications. See if
there is any readership research.
Poster and leaflet distribution sites (posters, leaflets, surveys, displays)
Libraries,
Variable – depends on number of visitors
Relatively easy – there is
leisure centres and location of material within building.
probably an internal
and council
Better for communications in discreet
circulation/ distribution
offices
areas.
list/system - unless you
visit all the buildings
centres in person and put
out the material yourself.
Publication can be
quarterly or a similar
frequency.
Generally good.
N/A – uses internal
resources.
Variable – can depend
on internal distribution
systems. Timescales
can be controlled if the
team distributes
material itself.
Variable – dependent on staff to
put material up unless you or your
team do it yourself. The
advantage of the DIY approach is
you can pick the best location so
increase the likely impact. Best to
contact locations in advance.
N/A – uses internal
resources unless
material is posted.
Community
centres, health
centres,
doctor’s and
dental
surgeries
Variable – depends on number of visitors
and location of material within building.
Better for communications in discreet
areas.
Would need to be for relevant information
such as real nappies.
Variable. May take
longer than expected
unless a list of contacts
is already available.
N/A – uses internal
resources unless
material is posted.
Local shops
Variable – depends on location, footfall,
numbers of passers-by and location of
material in window or inside shop. Some
shops will not allow any communications
material in them (unless you pay). Better
for communications in discreet areas.
Variable – dependent on staff to
put material up unless you or your
team do it yourself. The
advantage of the DIY approach is
you can pick the best location so
increase likely impact. Best to
contact locations in advance.
Variable unless you visit each shop
and position material yourself.
Road shows
Variable but can be very good. The aim is
to pick busy locations on busy days e.g. a
town centre or shopping centre on key
shopping days such as a Saturday or the
local market day. Supermarket car parks
are not as good – good positioning can be
difficult and people tend to focus on their
Variable as they are dependent on
numbers of people in the area and
the ability of your display/event to
draw people in. Have as open a
space as possible – doorways and
entrances can deter people.
Can be expensive.
Cost may include: the
space, your displays,
producing special
material and/or
giveaways, a trailer
(or similar), some kind
Can be time-consuming.
You will need to get
permission and send the
material or deliver it.
There may be issues in
medical premises with
non-medical information.
Can be time-consuming.
You will need to get
permission and send the
material or deliver it
yourself.
Depending on the size of
roadshow they can be
complicated and time
consuming to arrange.
Access arrangements
(timings, restrictions etc)
are key to the smooth
Variable – dependent
on how many shops
there are and how long
it takes to contact them
and arrange for posters
to be positioned. Some
shops may have long
lead times.
Prime spots can be
booked months in
advance. Depending on
the location,
arrangements can also
take time. Allow 3
months.
N/A – unless you have
to pay for space to put
up posters.
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Distribution
Method
HWRCs
Impact
Ease
shopping and be in a hurry. Audiences at
events generally can be limited and
possibly self-selecting i.e. you will only get
the interested people (good recyclers), not
others.
running of an event
Good. Signs and posters at HWRCs can
communicate to a captive and interested
audience. Positioning is important –
posters etc should be placed where traffic
is queuing. Instructional signs should be
on/by containers. Leaflet dispensers
should also be on-site. Potentially a limited
(but very engaged) audience depending on
site visitor numbers.
Refurbishing sites can
involve a number of
departments and budgets
so may not be
straightforward. Worth
the effort though.
Timescales
Reliability
Cost
of attraction/event as
well as possible
overtime for staff
depending on the day.
Fully refurbishing sites
can be a lengthy
process but rebranding
by updating information
on signs and banks
should be quicker.
Good – total control over the
message and positioning. New
signage can be very effective in
changing sites from ‘tips’ to high
diversion recycling centres.
Can be an expensive
investment but a
valuable one over the
long term.
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Becoming an Expert No 19: Campaign Activities
This section looks in detail at the range of communications activities that can be used for local authority recycling
campaigns. The communications activities that will work best will vary with each local authority depending on
their aims and objectives and their target audiences.
When you start looking in detail at which activities to use you need to apply your knowledge of your local
authority area and the people who live in it to make your decisions. For example, in a rural local authority,
knowing on which days different towns have their market day will make the difference between a well attended
and successful road show and a poorly attended one.
You may also need to think creatively about how to adapt some activities to your particular challenges. For
example, as part of a door-to-door canvassing campaign in County Durham targeting low performing areas, the
promotions team undertook an on-bus face-to-face campaign whereby they traveled on buses (in the campaign
target areas) talking to passengers and giving out leaflets and advice twice a week for eight weeks. They adopted
this approach to target local residents in a more unusual and informal way and because the target audience were
less likely to have a car (and more likely to travel via bus).
Finally, remember your brand and apply it consistently across all your activities. If your billboard advertising
looks completely different to the leaflets being delivered to every home, your communications activities will not
integrate properly and will not reinforce the message - people may even wonder why there are two campaigns.
All activities fall under one of the main communication methods:
Communication methods
Advertising
PR
Direct marketing techniques
Community engagement
Online
Social media
Internal communications
Examples
Radio, press, TV, outdoor, mobile
Media relations via radio, press, TV and online
One-to-one communications - leaflet/information distribution (eg door-todoor), door–to–door canvassing, exhibitions and events
Building on-going permanent relationships with local communities
Council website
Twitter, Blogs, Facebook & You tube
Intranet, staff newsletter, briefings
Advertising
Television
Television advertising is the most expensive of all the communication media and for most local authorities this
alone will make its use prohibitive. If that is not enough, broadcasting areas are huge, extending far beyond the
boundaries of any single local authority which makes it a highly inefficient activity for any single local authority
campaign.
In the past, however, some local authorities have successfully collaborated and pooled their resources to run TV
advertising campaigns across whole regions. If you want to target large sections of the population across a large
area and can secure the budget and justify the expenditure then this may be a useful medium to explore.
Advertising of this sort is, of course, only useful if there is a simple common message to put to people based on
reasonably standardized services.
Radio
Local radio advertisements can be an extremely cost-effective way to build strong local awareness of your
communications. You can make a radio advertisement responsive by including a telephone number or website
address if appropriate. Most radio stations will help with the design and production of your advert. Check the
audience profile of your local radio station to check it matches or is similar to your target audience before going
Improving recycling through effective communications
147
ahead. Also check whether the station’s broadcast area is a good fit for your campaign or local authority area.
Consider how much additional airtime you might be able to negotiate on your local radio station in support of
your message, for example interviews and question and answer slots about recycling. Radio relies on having
strong verbal messages therefore your commercial needs to:





Grab the listeners attention
Paint a picture in the listener’s mind
Be simple
Use a jingle or a sound as a “shorthand” to help the listener identify and remember the message
Include a telephone number or website address (if you want a response or to direct them to further
information)

Air at various times of the day to hit the widest possible audience and the right audience cost effectively
Local radio can also be targeted by your PR (see PR for more information).
Press advertising
Advertising in local or regional newspapers can be an effective mechanism for getting your message across.
Advertorials are a combination of advert and editorial that you pay for and are useful as part of communications
where you want extended editorial to accompany your advertising. Press advertising in local newspapers can be
used to build a local dimension to any national advertising campaigns, with messages specifically tailored to
service provision in your local area. Key elements to developing effective press advertisements are clarity,
simplicity and focus - keep the message as simple as possible and ensure that the layout of the advertisement is
easy for the reader to follow.
For important issues or a campaign where you want to create maximum impact it might be worth investigating a
‘wrap-around’ - essentially a four page advert attached to the outside of the newspaper (hence ‘wrap-around’).
These can have a significant impact as your message will be on display wherever the newspapers are sold and
anyone buying and reading one cannot miss it as they have to open (and look at) the ‘wrap-around before they
can get into the newspaper. Of course, this approach will be considerably more expensive than smaller adverts
(even full page ones) inside the newspaper and this should be borne in mind in your planning and budgeting.
Media partnerships
Partly advertising and partly PR, media partnerships may be a useful and cost effective way of working with your
local media (press and radio) to develop a range of activities to promote recycling. Media partnerships can
enable you to tap into the broadcasters/publishers expertise and resources. They can range from providing
sponsorship to in-kind support to provide material, instead of having to buy expensive airtime. However, beware
of your partnership actually being another means for the newspaper/radio station to drum up extra advertising
revenue. Genuine partnerships will focus on generating useful and meaningful material (on air and in print)
designed to communicate the issues to readers/listeners.
Cinema advertising
There are two types of cinema adverts: single static slides or TV style advertising ‘shorts’. Cinema adverts are a
relatively expensive medium (especially for TV style adverts) targeting a relatively small number of people mainly
in the younger age range (under 30). Cinemas also tend to draw people in from a very wide area and the
numbers from your local authority area could be relatively small. The adverts need to be well-designed and very
simple in order to appeal to this audience and on balance probably are not that cost effective.
Outdoor advertising
This includes static outdoor posters and mobile advertising on vehicles:



Posters can be quite effective at getting short, simple messages across to people. They should have a striking
design to grab people’s attention. There are various types:
Billboards (48 sheets and smaller), bus shelters (adshels) and other types of outdoor poster sites - outdoor
advertising (especially billboards) can be expensive. It is important to select sites or areas which stand out
from others, have lots of passing traffic (pedestrians/cars) and will be seen by your target audience
Signs or large poster sites at HWRCs are particularly good for giving visitors feedback on recycling
performance at that site, thanking them for their support and reminding them what can be recycled there
Improving recycling through effective communications
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

Public poster sites such as shopping centres, libraries, arts and community centres, health or sports centres posters in public spaces can be a useful way to advertise your message. Many of these public spaces are
owned or provided free by councils. Posters for use in council buildings and offices, at events, in schools, in
public buildings etc should generally be A3 or A4 size as they are the most versatile although bigger ones can
be useful for some locations
Mobile advertising includes bus exteriors and interiors, mobile billboards, advans, adbikes and taxis. As with
any advertising they can be relatively expensive and difficult to assess their effectiveness. They require
striking design and are only good for simple messages. Mobile advertising also requires a very good
understanding of the audience you wish to target, for example:
 Buses – exteriors (sides and rears) target car drivers and pedestrians along bus routes. Many people from
outside your local authority will see your message, especially if the bus company has long bus routes to
neighbouring towns or outlying areas. Bus exteriors should be used for short, simple messages whilst
interiors can have slightly more detailed information. Bus passengers will see interior bus adverts and you
should try to find out more about this audience before using this medium. Audience profiles may vary on
different routes depending on the areas through which they run
 Mobile - advans and bikes, which are dedicated vehicles carrying your adverts. Advans are good for
covering large areas (e.g. rural areas) whilst bikes are good for town centres. As well as driving around
they can be used in a static role in particular areas e.g. remote locations at events such as football
matches or in an LPA. The advantage of this medium is you can control exactly where they go which
improves their targeting
 Taxis are similar to buses in that many people, depending on where the taxi goes, will see the message.
Used well, taxis can be a very unusual and striking medium
Online advertising
The latest advertising medium, these include banner and other animated or ‘flash’ adverts on local community or
news sites. Depending on the website they are probably better for targeting younger or more affluent audiences
which are more likely to use the internet regularly. Adverts need to be simple, engaging and have an
accompanying website (for people to go to via a click-through).
Advertising on council infrastructure
Local councils and will have a huge range of resources and waste management and recycling infrastructure at
their immediate disposal which can be used for communications:





Site signage at bring sites and HWRCs can have instructional, motivational and feedback messages
Collection containers can have stickers with instructions and collection information
Recycling banks can carry instructional messages. Good for areas with low performance
Directional signage to recycling sites
Council/contractor collection vehicle livery – trucks and other vehicles can be branded or carry
communications posters/messages
Tips for advertising

Save time and money by using the downloadable artwork and guidance at www.reyclenowpartners.org.uk.
These professionally designed communication tools tie in with the national recycling campaign brand and will
generate greater recognition and response from your target audiences

All advertisements must comply with the regulations as set down in the Advertising Code (obtainable from the
Advertising Standards Authority) - http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/



Advertising can only communicate/promote headline or simple messages
Adverts should be carefully designed and tested
Allow plenty of time to find out about advertising locally and to become familiar with it. Remember, it’s a
buyer’s market and you may be able to negotiate reductions on standard prices (rate cards).
PR (Public Relations)
PR can be used to help achieve a number of different aims or objectives, for example:

