Impact report 2021
June-September Campaign
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY During the early months of the COVID pandemic, our lives changed in so many ways. We all spent much more time at home, and with pubs and restaurants closed for many months, much more of our eating and drinking was at home too. All that extra food and drink consumption at home resulted of course in there being many more bottles and jars for householders to recycle. Leeds City Council shares data openly on the amount of glass recycled by Leeds householders at the network of glass banks across the city. Analysis of the data by Zero Waste Leeds in summer 2020 tallied with what people were reporting - that much more glass was being recycled than in previous years. We shared this data with BBC Look North - who ran a feature on the increase in glass recycling. Whilst helping to put this story together, we made contact with key glass industry stakeholders, including Friends of Glass, URM, Ardagh Group and Allied Glass. Together we began to explore the opportunity of running a campaign in Leeds to build upon the increase in glass recycling in 2020.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY We started work on the project early in 2021, by undertaking detailed analysis of the glass bank collection volumes since 2017. We also reviewed a number of previous behaviour change campaigns, to ensure that our campaign built upon existing best practice. Informed by the data analysis and research, we developed a three month social media campaign, launching in June, which aimed to encourage people to recycle their glass in Leeds. Our key themes included: Celebrating the increase in glass recycling in 2020 encouraging people to continue to recycle Sharing the Yorkshire circular economy story of glass recycling and manufacturing - helping people to understand the impact of choosing to recycle your glass Acknowledging the barriers to recycling, by, for example, creating a new map to help people to find their nearest glass bank. Alongside the social media campaign, we worked with local community groups in three inner-city areas of Leeds to design and paint a new glass bank in their neighbourhood. Local young people were involved in coming up with bespoke designs for the banks, which were painted by artists from a local social enterprise. The three glass banks were launched at events in each of the areas, and promoted via hyperlocal social media campaigns.
Our conclusions and recommendations are included at the end of this report. They include the recommendation to the glass industry in Yorkshire to continue to find opportunities to tell the circular economy story of glass recycling and manufacturing, which we think is vital for building trust with consumers, thus encouraging them to continue to recycle their glass. There are clear environmental impacts from increased glass recycling, and we believe there is a real opportunity for the industry to continue to tell this story in engaging ways, particularly in the context of the Climate Emergency.
WHAT WE DID BBC Look North feature
Review of previous behaviour change campaigns
AUTUMN JULY 2020
Campaign design
MARCH FEB-MARCH 2021
Proposal development with glass industry stakeholders
Community engagement glass bank design
JUNE MAY
Analysis of glass recycling open data
End of social media campaign
AUGUST JULY
Social media campaign launch
SEP-OCTOBER SEP
3 new glass banks launched
Project evaluation and report write up
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
43 %
INCREASE IN GLASS COLLECTED FROM 3 IMPROVED SITES
COMPARED TO SAME PERIOD IN 2019
*Uses 2019 pre-pandemic lockdown data as a comparison
3 IMPROVED GLASS BANKS
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
3 COMMUNITY EVENTS IN AREAS WITH LOW RECYCLING RATES
CAMPAIGN HIGHLIGHTS
239,705
9,366
SOCIAL MEDIA IMPRESSIONS
SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENTS
72,000
17,000
RESIDENTS REACHED THROUGH LCC NEXTDOOR
LCC NEWSLETTER RECIPIENTS
2.1 K
MAP HITS
BBC LOOK NORTH FEATURE VIEWED BY 534,000 PEOPLE!
CONTENTS PAGE Context......................................................................................................................................9 Project aims & objectives ....................................................................................12 Design approach.............................................................................................................13 Inspiration.............................................................................................................................14 Design........................................................................................................................................16 Delivery....................................................................................................................................18 Evaluation..............................................................................................................................25 Conclusions and Recommendations...........................................................30
CONTEXT
CONTEXT Leeds, like a number of other cities in the UK, collects glass for recycling via a network of over 700 glass banks. In the summer of 2020, soon after initial lockdown restrictions began to be lifted, Zero Waste Leeds noticed that glass recycling data for Leeds showed a significant increase in glass recycling by people in the city during the early months of the COVID pandemic. In exploring this further, we had conversations with key glass industry stakeholders, and together we approached local media to share the story of this increase. This resulted in a feature on BBC Look North. It was immediately clear that there was strong public interest in the story of what happens to glass recycled in Leeds, and the positive environmental impacts of that. We also recognised the need and opportunity to build upon the increase in recycling, to encourage people to continue to recycle in the longer term. Working with British Glass, URM, Allied Glass and Ardagh Glass, we developed a social media campaign and a community engagement plan based around improving local neighbourhood glass banks. This campaign launched in June 2021 and lasted three months.
