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Final Report

Improving Low Participation Areas -Effective communications planning Guidance Document

This decision making process assists with the identification of low participation areas and the development of an effective communications approach.

Project code: CLP007-000 Date: March 2008

WRAP helps individuals, businesses and local

authorities to reduce waste and recycle more, making

better use of resources and helping to tackle climate

change.

Written by: Resource Futures and WRAP

Front cover photography: Sourced from WRAP’s Recycle Now Partners photo library. WRAP and Resource Futures 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 inaccurate, incomplete or misleading. It is the responsibility of the potential user of a material or product to consult with the supplier or manufacturer and ascertain whether a particular product will satisfy their specific requirements. The listing or featuring of a particular product or company does not constitute an endorsement by WRAP and WRAP cannot guarantee the performance of individual products or materials. This material is copyrighted. It may be reproduced free of charge subject to the material being accurate and not used in a misleading context. The source of the material must be identified and the copyright status acknowledged. This material must not be used to endorse or used to suggest WRAP’s endorsement of a commercial product or service. For more detail, please refer to WRAP’s Terms & Conditions on its web site: www.wrap.org.uk

Contents 1.0 Aims of the Guidance ............................................................................................................... 4 2.0 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 5 3.0 Definitions & Terminology ....................................................................................................... 6 4.0 A Decision Making Process....................................................................................................... 8 5.0 Improving Low Participation Areas – A Decision Making Process ......................................... 10

5.1 Identify your LPAs ...............................................................................................................10 5.1.1 Review - Identify your LPAs.....................................................................................12

5.2 SECTION 1 – Profile your Low Participation Areas..................................................................13 5.2.1 SECTION 1, Step 1 – Ensure service issues are not the reason for low participation ....13 5.2.2 Review SECTION 1, Step 1 - Ensure service issues are not the reason for low participation ........................................................................................................................14 5.2.3 SECTION 1, Step 2 - Identify objectives for your LPAs...............................................15 5.2.4 SECTION 1, Step 3 – Describe your audience(s) .......................................................16 5.2.5 Review SECTION 1, Step 3 - Describe your audience(s) ..........................................18

5.3 SECTION 2 – Review and revise the communication activities in your LPAs .............................19 5.3.1 SECTION 2, Step 1 – Describe how you have communicated with residents in your LPA 19 5.3.2 Review SECTION 2, Step 1 - Describe how you have communicated with residents in your LPA .............................................................................................................................21 5.3.3 SECTION 2, Step 2 – Assess the impact of your communications ...............................22 5.3.4 Review SECTION 2, Step 2 - Assess the impact of your communications ...................24 5.3.5 SECTION 2, Step 3 – Develop effective communications............................................25 Review SECTION 2, Step 3 – Develop effective communications............................................28

5.4 SECTION 3 – Plan and programme your communication activities ..........................................29 5.4.1 SECTION 3, Step 1 – Assess how your communication activities will impact on your service 29 5.4.2 SECTION 3, Step 2 - Plan your activities...................................................................30 5.4.3 SECTION 3, Step 3 – Integrate monitoring mechanisms ............................................31 5.4.4 Review SECTION 3 - Plan and programme your communications activities .................32

5.5 Finalise your plans...............................................................................................................33 5.5.1 Prioritise your work .................................................................................................33 5.5.2 Finalise your communications plan ...........................................................................34 5.5.3 Further work...........................................................................................................36

6.0 Conclusion.............................................................................................................................. 37 7.0 Appendices ............................................................................................................................. 38

7.1 Appendix 1 Summary and Key Recommendations of Masterclass on Low Participation Areas....38 7.2 Appendix 2 Improving Low Participation Areas – A Decision Making Process - Questions List....39

8.0 References ............................................................................................................................. 41

Improving Low Participating Areas – Effective Communications Planning 3

1.0 Aims of the Guidance Provide local authorities, and others, with guidance on how to identify Low Participation Areas (LPAs) and tailor communications plans to their particular circumstances*. Illustrate that there is no off-the-shelf solution to tackling low participation, that each area will have its own set of characteristics and that the key to success is knowing your area, defining your target audience and identifying specific communication solutions accordingly. Collate good practice and develop a series of case studies to show practical examples. * Participation in the context of this document relates to all recycling services not just kerbside schemes. In some cases low participation will be due to issues relating to poor or inappropriate service provision. WRAP can offer support to resolve such service issues; however, this document focuses on communication issues.