Increase awareness of a campaign in an area or within a particular audience
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




Explain complicated messages or issues in layman’s terms
Act as a call to action to any given audience
Attract and promote a perceived third party endorsement (i.e. from the media)
Help a campaign stand out in a crowded market through creative events and activities
Support other communications activities
If planned and executed properly, a PR campaign can help achieve all of this in a very cost effective way. Whilst
advertising is clearly paid for, any item that appears as editorial carries with it the perceived endorsement of the
title and editor of the publication – it has been deemed as newsworthy and as such is worth more than an advert.
Of course, it can never be guaranteed that a news release will be featured; neither can you control how the
media may edit your press release, which is why the best campaigns successfully use a combination of PR and
other activity such as advertising together. Linking your communications to the national Recycle Now campaign,
especially around national events like Recycle Now Week, will make your stories more attractive to local and
regional titles looking for a local angle on a national news story. Establishing good relationships with key local
journalists is vital – find out their interests, copy deadlines and what they look for in a good photo opportunity.
Brief them well and keep them ‘in the loop’ - even the most well written and best-intentioned press releases can
be turned into negative stories if desired.
Handled well, your local media may like your campaign so much that they ‘adopt’ it and become a partner,
supporting it through extra coverage and regular features on relevant issues. Achieving this position will
generate considerable extra coverage for your communications and decrease the chances that the local
newspaper may take a negative stance. It pays to approach the local media early to see if you can gain their
support.
Local newspapers are useful for reaching local populations with positive stories supporting your campaign.
Think visually – newspapers like a good picture (preferably involving local people and/or children). Many regional
and local newspapers are online and feature video reporting - for example Scarborough Borough Council
developed a good relationship with its local paper resulting in a visit and filming a short piece with the recycling
officer explaining new scheme and what happened to materials once they were collected. This went on to the
newspaper website, and the council were also able to link through to it from their website. Consider their
requirements in your plans.
Council newspaper/magazines can be useful if you have one and it is distributed to every household. Try to
ensure there is a regular recycling/waste feature. It is a useful way of getting more detailed messages across to
more interested residents. Check whether there are any costs associated with it.
Online is a new and rapidly growing area of PR and online local community, news and social networking sites
can be valuable as part of your overall communications. This medium is only worth investigating if there are sites
which focus exclusively on local communities, issues and news.
Local radio news or other programmes may be interested in featuring stories about your campaign, issues or
activities. Take time to research the programming on local radio stations and developed a few ideas to present to
editors and programmers.
TV (terrestrial, satellite and cable) news or other programmes will only feature stories about your campaign,
issue or activities if they are really unusual, regionally or nationally significant. TV coverage is the hardest to
secure but reaches the most people and carries the most prestige. If you’ve got a really significant regional or a
touching ‘human interest’ story it might be worth telling your regional TV newsroom.
While PR should be an integral part of any communications plan, it is not a solution to all problems. Remember:



PR will not provide an instant fix but will produce results to build on
PR should not be turned on and off like a tap – it’s a rolling programme of activity
You can never guarantee that your communications will make the news – other events such as catastrophes,
high profile celebrity news, crime or major accidents can change the priorities of a news teams in an instant

All publicity is not necessarily good publicity
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Tips for PR

PR Communications Plan - Develop a PR plan to tie in with your communications activities and support
them by generating media coverage to promote them. Ensure you have a regular programme of press
releases throughout the year to maintain interest and awareness

Develop a press release protocol - Decide who is responsible for drafting press releases and who will
provide approval and sign off. Establish responsibility and mechanics for the distribution of press releases,
including circulation lists for local, regional and national print and broadcast media and trade publications as
appropriate. Develop FAQs (frequently asked questions) and ensure everyone dealing with the media adheres
to them

Appoint a spokesperson - Every campaign needs a spokesperson, a voice of informed authority that
understands the subject, can be quoted in all material and is media friendly. Try and identify a spokesperson
that is lively, friendly and not afraid of journalists! Having one appointed spokesperson lends consistency to
press material, and the regular quoting of one individual reinforces the reader’s perception of the
spokesperson being an expert in the field. Ideally they should receive some media interview training, even if
from your internal press team

Celebrity endorsement - Using a celebrity as a campaign supporter can be invaluable in securing media
coverage. It can boost the success of the campaign, as the public is more likely to listen to a message
presented by a celebrity that the target audience recognise and aspire to. With this in mind, a celebrity should
be used only if they buy-in to your campaign and are able to speak knowledgeably about the subject. It is
important to choose a celebrity who reflects the best aspects of your campaign and who will be of interest to
your target audience (include the relevant media). Celebrities can be costly, so see if you can persuade them
to help you for free or ensure that there is adequate provision in your budget

Competitions or incentives via the press or radio, at events, or through schools can be an excellent way of
generating awareness and interest in your communications. Make sure that your competition is in keeping
with your message and that prizes are appealing (and ideally incorporate recycled materials or promote the
conservation of resources). Be aware of the legislation surrounding competition and incentive terms and
conditions and liaise with your legal department to ensure you comply

Defra carried out a pilot study of local authority household reward only schemes in England in 2005/06. The
aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of a comprehensive range of reward schemes in encouraging
householders to reduce, recycle and compost their waste. Information about the study can be found by
following this link: http://www.defra.gov.uk/ENVIRONMENT/waste/localauth/encourage.htm

As part of your on-going PR programme, take groups of people (the media, local stakeholders etc) to, or
organise open days at waste and recycling facilities so the public can see waste management at first
hand. Visits to landfill sites can often leave a lasting impression

Good photography, design and imagery are vitally important. Good design is essential in all your
communications to add clarity to your communications and to make them interesting and engaging

Crisis plan for emergencies – as part of your PR planning you should develop a comprehensive crisis PR
plan to: deal with any unforeseen or emergency situations; and manage the media covering the emergency.
Check with your press and media department to see if they already have one and familiarise yourself with it
Direct marketing techniques
Direct marketing covers a range of techniques designed to communicate with people on a one-to-one basis.
Communications literature is also covered in this section.
Communications literature
This includes a wide range of material that forms the foundations of every campaign including:

Recycling information leaflets
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

Communications leaflets, recycling scheme information/instructions
Collection calendars
If you can do nothing else, you must give all householders a leaflet with information about their collections on an
annual basis. For more information about distribution methods see Becoming an Expert No 15. WRAP has
produced three guides to help you design and produce your communications materials:
Design of Communication material
This document gives basic and practical suggestions on the design of effective
communications. These principles can be applied to collection calendars, leaflets, adverts and
other marketing communications.
http://www.wrap.org.uk/local_authorities/research_guidance/communications/
Guidance on Developing Collection Calendars
Kerbside collection calendars are an essential communication tool for most authorities,
enabling them to provide essential information to householders about their waste and
recycling services with instructions on how to participate. This document guides you through
all the elements of putting together a clear and easy to understand calendar.
http://www.wrap.org.uk/local_authorities/research_guidance/communications/
Printing Processes Explained
The aim of this guide is to explain the design and development process that you will go
through in commissioning promotional material for waste management services, whether you
use an outside design agency or your own internal design team. It takes you through each
stage of the design and development process from the initial concept for a promotional item
through to the delivery of the final product.
http://www.wrap.org.uk/local_authorities/research_guidance/communications/
Door-to-door canvassing/ household visits
These are dedicated techniques that aim to talk to people at their home about recycling and waste to improve
performance (e.g. increase recycling, reduce contamination etc). Research shows that this face-to-face contact
with householders is highly effective in increasing participation in recycling services because it helps to overcome
key barriers to recycling particularly lack of knowledge about how the system works. Door-to-door canvassing,
unlike leaflets or media advertising, enables the message to be tailored to individuals through one-to-one contact.
The doorstepper/canvasser can deal with the barriers that the individual householder perceives as preventing
them from recycling. Door-to-door canvassing can reach individuals who do not usually read leaflets or engage
with traditional council communications. April – October is the best time to run door-to-door canvassing
campaigns.
Door-to-door canvassing is different from conducting a door-to-door survey and the two should not be confused.
Canvassers have a conversation with people on their doorstep about recycling and the subject and content will
vary from person to person according to their interests, issues or barriers. A survey focuses on asking every
person the same set of pre-determined questions in order to gather quantifiable data.
Sometimes it pays to be imaginative with canvassing or other community engagement teams – in one campaign
they travelled on selected buses speaking to local residents and commuters from low performing areas.
For more detailed information about canvassing see WRAP’s Door-to-door canvassing
guidance. This guide is primarily designed for councils who are planning to organise and
carry out door-to-door canvassing (also referred to as doorstepping or doorknocking) to
promote their recycling services and encourage residents to recycle. It is also valuable for
local authorities that are contracting another organisation to run a campaign on their behalf,
as it is important to have an understanding of the whole process and what is involved.
http://www.wrap.org.uk/local_authorities/research_guidance/communications/guide_to.html
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Community or recycling outreach officers
These are small teams or individuals that respond to specific enquires from the public or issues reported by crews
by visiting householders. This face-to-face contact with householders can be effective in addressing individual
householder barriers and increasing participation in recycling services.
Community engagement
This covers a number of techniques to engage local communities over the long-term to improve recycling
including:

Long-term engagement programmes with local communities, talking to them, getting to know them and
working with them, through local groups and organisations, to address local recycling and other waste related
issues

Face-to-face meetings with key local community groups (religious, cultural, charitable and voluntary,
youth and environmental), tenants groups and other local housing groups. These groups can be an audience
in themselves or they may help you to get your message across to the wider community

Local ambassadors and ‘champions’ involve dedicated programmes to work with key local people (based
in the community) to develop them into ambassadors for your campaign. To be successful you need to have a
clear idea about what you want to achieve and what you want your ambassadors to do. Ideally your
ambassadors need to be recruited before the campaign, trained and kept informed/ motivated throughout.
Having the ability to deliver face-to-face contact with householders can be highly effective in increasing
participation in recycling services. This approach can be effective because people tend to have increased
‘trust’ in information when it is received through someone they know. Whilst effective, this technique
probably won’t be able to target lots of people though it can generate useful local media coverage. It can also
involve a lot of officer time to run and maintain
For more information about local groups see Section 4 and Becoming an Expert No9 which looks at target
audiences and external groups.
Events or exhibitions
Holding events or roadshows is a good way to meet face-to-face with your residents. Events can include
workshops, seminars, public meetings, roadshows and exhibitions. The keys to holding successful events are
targeting, planning and organisation: know exactly who you want to target and where to go to reach them, allow
plenty of time and prepare well in advance. Events can be effective opportunities to:




Launch your campaign to the public and media
Reinforce the key message at a local level and talk directly to the public about local recycling issues
Engage all partners to participate and deliver a unified public face for the campaign
Give practical demonstrations for a new recycling service – actually “show-‘n’-tell” residents what can go into
recycling containers

Contact hard to reach or engage groups
Types of events include:

Displays, exhibitions, shows and events such as roadshows (in shopping centres, town centres etc)
that target local residents and are designed for one-to-one engagement. Selection of a good location and
timing is critical – pick busy places/times

Public meetings are events targeting local residents and designed for one-to-one engagement. Good
selection of location and time is critical – pick convenient places/times. Take a display panel (which can now
be made from recycled materials)

Attending popular public events and shows – such as community fetes, melas, agricultural or village
shows etc. The more engaging your display the better as it will encourage more people to come and talk
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
You could even make up your own events/awareness/activity days – but remember to allow adequate lead
time for planning and publicity
Some key factors to take account of when planning any event include:


Summer is generally better for holding events (especially outdoor ones) when it is warmer and drier
Identify and timetable key regional events that could be used for communications events, e.g. the Great
Yorkshire Show