CONTEXT Glass recycling in Leeds Glass recycling data shows that in a typical year in Leeds around 9000 tonnes of glass is recycled by Leeds householders. This rose to over 12000 tonnes in the exceptional year of 2020 when we all spent much more time at home. However it is estimated that more glass is thrown away (in residual waste bins at home) than is recycled. It is clear from previous research that the lack of kerbside recycling is a barrier to recycling for a significant number of people in the city. With no current plans in place to introduce kerbside recycling, our campaign focused on acknowledging and breaking down some of those barriers to recycling at glass banks.
Current climate
Since 2010, Local Authorities have seen their budgets reduce significantly. Staffing numbers have reduced, and the budgets available for delivering services such as recycling are under increasing pressure. Marketing budgets - for example to encourage people to recycle more - are amongst the first to be cut. At the same time, awareness amongst citizens about the importance of recycling, and other pro-environmental behaviours, has increased significantly. This is a positive for a local authority that wishes to see, for example, recycling rates improve. But it also results in higher expectations amongst citizens (eg for more glass banks, or for kerbside collections) which can be hard to satisfy during a period of ongoing financial difficulties. In this context, forward-thinking local authorities such as Leeds have embraced collaboration - civic enterprise in the words of Leeds City Council. Yet collaboration can, in the short term at least, require more Council resource, not less. Whilst, for example, there may be more desire to collaborate with the waste industry and with the third sector, there is not always the capacity to do this.
HIGH LEVEL AIMS To deliver a campaign that encourages more Leeds residents to recycle glass at glass banks across the city, To raise awareness of the reasons why recycling glass is important.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES Identify what is unique about Leeds in relation to glass recycling
Find out what is already happening in the space where most/least glass recycling occurs and why
Identify barriers and opportunities to increase glass recycling
Design and deliver a behaviour change campaign to raise awareness and encourage more people to recycle their glass in Leeds, to include community engagement.
OUR DESIGN APPROACH 1.
2.
3.
4.
INSPIRATION
DESIGN
DELIVERY
EVALUATION
INSPIRATION
37%
INCREASE
Glass bank data analysis We undertook analysis of glass bank collection volumes at glass banks across Leeds from 2017 - 2020. A summary report which details our main findings is available here.
Key findings of this analysis of historical data included: Data for the period suggests that typically Leeds householders recycle around 9000 tonnes of glass per year. 2020 saw a significant increase in that figure - to over 12000 tonnes. Much of this increase is related to the impacts of Covid restrictions. 25 (of a total of around 370) glass banks account for 49% of the glass collected in Leeds. These are mostly at supermarkets. The 200 sites with the lowest collection volumes account for 7% of glass recycled. Geographical analysis of glass bank locations suggests that the vast majority of people in Leeds live within 500 metres of a glass bank.
69 % 500 METRES
INSPIRATION Behavioural insights We undertook analysis of previous campaigns in Leeds and elsewhere in the UK, including campaigns in Halton and Moortown in Leeds. Our research summary is available here. We considered best practice in recycling behaviour change campaigns, such as WRAP’s Let’s Aim For Every Last One campaign. We also benefited from wider European expertise through conversations during and after our involvement in the paneuropean Close The Glass Loop event.
WHAT PEOPLE WANT Clear and easy to understand information about how to recycle glass in Leeds Transparency about what happens to glass after it’s recycled and why it is important to recycle it To know where to find their closest bank Tips for storage of glass at home
Understanding the barriers Customer perception of glass banks Banks are often full; banks can be unappealing - dirty, with broken glass; signage on banks isn’t clear Location of sites Don’t know where nearest site is located; unequal access - distance, no car, disability, scarcity Other Lack of transparency about what happens to recycled glass; poor awareness /knowledge of how to recycle; not enough time to recycle; lack of space at home to store empty glass
Glass banks to be more appealing Campaign to be positive, practical and easy to understand.