2.0 Introduction The recycling rate for England as a whole has surpassed 30%, however, this figure covers a wide range of performance from the very highest at over 50% to the lowest at just over 10%. A barrier to further progress for both high and low performing authorities is householders who are reluctant to participate in recycling schemes. Often there will be groups of households that for one or more reasons fail to participate as fully as other groups. 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. Such areas are commonly referred to as ‘Low Participation Areas’ (LPAs). These areas can undermine the overall success of recycling schemes. Low participation can manifest itself in a number of ways:

Low levels of overall participation in recycling services 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, leading to possible rejection of entire loads if contamination levels are high.

Encouraging these households to participate fully in recycling services can be challenging. However, with increasing pressure to achieve Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme (LATS) targets, to increase recycling levels and to reduce the amount of waste being sent to landfill, local authorities need to develop appropriate service solutions and effective communication mechanisms to engage LPAs. Good practice has been developing as local authorities start tackling low participation. Many local authorities have successfully developed strategies to target LPAs and others are developing their techniques. This guidance document has been developed following a Masterclass** run by WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) in January 2007 which brought together 18 local authorities which have developed successful approaches to working with LPAs. The body of knowledge gathered at this Masterclass forms the basis of this guidance and the main findings are presented in Appendix 1. A further dissemination event was held on 24th July 2007 to test this guidance. The results of which have been incorporated into the document. ** WRAP’s series of Master classes are designed to capture knowledge of new developments, which can then be drawn together in good practice guidance documents and case studies. The good practice is fed back into the advice which WRAP provides and the courses it delivers.


3.0 Definitions & Terminology The following figure explains the terms commonly used when working with LPAs. It has been developed to help ensure clarity, develop a common set of terminology and ensure everyone uses terms consistently. Figure 1: Definitions for describing low participation issues Low Participation Area (LPA) What is meant by a low participation area? 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. What is low participation? 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.

Groups of ‘low participation’ households with similar housing, social or demographic characteristics are often referred to as:

Hard-to-reach groups; or

Hard-to-engage groups.

Some residents can of course belong to both hard-to-reach and hard-to-engage groups. The principle is the same. They need to be offered a service, which is appropriate to their circumstances and be provided with relevant communications.


Hard-to-Engage Groups Sections of the population with whom it may be difficult to communicate the reason to participate in the 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. Local authorities must ensure that communications and the way they are delivered are tailored to the needs of residents. Hard-to-Reach Groups 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. These issues are best addressed by consulting residents at an early stage and designing an appropriate service. The services provided should be convenient to use and simple to communicate to the residents in question. This document does not deal with identifying and developing solutions to service provision issues. Those needing advice on service provision issues should contact WRAP’s free advisory service ( ROTATE): WRAP’s ROTATE team or Alison Day at [email protected] or WRAP, The Old Academy, 21 Horse Fair, Banbury, OX16 0AH. Tel: 01295 819661 Fax: 01295 819911.


http://www.wrap.org.uk/go.rm?id=3158


mailto:[email protected]

4.0 A Decision Making Process Low Participation Areas (LPAs) can exhibit a range of inter-related characteristics which may include a combination of socio-demographic, geographic and service factors: no two areas are entirely identical. One of the challenges is to understand the multiple factors which may contribute to any one area of low participation. For example, you may find a high proportion of migrant groups in your LPA who may not speak English as their first language, may tend to have young families and may live in multi-occupancy properties. Your communications solution will need to respond to all of these factors. Responding to, say, the language issue alone is unlikely to be successful. Guidance document Due to the complexity of this topic this guidance document has been developed to take you through a process to help you: identify your LPAs; identify the reasons for low participation; and tailor a communications plan to increase participation. Example answers have been developed for each question to help you think about potential issues. However, you will need to take time to work through the decision making process with reference to the specifics of your area(s) as accurate and detailed responses will help you to identify issues and develop appropriate solutions. Wherever possible, you should try to ensure that your answers are based on evidence in order to build up a true picture of all the factors contributing to low participation and ignore any preconceptions which may cloud your judgement. You may find you need to consult with colleagues from your department, your local authority or from the wider community in order to fully explore all of the issues. There are a number of additional guidance documents which might help you with specific topics; these are referred to, and hyperlinked, throughout the guidance. A list of all of the references and where to find them is provided in Section 8. Case studies In addition to the guidance, case studies have been developed to share local authorities’ experiences of developing communications solutions for LPAs. These are located at the Improving Low Participation Areas1 page of the WRAP website. We intend to continue to add to these so if you have an example to share please contact Alison Day at [email protected]. Online tool A simple online tool has been developed to be used alongside this guidance document. This tool will take you through the decision making process, posing questions and storing your answers so that you can return and make additions or revisions as you gather information. You can also ‘export’ your answers into a word document where they can be reformatted, saved and printed. It is recommended that you use the guidance document to help you work through the process online, at least initially, to help you effectively identify your LPAs and develop appropriate solutions. To access this tool please visit the Improving Low Participation Areas1 page of the WRAP website. The key steps in the decision making process are outlined in Figure 2 (a full question list is displayed in Appendix 2).