Be careful to select events that will actually reach your residents and not visitors from elsewhere
Remember to publicise your events to the intended target audience
Depending on the type of event you are organising, you may want to include some activities to entertain or draw
people to your stand where you can engage them. Useful activities include noisy or colourful ones such as a junk
funk band (playing recycled instruments) or simple things like face painting that attract children and families. You
should ensure your activities complement your display and do not overshadow it.
You should have some practical giveaways for people that reinforce your communications messages. You should
aim to give ‘freebies’ away in return for something e.g. a conversation about recycling, completing a survey
questionnaire or making a pledge to recycle more. Ensure your giveaways are branded, made from recycled
materials (and promote the fact) and are useful so people don’t just throw them away as soon as they get home.
Items that might help people to remember to recycle or reduce waste at the right time (such as reusable bags for
shopping or spaghetti portion measurers and food storage boxes for LoveFoodHateWaste) are a good idea. See
the examples below:
Item
Fridge magnet
Example
Notes
Useful with good retention value. Tend to be popular with
householders for sticking things to their fridge door but can be
expensive (especially shaped ones). Not made from recycled
materials.
Reusable shopping
bag
Useful with strong retention value. Again popular with
householders for shopping and carry a good re-use message
in themselves. Designs need to be simple and bold. Can be
made from recycled materials or sustainable sources.
Novelty items
Bucket, spade and Frisbee – used by a coastal local authority.
Very useful, with high novelty and retention values.
Quite visible (on beaches) because of their novelty. Should be
made from recycled materials if possible.
Love Food Hate
Waste (LFHW)
fridge thermometer
and shopping
trolley token
Two useful items with high retention value. The fridge
thermometer in particular supports a key campaign message
about effective food storage.
LFHW snack box
Another useful item which enables people to adopt new habits
promoted by the campaign.
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Schools
Schools should be considered as part of the wider process to engage local communities and develop a
widespread recycling culture. Initiatives could include:

School recycling initiatives - to reinforce the recycling message, schools should
have recycling facilities for their waste and lead children and parents in the local
community by example

Educational activities linking into the national curriculum in classrooms or with
special school events or assemblies

Basic talks about recycling in class and at assemblies
WRAP has produced a guidance document on how to communicate effectively with
schools about introducing, changing or promoting dry recycling and food waste collections and to enable this to
tie in with the local authorities’ wider objectives on recycling. Check the document here
(www.wrap.org.uk/laschools). For more information and resources to help with recycling programmes in schools
see also the range of dedicated Recycle Now campaign resources (www.recyclenow.com/schools).
Online/digital communications
The rapidly developing field of online and digital communications is opening up new ways of delivering mass and
personalised communications to increasing numbers of people. Recycling communications managers should find
out more about wider online and digital strategies and initiatives within their council to see whether there are any
new ideas they could use for their communications plan. Some ideas already used include:

A campaign website or recycling/waste information pages on your council website. This is an absolute
essential – you can give all the information you want in as much depth as you feel necessary (e.g. from the
basics of collection information to re-use, waste prevention, the recycling journey of materials from your local
authority and even the links between waste, recycling and climate change) and have electronic copies of
important documents or leaflets for download. Good for targeting audiences that use the internet regularly.
Some ideas for good websites include:



A direct link to recycling pages from the council homepage
Easy navigation with as few pages/click-throughs as possible
Good design with easy to read/understand information covering everything householders are likely to want
to know such as collection information, times and policies, HWRC information, recycling sites etc


Use plenty of images to illustrate information if your website can support this
E-mail and e-newsletters are a useful way of contacting and keeping informed key individuals e.g.
stakeholders etc. The public can also sign up to special recycling newsletters via websites. This can be
effective but realistically will only be of interest to high recyclers and those people with a special interest in
your campaign

Mobile phone text alerts and information services e.g. reminders to put recycling bins out. This is very new
technology and experience to date has shown very low take-up rates so it is probably not that cost effective
yet (circa 2009)


Internet advertising – see advertising
DVDs/CD-ROMs – can be produced with information about recycling in general and specifically in your local
authority for use in a number of ways: distribution to people who request information; sent to schools or used
as part of education programmes; sent to householders. Whilst an interesting format and capable of
presenting a wealth of information in a creative and interactive way, their usefulness is questionable as people
need a computer to run them and only the very interested will be bothered. Their reach can be expanded by
playing them on screens in public areas of council offices and making them available on the council website.
There are probably more cost effective ways of communicating the information e.g. via the council website
where it is accessible to all
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
Council office public information screens (such as those available sometimes in public waiting areas)
could carry adverts or other material to promote recycling

Publically accessible computers in public libraries could have a campaign screen saver, a shortcut to
the recycling pages on the council website or feature the council website as the internet browser’s homepage
Tips for online
Whether you have your own campaign website or recycling pages on your main council website, here are some
key principles to consider when developing your internet presence:



Keep the content and layout simple
Avoid complex graphics that are slow to download for many users
Make reaching important information as easy as possible – the user should be able to find what they need
within two or three clicks of the mouse

Feature a campaign link or icon on the local authority home page, which links to county, regional or national
organizations and campaigns (like Recycle Now)


Have a contact point available – this could be an email address or telephone number
Keep the website up to date, there’s nothing worse than outdated content
Developing recycling and waste websites
This guidance document and web page review methodology has been developed as a result
of requests for waste and recycling web page reviews from a number of London Boroughs to
help ensure they provide relevant information about the services, make them easier to use
and enhance the user experience.
An evaluation matrix was developed to assist with the review process, which systematically
outlines essential information the recycling and waste web pages should contain.
http://www.wrap.org.uk/content/resources-local-authority-communications
Social media
Social media is the term given to Internet and mobile-based channels and tools that allow users to interact with
each other and share opinions, experiences and content. Social media involves the building of communities or
networks and encouraging participation and engagement. The most commonly used social media platforms
channels are: Twitter, Facebook, Blogs and You Tube.
Social media is a growing communication channel and can be a useful way to engage with your audience but you
need to make sure this fits with your wider communications strategy. Be clear about what you want to achieve
through your communications, who you want to communicate with and identify what social media channels they
use.
Using social media channels requires planning and on-going interaction with audiences which can be time
consuming. However, it can be a useful way of getting information out about services quickly and effectively and
should be considered as part of your communications mix. Social media channels allow you to engage in two-way
dialogue with residents, spread messages and information, improve customer service and build relationships.
For more information about how to utilise social media channels effectively see Becoming an Expert No 21.
Integrating your communications activities
When you are considering your activities and putting your communications plan together you should consider
how the activities you have selected can support and mutually reinforce each other, giving the overall campaign
added impact, targeting and influence.
For example, leaflets drops are a very precise means of communicating detailed information to your target
audience but may lack impact (householders may simply throw your leaflets away, unread). A leaflet drop could
be used to communicate your main campaign message and support a forthcoming series of roadshows by
including detail of dates and locations of events.
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PR is also a useful technique to support a leafleting campaign by issuing a press release with a strong photo (e.g.
the mayor, in full regalia, pushing a leaflet through a letterbox) to the local press, explaining why the forthcoming
leaflet is important and urge householders to read it when they receive it. A door-to-door canvassing campaign
could be similarly promoted by issuing a press release with an accompanying a photograph of a canvasser talking
on a doorstep to the mayor in full regalia.
By developing an integrated approach, you will often be able to significantly increase the impact of your
campaign at minimal extra cost. The impact of a door-to-door canvassing campaign, for example, can be
increased at no cost other than your own time by developing supporting activities and PR.
Example of integrated supporting activities and PR to support a door-to-door canvassing campaign
Before doorto-door
canvassing
During door–
to-door
canvassing
After door-todoor
canvassing
Organise competition with local school to design brightly coloured baseball hats for door-todoor canvassing crew.
Set up photo call for local press with children and the winning design.
Issue photo to press with press release: ‘watch out for our crew, they’ve got important
information for you’.
Arrange for a local radio reporter to accompany door-to-door canvassers for news piece on
‘attitudes to recycling’.
Arrange photo call for local paper of door-to-door canvassers in action.
Issue press release to local press with numbers of people visited, typical responses etc.
Arrange meeting with press to discuss the results and potential editorial.
Report to press, after one month, on uptake in recycling among those visited.
Include report and photo from door-to-door canvassing activity in your local authority’s inhouse newspaper or magazine.
For some additional communications activities – see Becoming an Expert No20
For lower cost communications activities – see Becoming an Expert No 22
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Becoming an Expert No 20: Additional Communications Methods
There are a number of alternative methods of communications available that, depending on your objectives,
audience and message, you may wish to consider when engaging with your audience.
Manned opportunities
Manned activities allow staff to interact with members of the public and can take the form of traditional road
shows, outdoor advertising, or experiential communications - where
instead of telling people about features of a product or service you let
them experience the benefits for themselves.”
Look Walkers
Look Walkers are a modern interpretation of sandwich boards. Staff
wear promotional boards and engage with passers by to hand out
supporting information leaflets. They are located in areas of high
footfall where recycling or waste reduction is considered relevant,
such as large shopping areas, town centres and outside supermarkets.
These can be really useful to target particular areas/streets e.g. low
performing areas because there is no on site setting up so they can be
completely mobile and walk or be transported to other locations
during the same day.
The staff can be chosen by their ability to speak in different languages
and relate to the hard to reach communities in the areas selected for
the promotion.
Ealing Council – Recycling is Easy!
Ealing Council organised a Look Walker campaign in Southall over a weekend
to promote their recycling services. Overall the campaign was very well
received, with most people taking a leaflet and many engaging in conversation
with the staff. There were lots of questions asked and it was clear people in the
area wanted to know more about recycling, as they didn’t fully understand the
process.
The languages spoken by the staff were very useful and helped them to
engage with residents more easily. The look walkers attracted people’s
attention and encouraged interaction.
The staff handed out 1250 leaflets over the weekend and engaged in in-depth
conversation with about 50 people, however they explained how to use the
recycling service to around 500 people. The staff also encouraged people to
pass the message on to family and friends.
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Pedal Bike Media
Pedal Bike Media consists of a small mobile
advertising hoarding towed by hired in staff
dressed in fun outfits to attract attention. They
can locate themselves in areas of high footfall
where that can attract attention and engage
passers by in discussion and hand out information
leaflets. They are highly visible and like ‘Look
Walkers’ have been used effectively, not only in
areas of high footfall but also in low performing
areas, attracting attention whilst travelling from
one site to another.
They can also be used in areas where new
services are being introduced to provide more
information, answer questions, get feedback and deal with resident’s requests.
Pedal Bike Media Campaign – Southwark
London Borough of Southwark developed a campaign to promote their pilot food waste collection scheme and
their existing recycling services to 10,000 households. Part of the campaign consisted of Pedal Bike Media to
targeted roads in four of the five collection rounds.
The advertising hoarding and campaigner costumes were designed to attract attention and stimulate interest.
The campaign operatives engaged residents in conversation in order to cover more detailed messages about
materials that can be recycled and the new food waste service. They also gathered residents’ feedback about
services and took enquiries.
Campaigners were able to hold a detailed conversation with an average of 23 residents on each shift but would
have been seen by many more. This was dependent on the weather and finding areas of high foot fall in which
people were willing to stop. Survey results indicated:


98% of respondents said they found talking to the campaigners very helpful or helpful; and
49% said they would recycle more as a result of information provided via the pedal bike media team as
they found out more about the types of materials that could be recycled through the collection services
provided.
Key lessons learnt about bike media were:

The team had significant success with parents and children leaving school for the day, Saturday shoppers
and Sunday morning church goers;

Pedal bike media proved to be a highly effective method of engagement and outdoor advertising. It is very
flexible in terms of location and can combine the power of a traditional advertising campaign with an
outreach team who can directly engage with the public and address queries relating to recycling services;
and