DESIGN
DESIGN The inspiration phase gave us the insight we needed to design a campaign plan that would help us meet the project aims. The three main interventions were: social media behavioural change campaign community engagement improvements to glass banks
BEHAVIOURAL CHANGE CAMPAIGN We used the AIDA model to structure our social media behaviour change campaign. It helped us to take into account the project objectives as well as people's barriers and motivations to recycling their glass. It also gave a clear structure to our messaging strategy for each of the four stages of the communications and marketing funnel, as shown below.
AIDA MODEL COMMUNICATIONS APPROACH Create a recognisable visual identity Use simple, clear, informative and practical messaging across all channels Share positive, inspirational and good news stories Boost community/movement building by producing engaging
AWARENESS INTEREST DESIRE ACTION
and interactive communications
Get people interested in recycling glass Explain why recycling glass is important Trigger desire to act Provide easy and practical information to help them recycle
Make use of "amplifiers" - individuals and networks who can help share messaging far and wide Be responsive to questions and comments
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Make the campaign easily replicable to other places
The community engagment events were designed as a way to get closer engagement with people about glass recycling and create a positive feeling about the banks within communities. The aim was for that to result in more people wanting to recycle their glass.
DELIVERY JUN-SEP 21
INTERVENTIONS-COMMUNICATIONS We
engaged
different
audiences
by
used
a
cross-
organisational, multi-channel approach.
the
consistency
and
people of Leeds and share some insights from our data analysis. This is why throughout our social media campaign,
We tailored our messaging according to the channel whilst ensuring
We also wanted to make the campaign relevant to the
integration
of
our
communications plan.
we shared positive messaging around the environmental impact of glass recycling in Leeds giving our followers one more reason to keep on recycling their glass. A breakdown of our themes is included below: Congratulatory
SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN
Practical- make it easy Informational (why it matters-environmental impact,
The three-month social media campaign was an essential part of our communications strategy. With more than 200 posts across all Zero Waste Leeds social media channels, we spread the word on the importance
of
recycling
glass
and
shared
practical
information and handy tips on how to recycle your glass. Alongside providing practical information, we wanted to engage with our audience and start a conversation to uncover the barriers to glass recycling and potential strategies to overcome them. This is why our educational content
has
been
paired
with
posts
engagement and personal storytelling.
on
community
circular economy) Interactive & Responsive
CAMPAIGN WEBPAGE We created a designated webpage on ZWL website to make it easier for
people
to
access
further
information on the campaign. This included key findings from our
data
analysis,
a
practical
guide of do's and dont's of glass recycling and our interactive map of glass bank sites.
EYE-CATCHING VISUAL IDENTITY
INTERACTIVE GLASS BANK MAP
As part of our communications strategy, we developed a vibrant and
distinctive
campaign
identity. Our
aim
was
to
make
the
campaign recognisisable to our audience
and
to
ensure
consistency across all messaging.
We created an interactive map of Leeds glass banks to complement our social media messaging and make it easier for people to start recycling their glass at their local glass bank. The map listed around 400 glass bank sites and provided information on local recycling volumes and their environmental impact.
INTERACTIVE GLASS MAP
MEDIA COVERAGE During our campaign, we had the opportunity to share the Yorkshire circular economy story of glass recycling on BBC Look North. Our feature was viewed by 534,000 people - a 42% share of the TV audience in Yorkshire!
LCC PROMOTION Throughout
our
INDUSTRY EVENT
campaign,
we
We got a chance to share some
liaised with Leeds City Council to
of our research insights with the
amplify our message.
glass recycling industry at the Close the Loop conference.
Promotion
through
the
Council
included a Newsletter with more
During
than 16,000 recipients, Next Door
discussed
App messaging received by 72,000
recycling rates in Leeds and our
members and promotion to all LCC
vision for the new campaign.
staff via their Intranet.
our
presentation, the
increase
we in
INTERVENTIONS - COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT/ GLASS BANK IMPROVEMENTS We found creative ways to engage local communities in glass recycling, focusing in particular on areas of Leeds where recycling volumes are lower. We worked with community groups and local artists to improve local glass banks in three areas of Leeds: Bramley, Seacrof & Cross Gates.
The appearance of banks was
highlighted as one of the barriers to people recycling their glass.
What we did We identified active community groups that were close to less well performing glass banks- BARCA (Bramley), Fall Into Place (Seacroft), and The Tribe Youth Group (Cross Gates). We assembled a delivery team which included a nominated person from each community group, Leeds City Council waste & recycling advisors, community based artist and Zero Waste Leeds. We worked with artists, community groups and local social enterprises We Belong Here CIC and Seagulls Reuse to set up community workshops where young people created glass banks designs.
