Household Waste Recycling Centre Promotion
For most local authorities a large proportion of recycling tonnages are attained through the Household Waste Recycling Centres. It is therefore an important element to the waste collection service in contributing to recycling tonnages of an area, and should not be ignored.
Below is a case study of some promotional activity that was conducted in Calderdale that proved a huge success in increasing tonnages in both the short and long term at the Centres as well as improving attitudes of the local residents.
Calderdale HWRC Promotion
In 2005/6 over half of Calderdales recycling (17%) was achieved through their five Household Waste Recycling Centres. On average the five HWRCs in Calderdale only recycled less than 40% of all waste brought to them. In Lancashire and across many other counties in England, HWRCs were achieving recycling levels of over 65%, excluding rubble and hard core. It was agreed therefore that to influence any major increases in Calderdaleís recycling levels without the introduction of new material streams at kerbside collections, they would need to concentrate a significant amount of their efforts on these sites.
Campaign Objective
To increase recycling levels at Calderdaleís Household Waste Recycling Centres and to heighten awareness of the need to separate waste for recycling prior to visiting.
Strategy
Our strategy was to develop a direct communications plan that included meeting and greeting the general public at the HWRCs. Teams of promotional staff were to be recruited for each site to meet the visitors, and to help them recycle on their visit. Their purpose was also to persuade visitors to plan future visits by separating their waste for recycling before leaving home. The promotional staff wore smart bright uniforms, and were supported by leaflets and large site signage. The activity was the centre of our public engagement strategy and further communications support was to be instigated in the form of Council magazine advertising and editorial, plus local press coverage.
Results
The average increase in recycling tonnages over the four Centres was 7%, although at the control Centre where nothing was done the figures went down by 13%. Further down the line the figures at each of the Centres where promotional activity was done remain significantly higher.
The promotional teams also provided some valuable feedback, a lot of which had come from the local residents, about some of the operational elements of the Centres which have helped to implement improvements to the sites.