The method worked well despite challenges presented by the weather and could be even more effective
during the summer months.
More information can be obtained from the WRAP Recycle for London case study Communications Campaign to
Support Southwark’s Food Waste Recycling Trial.
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Unmanned advertising opportunities
There are a number of other types of promotional opportunities available which may be appropriate, such as:
Information screens
Many types of council have information screens
sited in council offices, area offices, leisure
centres, etc. These can be used to good effect
when people are waiting to see someone –
nothing quite like a captive audience! The
information usually takes the form of slides, which
can be designed and uploaded easily.
Litterbin advertising
Councils have used stickers on litterbins for many years
to promote anti-littering messages. Consider using
them for a more general recycling message, if for
example you are delivering a Recycle on the Go
campaign.
More hi-tech advertising on litterbins has been
introduced recently in stations, high footfall areas and
shopping areas and can provide LED illuminated panels
and Bluetooth connectivity with neighbouring smart
phones, allowing you to send messages to users within
the vicinity of the units.
Train station advertising gates
Some of the ticket gates in railway and underground
stations can now carry advertising. Consider using this if
you are running a generic campaign, such as: Recycling on
the Go, Love Food Hate Waste or if you are trying to raise
the profile of recycling generally within your area.
Ad vans and trailers
Some companies can provide ad vans or trailers, which
can be located along streets and in pedestrian areas
and will act as small advertising hoardings and perform
the function of on street recycling banks. Consider
using these if, for example, you have areas of very
high footfall and you are promoting Recycling on the
Go or recycling of a single material such as plastic
bottles or cans.
The advantage of these is that they can be located in
many different locations each day.
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Clean advertising
Clean advertising is an interesting solution developed in
America where your message is imposed on a grubby
pavement by pressure washing through a specially cut
stencil. This is not permanent and will become grubby over
time but it could be effective near recycling banks or if you
are raising awareness of recycling or running a Recycle on
the Go campaign – consider using it to direct people to the
nearest recycling bin in areas of high footfall when they may
not be easily seen from above. Do check your council policy
on this kind of advertising, it might be classed as graffiti!
Temporary paint
Temporary paint can be used to deliver your message
by painting it on pavements near your recycling
facilities or event. It will wash off after a while and not
affect the surface it is on adversely. As with clean
advertising, consider using it to direct people to the
nearest recycling bin in areas of high footfall when they
may not be easily seen from above. As with Clean
Advertising do check your council policy on this kind of
advertising, it might be classed as graffiti!
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Becoming an Expert No21: Maximising Social Media Channels
Social media is collective term describing a number of different online communication channels. It can
be an effective way of engaging with your audience and should be considered as part of your wider
communications strategy.
The informality of social media enables information to be communicated in a much more relaxed
manner than most other forms of marketing communication. There are a number of ways you can use
social media channels based on your experience and knowledge. This can range from basic
information on your Council website to more detailed engagement utilising a number of social media
channels.
Summary of key social media channels:
Twitter

Twitter is a free social networking and micro blogging service that allows
users to send and read updates (known as Tweets), which are posts of
up to 140 characters in length. Twitter can be used to update residents’
quickly about service updates or as a customer service tool to consult
residents about planned service changes, respond to residents’ recycling
queries e.g. requests for recycling containers, etc.
Facebook

Facebook is a free social networking service that allows people to
exchange messages and photographs. Facebook offers the option of
creating an information page for products and services. Facebook allows
users to provide regular updates about what is happening e.g. launching
a new service, adding new materials etc. This information can then be
shared with other Facebook users. As Facebook is not character-limited
in the same way that Twitter is, it is an ideal way to share more detailed
information about services and provide regular updates to users.
Information will only be shared with users who have clicked that they
‘like’ your page.
YouTube

YouTube is also free and allows users to share originally created
podcasts and video clips. Videos on YouTube can be easily shared
through the above channels and embedded into other digital presences,
including websites and other social media channels, as well as found via
the video results on search engines. YouTube provides local authorities
with an opportunity to engage directly with residents through visual
‘how to’ videos and demonstrations about how to participate in waste
and recycling services.
These are just a selection of the most commonly used social media channels. There are a number of
other existing and emerging social media channels and the purpose of this expert briefing is to show
examples of how local authorities have actively used these to support their communication strategies.
If you are considering using social media you need to be clear about your objectives and then decide
which channel(s) will be help you achieve these to maximise the impact of your communications.
How you use social media channels will depend on your level of experience and understanding along
with the resource you can dedicate to this activity.
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Important: It is important when deciding whether to use social media channels Local Authority
officers need to consider their Council’s social media and digital policies along with any usage and
permission requirements. Some authorities may be able to set up individual Twitter and Facebook
Pages e.g. for waste and recycling others will only be able to post information via the Council’s
corporate Twitter and Facebook accounts. Some local authorities will have social media schedules,
which can be input into. You need to liaise with the relevant internal contacts to determine your
social media options.
This briefing reviews a number of options.
The Basics
In order to use Facebook, Twitter and YouTube you will need to set up user accounts. This can be
done easily by following the links below:
Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/FacebookUK - this will enable you to sign up to
Facebook. Once complete you’ll be able to create a Facebook Page for your
service http://www.facebook.com/about/pages You can have more than one
‘admin’ member who can manage the page so consider if there are other
team members who could help share the responsibility. Make use of the cover
photo, profile photo and ‘About’ section to help page likers understand more
about your page.
Twitter

https://twitter.com/signup - this will enable you to sign up to Twitter. Set a
meaningful ‘biography’ to help other users understand what your Twitter feed
is for. Once complete go to https://twitter.com this will enable you to search
for people you would like to follow (be mindful that this is a business account
not a personal account!) and also start to Tweet immediately!
YouTube

https://accounts.google.com - this will enable you to create a YouTube
account. Once you’ve created an account you will be able to simply upload
video content http://www.youtube.com
All of this is very straightforward. Simply follow the online instructions. Each social media platform
provides help and advice pages.
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Examples of social media channels
Brighton and Hove City Council has a Facebook Page dedicated to recycling and refuse.
The London Borough of Camden utilises the Council’s corporate Twitter account to listen and
respond to resident’s queries, consult them about planned service changes, broadcast informative
messages and generally improve customer service. Tweets are tailored to the waste and recycling
services where relevant.
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Castlepoint Council has created a series of ‘How to Recycle’ videos, uploaded them to YouTube
and embedded them on their own website. This is a really effective way of making instructional
videos easily accessible.
The videos are also easily accessed by going directly to the YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/user/Recycle4CastlePoint
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East London Waste Authority (ELWA)
ELWA provide a blog on their partnership recycling website.
Interacting with your audiences
Social media is a two-way channel so engaging and responding to your audience is essential. Consider
why they want to engage with you and make your content interesting and relevant to your audience.
Some authorities only post messages and information out one-way as they have limited resources and
respond infrequently whereas others actively engage, listen and respond with their audiences on a
regular basis. If you don’t have time to respond or enter into a dialogue make sure you direct
residents to your website or helpline. Think about the messages, themes and topics you want to
cover. Understand what will motivate your customer to share. Plan out the content and work out what
you will discuss each month, week or even day. Then think about the type of content. Don’t always
rely on text. If you’re launching a new service, photograph or film it, talk about what it does and then
ask for comment.
Consider the tone of your communications on social media sites: be polite, helpful, understanding
and (if appropriate) colloquial without being overly informal. Never be negative, remember that it is a
public space and what you post should reflect the positive aspects of your organisation.
You need to be careful about the information you put out through social media channels i.e. when you
make a mistake offline, a few will know but when you make a mistake in front of hundreds or
thousands of your online audience, most of them will know!
WRAP provides some generic videos through Recycle Now on collection services and how materials
are recycled that can be integrated into your website. These videos can be found on
http://www.recyclenow.com/how_is_it_recycled/index.html
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Here are some examples of Tweets Brighton and Hove City Council has sent out to keep their
residents up to date about the recycling services.
Top five tips when considering content and Social Media
1. Keep it informative and relevant - you want people to share your information.
2. Use social media platforms together to maximize impact e.g. add a video to YouTube about how
to use the new recycling, Tweet about the video and signpost people to your website to find out
more.
3. Use social media sharing icons across on your webpages, emails and where relevant publications
– make your information and content sharable.
4. Where possible, associate with other relevant content. Sharing and pointing to excellent content
produced by others builds trust among your audience, establishing you as a useful and authentic
source.
5. Don’t forget opportunities to amplify this content offline too in other communications activities!
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Listening, responding and managing feedback
In order for social media to be effective you need to ensure that you listen, respond and manage
feedback effectively and promptly. The example below shows how the London Borough of Camden
has used Twitter to respond to a resident’s query.
Retweets



A retweet is a re-posting of someone else's Tweet. Twitter's retweet feature helps you and others
quickly share that Tweet with all of your followers.
Retweeting is a quick way of sharing content and showing your support for others.
Sometimes you will see ‘RT’ at the beginning of a Tweet to indicate that they are re-posting
someone else's content. This isn't an official Twitter command or feature, but signifies that they
are quoting another user's Tweet.
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The examples below show retweets issued by Oxford City Council to promote their ‘Pass it on’ textile
recycling campaign.
Hashtags
A hashtag is a searchable link created by adding a # symbol before a word or expression (ensuring
there are no spaces or characters). These can be useful for tracking a dedicated campaign or burst of
activity on Twitter. By creating an ‘original’ hashtag, you may be able to follow how widely discussed
your activity is.
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Likes, following and followers!
Encouraging residents to engage with your social media channels is critical. The following summary
outlines the way users can interact with the information you provide.
Facebook
Facebook allows users to like information as well as being able to comment.


When you click like on a Facebook Page, in an advertisement, or on content
from Facebook, you are making a connection. You may see updates in your
feeds and the feeds from Pages you like. You may also receive messages.
You can unlike a Page on Facebook by simply clicking the unlike link on the
page.
Facebook also provides a metrics tool for Pages called ‘insights’ which displays
aggregated anonymous insights about people's activity on your page. This can be
useful to determine the total number of likes, reach and even how ‘viral’ your posts
have been
Twitter
Following someone on Twitter means:
• You are subscribing to receive their Tweets.
• Their Tweets will appear in your timeline.
• That user is able to send you direct messages.
Followers are users who follow you. If someone follows you:
• They'll show up in your followers list.
• They'll see your Tweets in their timeline whenever they log in to Twitter.
• You can send them direct messages.
Although Twitter does not have any detailed analytical tools there are a large
number of third party applications that can help you understand more about the
potential reach of your posts, how much your content is being shared and by whom.
YouTube




YouTube analytics is a feature that generates a set of interactive reports.
Through YouTube Analytics you can monitor the performance of your channel
and your videos with up to date metrics. The data is presented in a useful and
interactive way.
The Likes and Dislikes report summarizes how many users liked and disliked
your videos, including a per-video view. The report shows the net change of
likes and dislikes in your videos, so it adds up the number of likes/dislikes
added, minus the number of likes/dislikes removed.
The Comments report summarizes how many users are commenting on your
video, and it also includes on a per-video view.
If resources are limited, consider turning comments off when uploading content.
More advanced
Once you’ve mastered the basics you can start to think about tools that can help you maximise the
impact of social media channels.
Banners/covers opportunities to make your Page stand out
You can create a Facebook banner/cover that sits at the top of your Page, right above your Page's
profile picture. Like your profile picture, cover images are public which means anyone visiting your
Page will be able to see them. These banners can integrate graphics, photos and calls to action. To
find out more go to the help section, managing your page.
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This will provide step-by-step instructions on how to customize your Facebook Page. Check
Facebook’s guidance on using cover photos, which must not include calls-to-action or web addresses
within them.
Using tools to help schedule information across media channels
To make social media management and monitoring easier for users, some helpful applications have
been developed to organise multiple platforms and information sharing across selected networks.
Hootsuite and Digsby are current popular tools and allow users to schedule, manage and maintain
the release of information across several social media channels such as Twitter and Facebook.
The features, layouts and levels of user-friendliness are different for each application, but they all get
the job done when it comes to organising and maintaining several social media accounts. These tools
can also be useful if you have multiple team members managing your accounts, but note that some
operate a monthly charge for accessing ‘team’ type functionality. Consider how much use you might
get out of a paid-for application.
Promote your social media channels




Social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter can be included on promotional material and
in turn should signpost users to the Council’s waste and recycling pages to find out more
information.
Remember to review the layout of web pages to ensure they are also mobile friendly. A growing
number of people access social media from smart phones so the information needs to be
presented in a clear and easy to read format. Liaise with your IT department about ensuring
information is displayed in the relevant formats.
Ensure frontline staff, crews and call-centre staff fully briefed about planned social media
campaigns so they are aware of the communications methods being used to target audiences.
Don’t rely only social media channels as the only communications method. They are useful but
should be used as part of an integrated communications plan as cross-promoting will increase the
opportunities to see your messages and for your users to share them.
Do’s and Don’ts of Social Media
There are some do’s and don’ts you need to consider when progressing social media channels, for
example:
Do’s