INTERVENTIONS - COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT/ GLASS BANK IMPROVEMENTS The banks were delivered in mid August and were launched at local community events in each neighbourhood. We worked alongside Leeds City Council’s Waste Advisers to run stalls at community events to introduce the new banks to the local community during August. Engagement activities included a #LeedsByExample pledge tree, encouraging people to recycle their glass, alongside competitions to win a range of prizes.
The glass bank revamp has been a really great addition to the community centre to help create a welcoming feel to the centre as we begin to open up more coming out of the pandemic. CRAIG BLAIR
SENIOR PRACTITIONERBARCA LEEDS
I love the new glass bank, the best thing was that I worked on it together with my friends GRACIE
10 YEARS OLD
EVALUATION
GLASS COLLECTION VOLUMES There was a 43% increase in the amount of glass collected at the 3 community sites in comparison to the same two month period in 2019. Across the whole of Leeds during the same period, the estimated increase was just 5%. Early indications suggest that the community events and improvements to the banks have had an impact.
4560
3090
210
7860
KG
KG
KG
KG
CROSSGATES
SEACROFT
BRAMLEY
TOTAL
2020 - THE PANDEMIC YEAR 2020 was an exceptional 'blip' year for glass recycling with rates increasing by 37% in Leeds, which was mirrored across the country. It is understood to be a result of pubs and restaurants being closed and more people eating and drinking at home. Our data of these 3 sites indicate that collection rates have dropped by 39% so back to pre-pandemic levels now that lockdowns have ended and pubs/restaurants are back open. For this reason we chose 2019 as more accurate comparison year.
OBSERVATIONS Glass recycling rates at the 3 improved bank sites have improved by 43% when compared with the same period in 2019 (pre-pandemic). Glass recycling rates in Leeds appear to be returning to pre-pandemic levels across the city. The data collected was over a two month period and our recommendation is that Leeds City Council and URM continue to monitor data for the three sites
to
identify
ongoing
trends
in
collection
volumes. There are various other factors at play, which influence the collection volumes at particular sites. For example, we know that the closure of banks near to the site in Cross Gates has had an impact on collection volumes at this bank.
EVALUATION - COMMUNICATIONS
POPULAR POSTS
Outcomes Our social media campaign has recorded more than 240,000 total impressions and 9,000 engagements. Looking back at our most popular posts, four themes resonated the most with our audience: Practical Information Throughout our campaign, our audience has welcomed content that provided clear, digestible information on the practicalities of glass recycling. Behind-the-scenes of glass recycling The success of our behind-the-scene content shows that people are interested in the process of glass recycling. This suggests
that
greater
transparency
could
enhance
communications with the general audience. Personal stories of glass-recycling routines We found that starting conversations by asking people about their experience whilst showing our understanding of the barriers to recycling glass opened the door for honest, constructive discussions. This shows that people are more likely to react positively when feeling heard and understood. Community content Our followers have reacted really positively to community engagement stories. Paired with visually appealing assets, community storytelling content can draw attention and boost engagement.
USER GENERATED CONTENT
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT We worked with the youth community groups there to think about what they would like to see on these bottle banks so they could be more part of the process. Everything you see has come from working with them during the workshops NATASHA JOSEPH ARTIST
The children really enjoyed working with Seagulls and We Belong Here and it was great to see their ideas taken from paper to real life. The glass bank looks very colourful and
appealing,
which
we
hope
will
encourage more people to recycle NAOMI ROXBY WARDLE FALL INTO PLACE DIRECTOR
We had fun doing some drawings with our friends for the new bottle bank. We thought
about
the
graffiti
bottle
together. the bank looks really nice now KATY AND NAVEYA
10 AND 9 YEARS OLD
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS The value of glass recycling data Without the data on glass collection volumes that is shared openly on Data Mill North, this campaign would not have happened. The data alerted us to the increase in glass recycling during 2020, and provided the stimulus for creating the campaign. Further analysis of the data provided us with a detailed picture of glass recycling in Leeds, and was central to the development of the campaign. The data also made it possible to create the map which was a central part of the campaign. This makes it much easier for people to find their nearest glass bank, and it gives us the opportunity to share relatable information about environmental impacts at a local level.
Recommendation
URM and Leeds City Council to continue to invest in collecting, improving and analysing the data so that it can inform future campaigns, and be shared with others via Data Mill North.