Figure 2: Improving Low Participation Areas - A Decision Making Process – Key Steps

You might find it useful to keep this table, or the full questions list (See Appendix 2), to hand while working through the online tool to aid navigation. Please note: the decision making process will help you to identify if service issues are the cause of low participation but will not help you to resolve these issues. You should resolve service issues before developing a specific LPA communications campaign. If you require further free support to improve services in your LPAs please contact WRAP’s ROTATE team2 or Alison Day at [email protected], or WRAP, The Old Academy, 21 Horse Fair, Banbury, OX16 0AH Tel: 01295 819661 Fax: 01295 819911.




5.0 Improving Low Participation Areas – A Decision Making Process 5.1 Identify your LPAs At this stage be sure to think about your entire local authority area in order to identify all your LPAs. Do not be tempted to skip this step and proceed with areas you believe to be LPAs as you may overlook a crucial piece of information. The first step is to decide why you are doing this work. Do you need to increase participation to hit targets? Have you achieved high participation in most areas and now wish to concentrate your efforts on areas of lower participation? Are you concerned that not all of your residents have equal access to your services due to communication barriers? Are there broader local environmental quality issues you aim to address? It is important to be clear what your motivation is at this stage as this will inform how you develop your approach. Q i What are your aims for this work?

Increase participation in identified LPAs to match the rest of the borough Reduce the number of contaminated loads rejected from the reprocessor Increase participation in identified LPAs to meet recycling target Ensure residents understand how to use their recycling services Other, please specify

An aim is a general statement of purpose or intention. Q ii Describe your local authority Describe you local authority as a whole. What generalisations can be made across the area, and how does it differ from other areas? This will provide useful background for any other partners you might work with through this process.

Location Population Demographics Urban/rural mix Housing type Index of multiple deprivation Local environmental quality Other, as relevant

Q iii Summarise your waste and recycling services Describe all the waste and recycling services your local authority provides highlighting any differences across the authority.

Type of services provided including collection type and frequency, container type, contractor Service policies such as bulky waste collections, assisted collections, side waste, closed lid, compulsory

recycling and how you monitor and enforce these policies Any planned changes to service including type, number and timescale Overall performance and any targets Funding and support including any internal budgets for operations and communications Other, please specify

Q iv How do you currently monitor recycling and waste performance in your authority and what does this tell you about participation?

Think about how you have monitored your waste and recycling services both across your whole local authority area and in specific target areas. You may need to gather data from different sources (e.g. contractors or other local authority departments). Review the data and think critically about what this tells you about participation in


terms of how often, how much and what materials residents are presenting for recycling. Review any feedback you have received directly from residents or through your staff.

Tonnages, both recyclate and residual e.g. recyclate tonnages on rounds X and Y are lower than other rounds Participation/set out rates e.g. Participation rates on rounds with a high proportion of terraced housing are

lower than other type of rounds Waste compositional analysis e.g. there are high levels of food waste in rounds X and Y Capture rates e.g. capture of glass is low on rounds X and Y Contamination rates e.g. contamination levels at the Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) are high, round level

information is not available Numbers of container requests/bulky uplift requests Evidence from survey work/research Feedback from crews/frontline staff Feedback from call centres Feedback from fieldworkers/canvassers Information from Geographical Information Systems (GIS) mapping Other, please specify

Do you have the information at round/ward level? For more information about how to measure communications view WRAP’s Monitoring & Evaluation Guidance3. Q v What additional monitoring do you need to conduct or additional data do you need to

acquire? Once you have reviewed your existing data you may find that you only have a very limited amount of information on participation or that the data you do have is too broad (e.g. not by round) to give you meaningful insight into specific areas. As a result you will need to obtain additional information and may need to commission additional research. This can be time consuming and resource intensive, however, in order to target your LPAs effectively you will need more detailed information about the current performance of different areas. This will enable you to establish a baseline of activity, define measurable objectives for your campaign which can then be used to evaluate whether and which communication activities have had an impact. You may find that your contractor or other council departments are able to help you gather this information.