Where possible, engage in conversation - Interacting with your audience through social
media is a good way to raise awareness of your services. Regularly contributing to social media
channels can help build a strong dialogue with target audiences.
Make sure you use your brand consistently across networks and platforms - Keeping the
style and tone of voice consistent will help your audience recognise, identify and engage with your
brand.
Outline content approval process from the offset – establish who needs to be involved in
the approval process. What permissions, if any, are needed to update Twitter account /Facebook
Page / YouTube channel on a regular basis and individual Tweets / status updates /comments
which do not need to be approved.
Correct errors openly and in a timely manner - always admit errors and openly ‘put them
right’. It is advisable to tackle an online crisis as soon as possible to stop it escalating out of
control.
Be respectful - always seek permission when updating information and uploading images and
videos featuring colleagues or clients to social media platforms.
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Don’ts




Forget that a social media presence becomes part of a brand legacy. Posts, pictures, images,
Tweets, status updates (content in general) can stay online forever. Think about what message to
share via social media channels.
Make an audience feel uncomfortable – its good to be authentic and provide a hint of
personality but continuously being grumpy or openly criticising people can put an audience off
and deter them from engaging with an individual or organisation.
Saturate your social media following – Be careful not to post lots of repeat messages in short
periods of time. Instead, try experimenting to find out what your following respond most
positively to and if this is linked to users being most active at a certain time of day. Then
maximise on this opportunity to ensure posts are relevant, interesting and timely.
Bring a company into disrepute – find out if your organisation has social media guidelines or
policies to understand the online boundaries for your organisation.
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Expert Briefing No22: Communicating for less
There are a number of ways you can save money on your communication activities and maximise the impact of
the money that you do spend. This expert briefing reviews a number of options.
Saving money on design and print costs
There are a number of ways you can make savings on design and print costs.
Design
Like many services, design tends to be charged or estimated on a time basis; if you keep this in mind when you
are asking for a quote or providing information for a piece of promotional material, you will save money. For
example:

If you are developing a campaign, try and get the designer, whether from an external agency or an internal
designer, to quote for and do all the designs at one time. It is much more effective from everyone’s point of
view to have all the resources on screen at the same time rather than going back to previously developed
artwork at a later date;

Make sure you give the designer a clear brief what needs to be done and put the items you want them to
design into context, what it is for the audience and what you are trying to achieve;

Provide a layout and copy for the promotional item to show what you have in mind; this makes it a lot easier
for the designer than having to start from a clean sheet of paper. Look at WRAP Design Guidance for Local
Authorities to help you develop an effective layout; and

Provide the designer with design guidelines for your local authority and any material you have previously had
designed. This will help give a visual cue to the way you want the finished design to look and save design
time.
Also, consider producing similar designs with partner or neighbouring authorities, especially if you have the same
collection services or if you are promoting recycling of a single material stream. There are significant savings to
be made by using the same designs and buying the print together.
Print
Savings can be made on print in a number of ways:

If you are printing different but the same size of leaflet at the same time, let the printer have all the press
ready artwork at the same time. They will arrange it on the printing plates to minimise the costs; and

If you can print similar material with a neighbouring or partner authority, economies of scale can play a
significant part in the final price you each have to pay.
Have a look at the WRAP Print Guidance for Local Authorities for an explanation of the most common printing
processes and what you should consider when commissioning print.
Improving recycling through effective communications
173
PR vs. Advertising
Positive coverage in the local media can help local authority
campaigns significantly, not only in maximising the
campaign reach but also in providing an independent
endorsement of the campaign. Local authorities should
issue regular press releases on campaign activities to the
local media. If possible, officers should meet
representatives from the local media to establish a rapport
and provide them with up to date information on services
and any planned service changes.
Activities to include in your PR plan could include:

Arrange meetings with local media groups and involve
relevant partners and a member of the Council’s PR
team

Develop press packs with the Council’s communications
team to inform briefings

Develop a list of interesting and unusual facts about
recycling (see Recycle Now partners’ site & Recycle
Now consumer site) – use these to make press releases
more interesting


Develop a list of key waste and recycling statistics
Develop a series of frequently asked questions to
Scarborough
Scarborough Borough Council held meetings
with their local press and radio
representatives. They felt that the key to the
good relationship with the press is to have a
human face to the project and also to give
them absolutely everything they want! As a
result, the local media have been balanced
but supportive, and have also had staff
profiles alongside our standard releases.
During one year SBC secured free publicity
amounting to £140,130.00. They have also
raised the profile of SBC nationally with a
number of features in National and Regional
media these have included:
 Yorkshire Post – Full page photo when we
installed a 35ft WRAP swoosh on the
South Bay beach
 A series of online videos have also been
created and posted by local media outlets
covering school recycling, recycling
infomercials and also collection rounds.
address any questions the media have about recycling

Develop feature articles on recycling (such as the life cycle of a can, what happens to materials after
collection, seasonal recycling activities)

Draw up a list of Parish Council and social landlord publications and prepare regular articles in accordance
with the frequency and distribution of these publications
Similarly with radio, instead of running radio adverts, you may be able to persuade your local radio station to let
you do an interview or a call-in session on recycling instead.
Staff time vs. marketing spend
Try and make the most of the assets you have. If you have
communications display materials such as pull-up banners or
stands, that would normally only be used occasionally at
roadshows, use them for local displays in libraries, leisure
centres, etc. You could also accompany these with displays on
each of the various materials and what happens to them after
collection. A different material can be featured every couple of
months. In this way you are getting the maximum value out of
your assets.
If you send out an annual calendar showing collection dates for
your service for the coming year, it is worthwhile putting a
service reminder on the reverse, showing what materials can be
accepted in which container. This provides a useful reminder for
residents will help to maintain good levels of participation and
reduce contamination and will not add to your printing and
distribution costs.
Many councils have a magazine or newspaper, which is delivered
several time a year to all householders; it is one of the most
popular ways for householders to get information about their
Staffordshire Moorlands DVD
Staffordshire Moorlands District Council
produced a promotional DVD to help
promote the introduction of its new
service. The DVD is now available for
download from the council website. A
copy was also provided to all Parish
Councils and District Councillors prior to
the service change. The DVD was used
widely in training sessions for all staff
including collection operatives, customer
services staff and elected members at
dedicated training sessions. It was also
played on a continuous loop in all Council
offices from July to September to enable
visitors to watch the DVD whilst waiting
to be served. The DVD was also played
at all the promotional Roadshows
undertaken during July and August.
Improving recycling through effective communications
174
council services. If your council produces one this is an excellent way of getting your recycling messages across.
The delivery charge to households is covered through someone else’s budget and generally it is free to for you to
get an article published. Even if there is a charge, the cost will be much less than a separate delivery for your
promotion on its own where you have to pay the delivery costs. Ask if you can pay for additional pages so you
are not competing with other departments for editorial space; the cost of printing additional pages will be very
small compared to the overall cost of the print and delivery.
Make your messages seasonal if the publication goes out several times a year. See if you can have a leaflet
inserted in the newspaper, if that would suit your communication better.
Lower cost versions
Posters are an excellent method of generating interest and prompting further enquiry. Rather than using outdoor
advertising, which can be costly, a low-budget option is to print out A3 and A4 posters to display in areas of high
local footfall, such as leisure centres, libraries, local shops and post offices. Kent County Council ran a campaign
to promote WEEE recycling and got local shops to display posters in their windows during the promotion.
Think creatively to look at cheaper options for your communications events and materials. For instance, if you are
promoting your Love Food Hate Waste Campaign, can you get your local catering college to help you with some
demonstrations or cookery classes? This is likely to cost less than hiring a celebrity chef to promote your project.
If you are thinking of producing a DVD to illustrate an aspect of recycling to your residents, there may be
students at a local college or arts course who may be willing to produce this for you as part of their coursework.
Again, this will cost less than hiring a media company.
Many people now have smart phones with the ability to access the Internet. According to ‘newmediatrendwatch’
in 2012 there were 19.2 million (30.5% of population) users in the UK. Make sure you put QR codes on all your
promotional material; especially posters and advertising so people can easily access your recycling web pages for
more information.
Suggest that people programme their smart phones to remind them of their collection days for recycling and
waste collections. There is no need to develop an expensive application – the technology in most of these
phones allows repeating fortnightly events to be set. If possible, provide guidance on your website how to set
these reminders.
Integrated campaigns to maximise OTS
Ensuring that your communications are integrated increases their cost-effectiveness. At its most basic level, a
consistent message has more impact than a disjointed mix of messages. In a busy world, a consistent, clear
message has a better chance of cutting through the 'noise' of over five hundred commercial messages, which
bombard customers each and every day.
Research suggests that images shared in advertising and direct mail boost both advertising awareness and mail
shot responses. So using a consistent brand and message across all of your communications will increase
awareness and using a mix of communications methods will increase the reach of your communications.
Using Recycle Now
The recycle now logo is being used more and more by a huge range of
organisations; including major brands, retailers, local authorities and
community groups; our research shows that 65% of people in England
now recognise the recycle now logo. Using the recycle now logo on
your communications materials can offer many benefits:

Consistent message for householders – by using the logo householders will identify your communication
as recycling information;

Save money. No need to pay designers to develop a new campaign. Recycle Now is tried and tested and
available to download free of charge;
Improving recycling through effective communications
175


Well recognised - Used widely, so will be familiar to householders;
Tried and tested – consumers like the logo, identify with it and it is known to engage people with recycling;
and

Compliment local campaigns – The iconography can be used to compliment local messaging.
Both the Love Food Hate Waste and Recycle Now campaigns have a calendar, which provides ideas for themes,
and topics to use with the public about recycling and food waste prevention, the supporting resources available
and some simple ways you can get involved. Simply visit www.recyclenowpartners.org.uk each quarter – in
January, April, July and October – to download the latest updated version.
Link to national events
Identify key national dates or events that you can use to base activities around or generate positive local PR, for
example the dates national recycling or environmental statistics are released. Key international, national
awareness days and events include:





Compost Awareness Week
Earth Day
World Environment Day
Recycle Week
The Clean Up the World Weekend
The national Recycle Now website www.recyclenowpartners.org.uk provides a campaign calendar which includes
information about upcoming events, advertising or special topics which can be incorporated into local plans.
National events can be used effectively by local campaigns and have a number of benefits:



There will be general public awareness about the national event as a result of national media coverage;
Any event you organise locally in support is likely to attract more interest from the public; and
If you organise an event, it may attract the interest of your local media looking for a local angle or story about
the national event.
Cost efficiencies from partnership working
Partnership working can enable efficiencies to be gained through economies of scale and reducing staff time
spent on activities for individual partners. To gain agreement for working in partnership, generic communications
activities, which benefit all partners, are required, for example:

All local authorities use the same campaign
identity and communicate consistent
messages;

The public sees one campaign rather than
many separate ones as they move around
the region or county to work, shop and
travel etc;

Existing partnerships and working
relationships are built upon;

Partnership working is favoured and
encouraged by central government;

Commitment to meet targets can be
stronger, due to peer pressure;
Yorkshire and Humber Waste Prevention partnership
Love Food Hate Waste project
A regional co-ordinator has been employed to manage the
regional Love Food Hate Waste programme. Significant
efficiencies have been realised by having a single person
developing materials, instead of officer time from 22 local
authorities.
Training on promoting LFHW to residents has been given by
WRAP waste reduction advisors and the regional co-ordinator
along with a training pack to help Waste and Recycling
officers engage with the public when doing talks,
presentations, or delivering their own training.
To develop the training course and information pack has
taken the regional coordinator an estimated 8.5 days. If each
of the 11 local authorities attending the training spent this
time sourcing and developing the information it would all
amount to 13.5 working weeks collectively.
Bulk purchasing of communications materials such as banner
stands, pledge cards and promotional items has saved over
£11,500.
Improving recycling through effective communications
176