A Yorkshire circular economy story One of the most successful aspects of the campaign has been the story we have been able to tell about the Yorkshire glass industry - specifically the circular economy story of what happens to glass that Leeds residents recycle. In the context of a Climate Emergency, people are keen to do what they can, but often aren’t sure what to do. In telling this story, we have been able to communicate the value of recycling your glass, whilst explaining in simple terms why it makes sense to make new glass products from recycled glass. We shared this story throughout the campaign - and it was also told by BBC Look North, who could see the value of a Yorkshire story that communicated environmental issues in an understandable way.
Recommendation Continue to communicate and celebrate the circular economy story of glass recycling and manufacturing in Yorkshire.
Community engagement matters Engaging local communities - with a specific aim of trying to engage people who may not currently recycle their glass - was a key part of this project. We worked in three inner-city communities, involving young people in each community in the design of a new glass bank. We worked with artists who are experienced in community engagement to make this a meaningful experience for the young people who were involved. Whilst extremely valuable, we must also recognise that this part of the project was the most challenging to undertake. It is important not to underestimate how much time and resources meaningful community engagement can require, and how many different stakeholders (in particular at the Council) need to be involved.
Recommendation Invest in projects that involve sustained engagement and collaboration with local communities, particularly in areas where recycling rates are lower. Seek out opportunities to collaborate with trusted local organisations.
Cross-sector collaboration is key It is clear to us that one of the main reasons for the success of this campaign is the cross-sector collaboration that has been at the heart of it. British Glass, glass manufacturers Allied Glass and Ardagh Group and glass recyclers URM Ltd have all been closely involved in the design and delivery of the campaign. Leeds City Council have also been involved primarily in relation to logistics for glass bank improvements, and through amplifying the campaign through their social media channels. Zero Waste Leeds, with our strong, local social media following, have been able to engage local people in the campaign. Our engagement with local community groups helped us to broaden our reach - to engage with people in communities where recycling rates are lower.
Recommendation
Build upon cross-sector relationships established in this project to continue to collaborate and tell the circular economy story of glass recycling.
Practical, visually appealing, positive campaign It is increasingly recognised that people tend to respond more positively to environmental campaigns which are locally relevant. Analysis of our social media engagement also confirms that people value practical information - for example in relation to overcoming barriers to recycling (eg information on the location of their nearest glass bank). It is obvious too that a campaign that is delivered primarily via social media must be visually appealing - encouraging people to engage with, and share, content. There is real value too in creating positive, “asset-based” campaigns - focusing on what people have already achieved (eg a big increase in recycling in 2020) and what people can do to make a difference (eg recycle jars as well as bottles).
Recommendation Learn from the successes of this campaign, to inform future campaigns - in particular in relation to creating distinctive, place-based ones that find creative ways to communicate environmental messages.
Transparency builds trust The focus on the circular economy story of glass, and the crosssector collaboration at the heart of the project, have helped to make it easy to tell an open, transparent story about what happens to your glass bottles and jars when you recycle them in Leeds. The broader context is that people are often sceptical about what happens to the things that they sort for recycling. Whether true or not, people hear stories about things not being recycled, and this can have an impact on willingness to recycle. At Zero Waste Leeds we believe that a key part of our role is to work with the waste and recycling industries to be more transparent about what happens to our recycling - to help to build trust, with a view to continuing to increase recycling rates. We have taken a proactive approach to engaging with people during the campaign, responding to people’s queries, and to help project partners to be open about what the process of recycling glass that is collected in Leeds.
Recommendation There is a real opportunity here for the glass industry - to tell transparent stories that build trust, and encourage people to recycle their glass. Continue to invest in telling these stories.
Taking the long view on behaviour change Financial support from project partners has enabled us to deliver a highly impactful three month campaign. Yet, as was acknowledged at the start of the project, it is difficult to demonstrate significant changes in behaviour during a short campaign. However, this project has helped us to gain a strong understanding of key elements of a successful campaign - as detailed in this report. It is clear that the big changes we need to make, as society responds to the Climate Emergency, require sustained, longterm investment in engaging people to change their behaviours - for example in relation to recycling.
Recommendation Seek to secure funding for longer-term awareness and behaviour change campaigns - which give opportunities to meaningfully engage local communities over the long term.
THANK YOU We would like to say a massive thank you to our funders Allied Glass, Ardagh Glass and Friends of Glass for funding this campaign. Thank you also to key project partners URM Ltd and Leeds City Council.