Tonnages e.g. request material specific tonnages at round level Participation/set out rates e.g. conduct participation monitoring Waste compositional analysis e.g. request information from county council Capture rates e.g. calculate capture rates Contamination rates e.g. conduct a visual check of kerbside boxes presented for collection and record %

contaminated Numbers of container requests/bulky uplift requests Evidence from survey work/research Feedback from crews/frontline staff Feedback from call centres Feedback from fieldworkers/canvassers Information from GIS Mapping systems Other, please specify

Do you have the information at round/ward level? You need to conduct this monitoring and insert the results into your answer to Question iv before moving onto the next question. For more information about how to measure communications view WRAP’s Monitoring & Evaluation Guidance3.








5.1.1 Review - Identify your LPAs

By now you will have:

Identified your aims

Described your local authority area

Summarised current service provision

Gathered information to identify areas of low participation

Established whether additional monitoring needs to be conducted or any data from existing sources acquired

Conducted any additional monitoring and/or acquired additional data

It is important at this stage to take the time to gather all the information you may need to establish your true LPAs. All data gathered now can also form a baseline for any intervention you may deliver. Having collated as much data as possible you then need to analyse and review the information in order for you to identify and list your LPAs. You should now be in a position to identify and list your LPAs. IMPORTANT! Having listed your LPAs you now need to work through all three sections of the decision making process (‘Profile your LPA’, ‘Review and revise the communications activities in your LPA’ and ‘Plan and programme your communications activities’) for your first LPA. Once you have completed this you will be prompted to return to Section 1 to repeat the process for your second, and all subsequent, LPAs in turn. Take care to focus on each LPA one at a time so that you can develop a clear picture of specific issues in order to develop appropriate solutions. For further assistance in identifying LPAs contact WRAP’s ROTATE team2 for free advice and support or Alison Day at [email protected], or WRAP, The Old Academy, 21 Horse Fair, Banbury, OX16 0AH Tel: 01295 819661 Fax: 01295 819911.




5.2 SECTION 1 – Profile your Low Participation Areas Having identified your LPAs, the next stage is to describe them and understand the ways in which they differ from other areas. This will help you identify issues specific to the area. 5.2.1 SECTION 1, Step 1 – Ensure service issues are not the reason for low participation

There is no point spending time and resources on developing communications for your LPA until service issues have been resolved. So take time to think critically about the services you provide in your LPA. Does the quality of service experienced in LPAs differ from that of higher participation areas? Q1 What waste and recycling services do you currently provide for your identified LPA?

Kerbside recycling e.g. kerbside sort/co-mingled, collection frequency, container type, materials accepted, food waste collections

Residual e.g. frequency, container type Bring Banks/Near Entry Banks e.g. location, proximity, type, materials accepted Household Recycling Centre e.g. location, proximity, materials accepted Other, please specify

Q2 What feedback have you received on your service and from whom? Consider both positive and negative feedback.

Crews e.g. complaints about servicing narrow streets Residents e.g. contacting call centre to register complaints about litter on recycling days or request box lids.

Survey responses noting high levels of satisfaction Call centre staff e.g. complaints of increased levels of missed collections Other, please specify None

Q3 What service issues are you aware of that may cause low participation?

Poor service delivery e.g. consistent complaints of recycling not being collected, complaints of high levels of litter following collections

Inappropriate services e.g. complaints that containers are too small or too large Inadequate service e.g. monthly recycling collection, poor siting of communal bins (may be inconvenient or

unsafe) Abuse of service e.g. vandalism of recycling banks, contamination of communal bins Difficulties with manoeuvring collection vehicle e.g. very narrow streets, no-stopping zones, high levels of on

street parking Difficulties with access for collection e.g. gated private roads and ‘estates’, gated alleyways, multi-occupancy

properties with secure access, remote households in rural areas Other, please specify Don’t know

These issues must be fully researched and the conclusions tested, using public consultation methods, to establish why residents are not participating properly. For more information on public consultation visit: http://www.the-environment-council.org.uk/better-engagement-in-the-waste-sector-2.html


http://www.the-environment-council.org.uk/better-engagement-in-the-waste-sector-2.html

5.2.2 Review SECTION 1, Step 1 - Ensure service issues are not the reason for low participation


Identified your LPAs

Described the services available in your LPA

Reviewed all feedback on your services

Identified any service issues that may have caused low participation

You now need to evaluate the information you have gathered on the provision of your services to establish whether service issues are the primary reason for low participation. Think carefully about any correlations as they may be complex. For example, has a high level of container losses lead to residents presenting recyclate in carrier bags, which in turn have not been collected by the crews who did not collect where containers were not visible? Also explore common feedback such as requests for additional boxes, requests for information on collection dates, requests for translations, complaints about quality of service etc. as these may need to be responded to through future communications. If at this point you decide that the principal cause of low participation is service related you should explore options for improving the service before starting to look in detail at communication issues. WRAP’s ROTATE team can provide free help and advice in developing solutions to service related problems. If you have established that service issues are not causing low participation, progress to Step 3. If not, you either need to address the service issues or move on to your next LPA. If you do not have enough information to complete this step you should consider whether you are in a position to tackle your LPAs. For further assistance in identifying whether services issues are the reason for low participation contact WRAP’s ROTATE team2 for free advice and support or Alison Day at [email protected], or WRAP, The Old Academy, 21 Horse Fair, Banbury, OX16 0AH. Tel: 01295 819661 Fax: 01295 819911.