Staff can be employed specifically for campaign work;
Campaigns become more integrated for example by including schools and community groups;
Knowledge, resources, expertise and networking experience can be shared;
Promotional and PR opportunities are increased;
Financial economies of scale can be achieved and costs reduced;
Joint operational contracts can be set up, with better bargaining power; and
Opportunities can be created to link with regional media, particularly TV and radio.
Website
According to the Office for National Statistics, in 2012 80% of households had Internet access and 67% of adults
in Great Britain used a computer every day. According to the WRAP annual tracker survey, the Internet is the
most popular place to find information about recycling. This demonstrates the importance of your website as a
means of getting your information to householders.
Your website should be up to date and easy to use, with the minimum number of clicks for people to be able to
find out what recycling and waste services they receive, what materials they can recycle and frequently asked
questions. Make sure there is easy access from the home page of your council website and keep a track of the
usage of each of the pages within your area – this will show you what information people are looking for and you
can ensure the information on these pages is presented in the best possible way.
Publicise your website everywhere you can and make sure there is an easily remembered URL such as
www.yourcouncil.gov.uk/recycling so people can access your web pages directly.
Review the content and structure of your website by using the Recycling and Waste Webpage Guidance
developed by WRAP, which also contains a methodology for assessing the usability of your site.
Social networking
Consider setting up pages for social media, such as Twitter and Facebook - these are additional channels for
communicating your services. Promote your Twitter and Facebook links everywhere, especially your website.
Have a look at Becoming an Expert No 21 on how to set up and use social media.
Improving recycling through effective communications
177
Becoming an Expert No23: Planning and the benefits of using Gantt charts
Planning your campaign using a Gantt chart will enable you to visualise your whole campaign from start to finish.
By planning all your activities and tactics (i.e. the individual tasks required in the development, organisation and
delivery of each campaign activity) you will:




Get a better understanding of the size of your campaign
Be able to schedule activities so you are not doing too many things at once
See where the critical deadlines are
Be able to manage your campaign to achieve (as far as possible) an even workload with activities taking place
at regular intervals




Avoid periods where your message may not be so effective e.g. Door-to-door canvassing in February
Be able to develop activities to run alongside and benefit from national Recycle Now campaign activity
Check that what you want to do is actually possible given your resources
Ensure that individual staff are not overloaded
A Gantt chart is a type of bar chart that can be used to show a project schedule with start and finish dates and
key milestones during the project. They have become a common technique for representing the phases, activities
and individual tasks of a project, so they can be understood by a wide audience. They can be prepared on a
computer using simple programmes like Excel or using dedicated project management software like Microsoft
Project. A simple Excel version (see screenshot below) has been developed for you to use for your campaign
planning and can be accessed online here: (www.wrap.org.uk/lpa).
How to plan your campaign using a Gantt chart

You can either start at the beginning and work forwards or start at the end of your campaign and work
backwards. The key is building in the time each activity and tactic takes so you can plan lead times and
assess deadlines accurately. Remember that getting sign-offs and approvals can take time and incur delays at
Improving recycling through effective communications
178
critical points. Try and schedule approvals well in advance and produce all artwork for approval at the same
time

For each activity, list all the tactics that need to be carried out in order to plan, prepare and deliver that
activity (see the example Gantt chart on Page 140), not forgetting your monitoring and evaluation activities.
Identify key milestones and deadlines (such as important council committee meetings or launch dates for new
services) and build in appropriate lead times to carry out each tactic in time

Repeat this for every activity so you have a series of mini-plans that build up to give you your overall
campaign plan
As you are developing your campaign plan, you should be building your campaign budget (see Becoming an
Expert No 24) and considering the following issues:

What are your key communication campaign targets and deadlines? For example the date you are launching a
new service or the next national campaign (such as Recycle Now Week) with which you want to link

When do you need to launch? When do you need publicity and information material ready by? How will
material be distributed? When do you need to have material ready for your preferred distribution option?

When do any campaign events take place? What planning is required and by when? Do you need to produce
new display panels? Hire a trailer? Secure a location?

How much time will you need for monitoring and evaluation before, during and after your campaign activities
take place?

Others as required
This process will help you identify:


Lead times and key deadlines
Potential clashes between activities e.g. running a town centre roadshow event at the same time as a major
local carnival or other community event that you want to attend

Your likely resource needs (i.e. staffing) over the course of your campaign:

Will you have enough people/time to do everything in time? Are you over-committing yourself/your team?
Can you physically do everything you want in the timescales? What extra resources might you need and
when? Where will they come from?

Roles and responsibilities for your campaign team, for example, who is responsible for:







Overall management
Booking advertising
Producing campaign materials – writing copy, liaising with designers/printers
Organising roadshow events
Organising canvassing campaigns etc
Others as required
Periods of peak activity when you might be trying to do too much with too little time or just trying to do too
much at once:

Should your activities be spread out more in order give your campaign added impact over time rather than
have everything happen at once?

Whether your activities are hitting any particular target audience/s over too long or too short a period of
time:

Do you need to alter any activities targeting particular audiences?
The following guide might be useful when you are looking at design and print management issues:
Improving recycling through effective communications
179
Printing processes explained
This guide explains the development and print management process that you will go through
in commissioning promotional material for waste management services, whether through an
outside design agency or through your own internal design team. It will help you plan printing
timescales and schedule print deadlines.
http://www.wrap.org.uk/local_authorities/research_guidance/communications/communication.
html
Gantt charts are useful campaign management tools during your campaign. They can:

Help you identify when deadlines or milestones are in danger of being missed and reschedule activities and
tactics to get back on track

Help you to profile your budget i.e. identify what you intend spending when and keep track of what you have
spent



Make it easier to identify the implications if activities are changed or added and to manage any changes
They can be used to chart and report progress to stakeholders
They can be used for day-to-day planning by individuals
The length of your plan depends on three factors: your aims and objectives, how far into the future your strategy
extends and your budget horizon i.e. how far into the future you can accurately forecast your budget levels and
make reasonable planning decisions. Even though budgets are allocated on an annual cycle, it is best to plan on a
rolling two-year cycle:

Some of your service aims and objectives (e.g. reaching statutory targets) can be some years distant and
your plan needs to bear these longer term targets in mind



Communications is a long-term commitment and not something you should periodically turn on and off
Some activities need to be carried out repeatedly on an annual basis
Looking across two years you can avoid duplication by planning ahead and scheduling some campaign
activities in the next financial year e.g. running a plastic bottle campaign in 2010 rather than 2009. This also
helps with any budgeting issues e.g. delaying an activity until the following financial year or spreading an
activity over two financial years
Prepare two versions of your plan:

A simple one focussing on the main activities, timescales, deliverables and outcomes for senior managers and
other key stakeholders

A much more detailed version which you and your team will use on a day to day basis
An example of a campaign plan plotted on a Gantt chart is shown on the next two pages.
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180
Month
Activity
Research
Baseline monitoring
Operational performance (tonnage collections etc)
Participation monitoring
Contamination monitoring
Desk research
Market research (incl procuring an agency)
Strategic planning
Initial tactical planning
Draft plan for internal comment/review
Final plan submitted to committee for budget approval
Management approval
Procurement procedure (for external contractors eg marketing or
advertising agencies, canvassers)
Detailed tactical/delivery planning
Develop core campaign collateral (information and promotional
materials)
Event planning and delivery
Launch (start campaign activity)
Plastic bottle collection campaign
New collections start
Design and produce ‘teaser’ leaflet
Decide on distribution method. Procure delivery agent if required
Distribute teaser leaflet
Design new calendar and revised recycling scheme information
leaflet
Obtain all round and collection information for calendars
Print
Deliver to households
Evaluate success of campaign
Advertising
Secure airtime on local radio station
Produce adverts (with local radio station)
Broadcast adverts
Roadshows and community events
Identify suitable locations/venues for roadshows and/ or events
Book/arrange space and liaise with site owners re event planning
Decide on event format/activities
Prepare promotional materials
Location recce
Final planning
Deliver event/s
Evaluate success of campaign
1
Sep
2
Oct
3
Nov
4
Dec
5
Jan
6
Feb
7
Mar
8
Apr
9
May
10
Jun
11
Jul
12
Aug
TBC
TBC
13
Sep
14
Oct
15
Nov
16
Dec
17
Jan
18
Feb
Improving recycling through effective communications
181
x
x
x
x
x
TBC
TBC
Month
Activity
LPA campaigns
Scope and identify LPAs
Run focus groups to identify key local issues
Appoint market researcher to run focus group/s
Run focus groups
Prepare community engagement programme
Identify key community organizations/leaders
Approach and secure their support
Develop detailed campaign activities with local community input
Identify any infrastructure improvement required and secure
budget
Instigate programme of infrastructure improvement if required
Procure canvassing team/s
Run canvassing campaign/s
Run community engagement programme
Evaluate success of campaign
Online
Redevelop LA recycling web-pages as required
Launch new web pages and update as required
PR/media relations
Brief key local news editors/journalists
Organise facility visit for media (follow the recycling trail)
Scope ideas for media launch
Finalise ideas
Draft press release
Recce location/venue and make final plans
Issue press release
Ring-round media – secure attendance and coverage of launch
Hold event
Evaluate success of PR launch
On-going media relations activity
Monitoring and evaluation
Pre campaign consumer survey
Post campaign consumer survey
Participation monitoring
Evaluation and reporting
Review and plan for Year 2
X
1
Sep
2
Oct
3
Nov
4
Dec
5
Jan
6
Feb
7
Mar
8
Apr
9
May
10
Jun
11
Jul
12
Aug
13
Sep
14
Oct
15
Nov
16
Dec
17
Jan
18
Feb
Improving recycling through effective communications
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x
‘Hard’ (immovable) deadline
Working with agencies
As part of your campaign you may need to consider contracting out some of the activities to specialist companies,
especially if your council does not have the relevant experience or skills in-house. Activities that are regularly
contracted out include:





Delivery of canvassing campaigns
Design and production of campaign materials
Campaign management
Advertising design and production
Printing
Whether you contract out or use in-house services depends on the size and complexity of your campaign, the
timescale and your own in-house resources and expertise. If you need to use an external agency you should
consider the following as choosing the right agency is vital:

Ask colleagues or neighbouring local authorities if they have worked with or know of an agency that they can
personally recommend

The respective trade bodies (such as PRCA - Public Relations Consultancy Association, DMA - Direct Marketing
Association, CIM - Chartered Institute of Marketing etc) should be able to advise on suitable agencies based
on their experience and location. Some of these organisations have regional structures and membership lists.
Try to identify agencies with a track record of working with local authorities or on recycling, waste or
environmental campaigns


Draw up a shortlist of three to four agencies – any more becomes too time-consuming
Give a comprehensive brief and include measurable objectives and a budget, ensuring you give them enough
time to prepare a proposal. Allow at least two/three weeks for an agency to prepare its proposals

Meet all the candidate agencies before appointing one. Ask that the team attending the pitch is the team that
would be working on your campaign. You should get a feel for personalities, experience and knowledge, and
whether you feel you can work closely with the people present


Ensure a proposal addresses all the objectives you have set
Ensure the agency has understood your brief and has set goals and targets that you agree with and
understand

Be wary of the ‘big idea’ – unless you are confident it will work. Make sure the agency has done its
groundwork first to test its feasibility. Remember – anyone can have a good idea - ensuring it is appropriate,
applicable to your situation and that it will actually work are the important factors
For more information on working with agencies and for a template design brief,
please refer to the Design of communications material guidance.
http://www.wrap.org.uk/content/resources-local-authority-communications
Improving recycling through effective communications
183
Becoming an Expert No24: Budgeting and costing campaigns
Budgeting and costing campaigns is relatively straightforward. Justifying the planned expenditure and securing
the funding you may want can, however, be more difficult. This section considers both issues.
Budgeting and costing campaigns
1.
Firstly, obtain an indicative idea of what size budget you may have to work with by looking at any previous
campaign budget and making a rough estimate based on the number of households.
There is, unfortunately, no simple formula to determine how much needs to be spent on communications to
achieve any given desired result. There are too many variables and too many ways of achieving results for such a
formula to exist. As a rule of thumb, however, experience suggests that an effective campaign costs a minimum
of £1.00 per household (NB. This will vary and for small LAs the figure could be greater as core costs for activities
like monitoring etc will absorb a greater proportion of your funding). Your budget may also need to be
proportionally greater if, for example, you are launching a new authority-wide service. If your plan requires a
budget of much less or more than this figure (e.g. £0.50 - £1.50 per household) it is not necessarily wrong but
you should reconsider it and satisfy yourself that your proposed budget is neither too high nor too low. These
figures will give you an approximate target budget to aim at.
2.
Work through your campaign plan and decide which communication methods and activities you need in order
to achieve your aims and objectives
Ideally you should start planning and budgeting with the aim of developing a campaign you know will achieve its
targets. It is more likely however, that you will have a pre-set budget and you need to plan how best to spend it.
This may automatically rule out some activities right from the start. You should maximise the impact of your
budget by thinking strategically - look at your aims and objectives and think how they can be best achieved
within the likely budget available. However, do not let budget restrictions stop you developing a comprehensive
communications plan - funding may become available at a later stage and you will already have a robust plan
that can make use of it.
3.
Once you have your developed your plan you can start costing your activities
List and prioritise your campaign activities into ‘must have’ and ‘nice to have’ activities. Fully cost all your ‘must
have’ activities first. Start by obtaining two or three quotes for all the activities you have planned. Shop around if
you can to obtain the best prices. But remember, the cheapest may not necessarily be the best:

Be prepared to look for quality too, especially when you are appointing external agencies or organisations to
help you e.g. market research agencies, marketing, advertising, PR or design agencies

Talk to your colleagues and neighbouring LAs to find out who they have used, how good they were, who they
would recommend for a particular task

An experienced agency may cost a bit more but could save you time and effort in the long run and deliver
better results at the end of it

Most companies will be happy to provide initial quotes or indicative costs for budget purposes so long as they
get the opportunity to quote formally when tenders are issued. When that time comes, remember them
Finally, don’t forget to include all of the free or low cost activities you may be able to use. WRAP has produced a
specialist guide designed to help you develop initial costings for various campaign materials:
Improving recycling through effective communications
184
Indicative Cost Guide
This document aims to help when seeking prices for communications activities. There are
many ways of communicating messages and you need to ensure you select the right mix for
your area and stay within budget. These indicative costs cover a wide range of goods and
services and should help you obtain value for money.
This guide, however, is not intended as a substitute for seeking three estimates from local
companies. Where you can secure suitable in-house services you should expect to make
savings.
http://www.wrap.org.uk/local_authorities/research_guidance/communications/communicati
on.html
4.
Making your campaign and budget fit together
Is the budget figure you have arrived at higher or lower than your target budget? If it is lower and it includes all
activities you need to meet your objectives, that is good. Don’t be tempted to add low value activities just to use
up the budget. If the figure is higher, firstly check whether everything you have planned is necessary to achieve
your objectives. If it is, see what scope there might be for finding some extra budget. Ensure you have all the
information you need to make a strong case for the additional budget you believe your campaign needs. If your
campaign straddles a financial year, look critically at what activities you can push back or pull forwards. You may
have a little flexibility on one side of the budget divide or the other which might help
When there is an insufficient budget to deliver all your communications programme, consider the activities which
will deliver the biggest result in terms of waste recycling and focus your money those which will help deliver
them. If you have to cut down, you may need to revise your aims and objectives down as well.
A budget that is too small for the ideal programme does not necessarily mean that the programme can still be
implemented but on a smaller scale – it may mean that it cannot be done at all. Similarly, increasing the budget
might not lead to the same programme but on a larger scale – it might open up entirely new opportunities or
techniques. For example:

A local authority wants to run a series of local community events in a number of towns and villages but it
doesn’t have the budget to do all of them. It decides instead to run a small number of events in the larger
towns on the busiest shopping days (usually the local market days) when large numbers of people from the
surrounding villages will be visiting

A different local authority wants to target people living in a particular area of a city and has developed an
advertising campaign on buses, billboards, bus shelters and on the local radio station. However, the
campaign is too expensive and doesn’t target the areas sufficiently (there is lots of ‘wastage’). They decide to
run a targeted door-to-door canvassing campaign supported by a community engagement programme instead
Finally, be aware of your procurement system and try and keep your procurement process as short and as simple
as possible. Some tendering exercises can take longer than the work they are tendering for, adding considerably
to timescales.
5.
Putting your budget together
You should aim to produce a simple, yet comprehensive campaign budget that provides a full cost breakdown for
all activities. It could also show whether activities are being resourced internally or externally. A sample budget is
shown on the next page. As well as helping you plan your campaign, the communication campaign activity table
(www.wrap.org.uk/lpa) allows you to profile your budget month by month.
6.
Checking value for money and return on investment
At the end of your campaign, when you are evaluating the results you should check to see whether particular
activities provided good value for money and whether they represent a good return on investment. The
monitoring and evaluation information will tell you how good or otherwise they were and you should (as far as
you can) compare the results with what was spent, for example:
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
You ran two roadshow events: one attracted 50 people and another 150. The first event cost £250 the
second £2,500. The former event ‘cost’ £5 per person, the second £10 per person. This seems relatively poor
value for money (for both of them) but your monitoring and evaluation shows that recycling in the area where
the second roadshow was held increased 10 times more than the first roadshow area. This means the return
on investment was actually better for the second roadshow.
This type of information can help you report back to funders and key stakeholders, to justify expenditure and
make a case for increased funding in the future.
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Example campaign budget
Activity
In-house
External
Cost (£)
Research
Desk research

Market research (including procuring an agency)

£6,250
Design and produce ‘teaser’ leaflet

£2,300
Distribute teaser leaflet

£4,000
Design new calendar and revised recycling scheme information leaflet

£1,000
Print x 58,000

£3,650
Deliver to households

£5,000

£1,500
Baseline campaign monitoring eg operational performance, participation
and/or contamination monitoring

Procurement procedure (for other external contractors)

Plastic bottle collection campaign
Obtain all round and collection information for calendars

Advertising
Radio advertising (production and airtime)
Roadshows and community events
Identify suitable locations/venues for roadshows and/ or events

Book/arrange space and liaise with site owners re event planning

£500
Prepare promotional materials

£2,000

£2,000
Develop detailed campaign activities with local community input

£1,000
Run campaign eg door-to-door canvassing

£8,550
Pre campaign consumer survey

£3,000
Post campaign consumer survey

£3,000
Participation monitoring

£4,550
Deliver event/s

Evaluate success of campaign

LPA campaigns
Scope and identify LPAs

Run focus groups to identify key local issues
Identify any infrastructure improvement required and secure budget

Prepare community engagement programme

Evaluate success of campaign

Online
Redevelop and launch new LA recycling web-pages as required

PR/media relations
Brief key local news editors/journalists

Organise facility visit for media (follow the recycling trail)

Scope ideas for media launch

Draft and issue launch press release

Ring-round media – secure attendance and coverage of launch

Hold launch event

Evaluate success of PR launch

On-going media relations activity

Monitoring and evaluation
Evaluation, reporting and review/plan for Year 2

Contingency
Contingency budget (6%)
Total
£4,000
£52,300
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Sources of further information
This Guidance provides a grounding in each topic – more specialist information is available to download:
Barriers to recycling at home
One of the key factors for recycling campaigns to address are the barriers
experienced by people which prevent them recycling as much as they could.
This research examines the barriers people experience, the messages that may
help overcome those barriers and the most appropriate communication
methods for those messages. It is referenced a number of times and can be
accessed online here:
www.wrap.org.uk/barrierstorecycling
Improving Low Participation Areas – Effective communications
planning
An increasing challenge for many local authorities is increasing performance in
low participation areas (LPAs). In response, WRAP has developed a guide to
help users identify areas of low participation, examine why they experience low
participation and develop effective communication solutions. It is referenced a
number of times and provides a comprehensive approach to running campaigns
in these areas. The document is available on the WRAP website:
www.wrap.org.uk/lpa
Improving the Performance of Waste Diversion Schemes – A Good
Practice Guide to Monitoring and Evaluation
The importance of monitoring and evaluation to campaigns cannot be underestimated. WRAP has produced a comprehensive guidance document which
gives detailed step-by-step guidance on a range of monitoring techniques for
waste operations and communications campaigns, including: surveys;
participation monitoring; capture rate analysis; contamination assessments; and
making better use of tonnage data. Again, it is referenced a number of times
and can be accessed here:
www.wrap.org.uk/monitoringandevaluation
Door-to-door canvassing
This guide is primarily designed for councils who are planning to organise and
carry out door-to-door canvassing (also referred to as doorstepping or
doorknocking) to promote their recycling services and encourage residents to
recycle. It is also valuable for local authorities that are contracting another
organisation to run a campaign on their behalf as it is important to have an
understanding of the whole process and what is involved.
http://www.wrap.org.uk/content/resources-local-authority-communications
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Recycling Collections for Flats
This guidance has been developed specifically to assist local authority officers
to launch, manage and improve recycling and food waste collection schemes for
blocks of flats.
It can also be used by other individuals, organisations and partnerships with an
interest in recycling services for flats.
The guidance draws together and builds on lessons learned from the 2006
report Recycling for Flats commissioned by Defra (downloadable from the
Waste Improvement Network), with subsequent research and experiences of
local authorities.
www.wrap.org.uk/flats
WRAP guide to communicating with schools
This guidance document is designed for local authority recycling officers and
their communications teams and will provide practical guidance on planning and
developing recycling communications for schools.
www.wrap.org.uk/laschools
Design of communications material
This document gives basic and practical suggestions on the design of effective
communications. These principles can be applied to collection calendars,
leaflets, adverts and other campaign marketing communications.
http://www.wrap.org.uk/content/resources-local-authority-communications
Guidance on Developing Collection Calendars
Kerbside collection calendars are an essential communication tool for most
authorities, enabling them to provide essential information to householders
about their waste and recycling services with instructions on how to participate.
This document guides you through all the elements of putting together a clear
and easy to understand calendar.
http://www.wrap.org.uk/content/resources-local-authority-communications
Printing processes explained
The aim of this guide is to explain development process that you need to go
through to commission promotional material for waste management services,
whether you use an outside design agency or your own internal design team. It
takes you through the development process from the initial concept for a
promotional item through to the delivery of the final product and what happens
at all stages.
http://www.wrap.org.uk/content/resources-local-authority-communications
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Indicative Cost Guide
This document aims to help when seeking prices for communications activities.
There are many ways of communicating messages and you need to ensure you
select the right mix for your campaign at a cost effective price. These indicative
costs cover a wide range of goods and services and should help you obtain
value for money.
http://www.wrap.org.uk/content/resources-local-authority-communications
Developing recycling and waste websites
This guidance document and web page review methodology has been
developed as a result of requests for waste and recycling web page reviews
from a number of London Boroughs to help ensure they provide relevant
information about the services, make them easier to use and enhance the user
experience.
An evaluation matrix was developed to assist with the review process, which
systematically outlines essential information the recycling and waste web pages
should contain.
http://www.wrap.org.uk/content/resources-local-authority-communications
Recycle Now Brand guidelines
A new set of brand guidelines for Recycle Now has been developed which
explain how best to use the Recycle Now logos, icons, colours and artwork
templates. The new guidelines are an amalgamation of the previous brand and
partner guidelines, updated to be an easy-to-use and highly interactive
document.
http://www.recyclenowpartners.org.uk/local_authorities/guidelines.html
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Glossary
ACORN
Advertising
Advertising Value
Equivalent (AVE)
Aims
Analysis
Audience segment
Audience
segmentation
BME
Brand identity
Brand personality
Brand promise
CAMEO
Campaign activities
CATI
Citizens’ panel
ACORN stands for ‘A Classification of Residential Neighbourhoods’ and is widely used by
UK local authorities. It is a system of geodemographic classification provided by the CACI
company. ACORN categorises all 1.9 million UK postcodes into a system containing 56
types of household under 14 groups in five categories. See also CAMEO and MOSAIC.
Advertising is any paid form of non-personal communication of ideas in the prime media
– i.e. television, the press, posters, cinema and radio, the internet.
Advertising value equivalent (AVE) is used to measure newspaper and magazine
coverage other than advertising (e.g. editorial reports, photographs). AVE usually relates
to PR work and is calculated by measuring the size of the item relating to the campaign
and working out how much the equivalent advertising space would have cost.
An aim is a general statement of purpose or intention.
This is the process of examining something with the aim of forming thoughts, opinions
and judgements about it. For example, analysis can determine what impact a
communications programme has had on achieving, or contributing to, the overall
objectives.
An audience segment is a subgroup of people sharing one or more characteristics that
cause them to have similar product, service or lifestyle needs. A true audience segment
meets all of the following criteria: it is distinct from other segments (different segments
have different needs); it is homogeneous within the segment (each segment exhibits
common needs); it responds similarly to a given stimulus (such as a campaign message);
and it can be reached by particular communication channels.
Audience segmentation is the process of dividing a varied and diverse range of people
into smaller groups with broadly similar characteristics or needs that makes them distinct
from other groups. See audience segment.
The term, which stands for ‘Black and Minority Ethnic’, is commonly used to refer to
those with Asian and African heritage. However, it can refer to any group whose country
of origin, religion, cultural/social background and/or ethnicity places them outside of the
white majority society within the UK.
A brand identity can be defined as the outward expression (name and visual appearance)
of a product, service, company or campaign.
Brand personality is the assignment of human personality traits such as seriousness,
warmth, or imagination to a brand. Brand personality is usually built through long-term
marketing campaigns.
The brand promise is a statement from the brand owner to customers, which identifies
what consumers should expect from all interactions with the brand. For recycling
campaigns the brand promise means the recycling service being professional and reliable
and that material collected will be recycled into something new.
CAMEO UK is an audience segmentation system that has been built at postcode level to
accurately segment the British market into 57 distinct neighbourhood types and 10 key
marketing segments. CAMEO was developed and is maintained by Eurodirect. See ACORN
and MOSAIC.
Campaign activities refer to the things done as part of a communications campaign to get
your message to your target audience(s). For example, placing an advert in a particular
local newspaper or running a campaign roadshow.
Acronym for Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing, a technique used by many
market research companies where questions are programmed into a computer and the
answers entered by the interviewer as the interview takes place over the phone.
See Panel Survey
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Citizen’s jury
Committed recycler
Communication
Methods
Communications
campaign
Community
engagement
Consumers
Data analysis
Demographics
Desk and field
research
Direct marketing
DMA
Door drops/
leafleting
Door-to-door
canvassing
Evaluation
A citizen’s jury is a group of ordinary people brought together to take part in deliberative
decision-making processes. They are presented with evidence in order to come to an
informed decision which can then become a component of an official decision. This is
sometimes used in strategic decision making e.g. for deciding what kinds of waste
processing infrastructure to procure. See panel survey.
Committed recyclers are people who regard recycling as very important, will recycle even
if it requires additional effort and recycle a lot or everything that can be recycled. WRAP
has developed this measure to overcome problems with claimed behaviour. The
‘committed recycler measure’ tries to ascertain peoples’ underlying attitude and
commitment to recycling and can also measure the impact of changes to the scheme and
communication campaigns by taking ‘before and after’ snapshots. It is an important
measure and should be included in every survey questionnaire.
Communication methods (also called communication channels) are the main means by
which you can transmit one or more specific messages to a specific audience, for
example advertising PR, direct marketing, community engagement, online and internal
communications.
A communications campaign is a series of planned communications activities designed to
achieve certain objectives
Community engagement refers to the process by which organisations like local councils,
charity or community groups and individuals build ongoing, permanent relationships in
order to work together for the benefit of a community.
This means individuals or households that use (ie consume) goods and services
generated by the economy. It is a term widely used in marketing communications.
Other terms used by local authorities which mean the same thing include: members of
the public, residents, council tax payers, householders, customers, people etc.
The act of transforming the data that you have gathered with the aim of understanding
what it tells you, extracting useful information and making conclusions.
Demography is the statistical study of all populations. It covers the study of the size,
structure and distribution of populations and changes in them in response to birth,
migration, ageing and death. Commonly used demographics include race, age, income,
disabilities, mobility (in terms of travel time to work or number of vehicles available),
educational attainment, home ownership, employment status, and even location.
Desk and field research are terms used to describe different ways research is carried out.
Desk research (sometimes called secondary research) involves gathering data that
already exists, either internally or from external sources such as the internet, library or
from reports. Field research involves activities aimed at collecting primary (original or
otherwise unavailable) data rather relying on published material. In marketing, it involves
face-to-face interviewing, telephone and postal surveys, and direct observation.
Any promotional material which directly reaches the consumer, without the use of
intervening media. It is based on a direct one-to-one relationship between the advertiser
and the customer. Direct marketing activities may include direct mail and email.
Direct Marketing Association.
The process of delivering leaflets or other information to individual homes either via the
mail service or dedicated leaflet distribution companies.
Door-to-door canvassing (also referred to as doorstepping or doorknocking) is a form of
direct marketing that involves face-to-face conversations with householders on their
doorstep. It works best when it is used in specific areas and/or to target specific
audiences.
Evaluation is the process of looking at something and coming to opinions and judgements
about it and making recommendations based on those judgements. Evaluation factors for
campaigns should ideally be pre-planned, with specific indicators of success built into
each activity. Evaluation tends to be subjective and value laden and can only be carried
out by someone who understands the context and local environment.
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Feedback
Focus group
Frequency
Gantt chart
GIS
Geodemographics,
Geodemographic
segmentation,
Geodemographic
segmentation
systems
Hard to engage
audiences
Hard to reach
audiences
Integration
Low participation
area (LPA)
Marketing
Market research
Message
Monitoring
This is an essential stage in which what you have learned about your campaign successes
(or failures) is communicated to stakeholders and subsequently translated into future
action where appropriate. It also refers to thanking your target audiences for their efforts
and giving them information on how well they are doing.
A focus group is a form of group discussion where a specific topic, for example
understanding why some people do and don’t recycle, is discussed in detail. It involves
several participants (usually 6-8) and a facilitator or moderator. It is the group interaction
that distinguishes it from other research methods and can be used not only with residents
but also includes staff, contractors and crews.
Frequency means the number of times the average person in the target audience will be
exposed to the campaign message.
A Gantt chart is a type of bar chart that illustrates a project schedule with start and finish
dates and summary elements of the project. Gantt charts break down project activities
into individual elements and show when they take place.
Geographic Information System
The study and grouping of people in a geographic area according to socioeconomic
criteria. Well known geodemographic segmentation systems in the UK are ACORN,
CAMEO and MOSAIC.
These are sections of the population with whom it may be difficult to communicate the
reason to participate in a recycling service and/or the practicalities of using it. Examples
might include transient groups such as students or itinerant or seasonal workers.
Language and literacy issues can arise if inappropriate communication routes are chosen.
These are sections of the population which are ‘hard-to-reach’ operationally. This may be
due to their location or housing type e.g. high rise flats or an isolated rural area. The
issues should be addressed at an early stage by consulting residents and designing an
appropriate service. The services provided should be convenient to use and simple to
communicate to the residents in question.
Integration involves co-ordinating the planning and delivery of a range of different
communication activities so that they mutually support and enhance each other, making
the whole greater than the sum of the individual parts.
The term LPA is applied to geographic areas where there is a concentration of
households, which, for whatever reason, participate less in the recycling service(s)
provided than households in other areas of the authority. Low participation can cover a
number of specific issues:
 Low levels of participation in recycling services overall resulting in low tonnages
collected
 Low levels of participation in terms of range of materials collected resulting in low
tonnages captured for some materials
 Incorrect participation resulting in the wrong materials being presented and poor
quality of recyclate collected, this can lead to rejection of entire loads if contamination
levels are high
Low participation is a relative term. Performance may be low in relation to an authority’s
overall recycling performance or recycling/landfill targets.
Marketing refers to the promotion of products & services. It tends to be seen as a
creative industry, which includes advertising, distribution and selling. It is also concerned
with anticipating the customers' future issues, needs and wants, which are often
discovered through market research.
Market research is the process of systematically gathering, recording and analysing
information about consumers or householders. Market research can be based on
variables like age, gender, location and income level and used to determine which portion
of the population will be receptive to a campaign message or logo or to look at people’s
issues and barriers to recycling.
A campaign message is the communication of information through the combination of
words, imagery and your tone of voice. Messages need to be simple, clear and personal.
Monitoring means regularly collecting the information through which you will judge your
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MOSAIC
MPS
MRS
Objectives
Opportunities to
See (OTS)
Panel surveys
Penetration
PEST
Procurement/
purchasing
Primary and
secondary research
Public relations
(PR)
Qualitative (‘Qual’)
research
Quantitative
(‘Quant’) research
Reach
Response
SMART
Socio-demographic
profiling
Social marketing
SRA
communications programme’s success. It must be pre-planned (e.g. before you begin
your campaign, you must have a system for collecting press cuttings and listening out for
local radio coverage).
A commercially available system developed by Experian for classifying all UK households
and neighbourhoods into lifestyle types. It describes socio-economic and socio-cultural
behaviour and provides a link between consumers and the areas in which they live. It
classifies the UK population into 11 main socio-economic groups and, within this, 61
different types. See ACORN and CAMEO.
Mailing Preference Service - The Mailing Preference Service (MPS) is a free service set up
20 years ago and funded by the direct mail industry to enable consumers to have their
names and home addresses in the UK removed from or added to lists used by the
industry.
Market Research Society - the professional body for the market research industry.
Information on market or social research can be found on the Market Research Society
(MRS) website - http://www.mrs.org.uk.
An objective is a clear statement of what you are planning to achieve, quantified and
given a specific timescale.
Opportunities to see (OTS) is a standard measurement used by the marketing/PR
industry. It quantifies the number of people in a campaign’s target audience who, for
example, have the opportunity to see an article in the press or a billboard advert
promoting a campaign message. OTS can therefore be used to assess the cost
effectiveness of different types of media in terms of reaching the campaign audience.
Often referred to as Citizens’ Panels, they comprise a group (or panel) of residents who
agree to complete a set number of surveys each year and volunteer to be asked to take
part in other consultative processes. The main purpose of the survey is to gather
satisfaction data for reporting against targets.
A campaign’s penetration is the percentage of the target audience that is reached by the
campaign’s messages.
A PEST analysis is framework for assessing the Political, Economic, Social, Technological,
Legal, Environmental and Ethical implications of a project or campaign. It can help to
identify potentially negative or positive issues that may impact on projects or campaigns.
This involves planning and negotiating how much you need to pay for a specific service
or resource. The emphasis must always be on buying best value, not lowest cost.
See desk and field research.
Public relations (PR) is the management of communications and relationships to establish
goodwill and mutual understanding between an organisation and its publics (audiences).
Research that aims to seek views and gauge attitudes towards issues and/or services via
group discussions and (in) depth interviews aimed at establishing respondents’ attitudes,
values, behaviour and beliefs e.g. if you want to know why people recycle or what their
barriers are to recycling. Focus groups and elite interviews are both examples of
qualitative research techniques.
Use of sampling techniques (such as consumer surveys) whose findings may be
expressed numerically and can be subject to mathematical (statistical) manipulation
enabling the researcher to estimate (forecast) future events or quantities.
The reach of a campaign refers to the number of people in the target audience who are
exposed to the campaign’s messages.
This means the number of people who respond directly to the campaign, e.g. by calling a
freephone number to ask for an information pack.
This acronym is commonly referred to when writing objectives and stands for Specific,
Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bounded.
Any attempt to characterise the social and/or economic nature of an area or of
individuals. This can then be used to ensure that a sample is representative and to make
generalisations about different sectors of the population.
This is the application of commercial marketing concepts, knowledge, and techniques for
non-commercial ends (such as campaigns against smoking or for recycling) for the
society's welfare.
Social Research Association. The Social Research Association has produced a useful guide
for those wanting to commission research. This can be downloaded at www.the-
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Stakeholders
SWOT
Target audience
Tone of voice
Visual Identity
WasteDataFlow
sra.org.uk/documents/pdfs/commissioning.pdf.
Stakeholders include partners, allies, opinion formers, key decision makers and others
(individuals and organisations) who need to be informed about your activities so they can
support them.
The SWOT analysis is a useful tool for understanding and decision-making for all sorts of
situations in organisations. SWOT is an acronym for Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities and Threats. The SWOT analysis headings provide a good framework for
reviewing strategy, position and direction of an organisation.
The group of people at which a campaign or message is aimed. A target audience can be
people of a certain age group, gender, marital status, etc. (eg: teenagers, females, single
people, men aged 20-30 etc.).
Tone of voice is the way brands ‘speak’ to their audiences via the words and language
used in communications. Recycle Now, for example, is designed to engage consumers
with clear messages in a positive, warm and friendly tone of voice.
Visual identity is the way an organisation (or a campaign) presents itself to both internal
and external audiences. In general terms, a visual identity expresses the values,
ambitions and characteristics of an organisation or campaign.
This is a web-based system for quarterly reporting on municipal waste data by local
authorities to central government. It is also used by the Environment Agency for
monitoring biodegradable waste sent to landfill under the Landfill Allowance Trading
Scheme.
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Waste & Resources
Action Programme
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Tel: 01295 819 900
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