5.2.3 SECTION 1, Step 2 - Identify objectives for your LPAs With reference to the aims you identified in Q i you now need to develop some objectives for this specific LPA. These will help you to keep focus in your campaign and enable you to measure your success. You might also be able to link these objectives to department objectives. Q4 What are your objectives for this work? Refer back to your aims set in Q i

Aim e.g. to increase participation in identified LPAs to match the rest of the borough Objective e.g. to increase participation in the kerbside recycling service in Summertown to 75% by March

2009

Aim e.g. to reduce the number of contaminated loads rejected from the reprocessor Objective e.g. to reduce contamination of the blue sack paper scheme in Summertown by 10% by March

2008

Aim e.g. to increase participation in identified LPAs to meet 07/08 recycling target. Objective e.g. to increase participation in the kerbside recycling service in Winterville to 75%, leading to an

overall recycling rate of 30%, by March 08

Aim e.g. to ensure residents understand how to use their recycling services Objective e.g. to ensure that 90% of residents in LPAs understand how to use their recycling services by

March 2009

Other, please specify

An aim is a general statement of purpose or intention.

An objective is a clear statement of what you are planning to achieve, quantified and given a specific timescale.


5.2.4 SECTION 1, Step 3 – Describe your audience(s) Still focussing on one LPA at a time you now need to think about your target audience. Who are they, how do they live and what makes them different from other audiences? This will help you to develop an understanding of why low participation might be taking place and help you to use appropriate communications routes to address these issues. Q5 What information do you have on the life stages of residents in your LPA?

Children e.g. they may have influence over their parents Young people e.g. often transient and 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 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, active in the community Elderly e.g. may have access issues and require assisted collections, may also be active in the community Other, please specify

A useful starting point is to review local Census data. The Office of National Statistics’ neighbourhood website can provide socio-demographic data about your area (www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination). You may find other council departments are able to help you. For a step by step guide on how to access this data see pages 199 – 201 of WRAP’s Monitoring & Evaluation Guidance3. Q6 What information do you have on lifestyles of residents in your LPA?

Consumer behaviour e.g. where do residents shop and what do they buy? (review waste composition or from www.upmystreet.com )

Socio economic status e.g. what do residents do with their spare time, what major interests do they have? (review Mosaic or Acorn data profiles or www.neighbourhoodstatistics.gov.uk)

Population turnover/transience e.g. are residents students, migrant groups or travellers? (review Mosaic or Acorn data profiles or www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination )


Again review local Census data and see if other council departments are able to help you. For a step by step guide on how to access this data see pages 199 – 201 of WRAP’s Monitoring & Evaluation Guidance3. You can also access some information about consumer behaviour from www.upmystreet.com Q7 Are there any cultural issues which need to be considered? It is important to fully explore any cultural issues with your local community. There may be particular opportunities that are specific to different groups or there may be barriers that you should avoid. Your campaign style will be directed by these issues.

Literacy and language e.g. populations where English may be a second language or literacy levels are low Social conventions e.g. in some cultures women will not talk to men that they do not know Social attitudes e.g. will environmental messaging resonate or would cost drivers have more impact Religious beliefs and practices e.g. the teachings of the Koran have strong environmental principles. Some

religious groups do not drink alcohol so would not respond to images of wine bottles Differing waste practices in countries of origin e.g. some residents may not have experienced recycling before,

there may not be a translation for the word recycling Other, please specify


http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination





http://www.upmystreet.com/

http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination





http://www.upmystreet.com/

Q8 What are the property types and tenure? How people live may have an influence on how you will best reach them.

Rural areas/farms e.g. you may need to consider reaching residents where they congregate (shops, schools) for cost effectiveness

Flats above shops e.g. may be difficult to access properties Housing association properties e.g. may be able to tap into existing communication routes Back-to-back or small terraced properties City centre housing developments e.g. may have caretakers or tenant’s association who might be able to

assist with programme Multi-occupancy and shared accommodation properties e.g. may be difficult to access properties High rise properties e.g. may have caretakers who might be able to assist with programme Caravan parks e.g. might have high turnover of residents so would need frequent communication or more

permanent displays Rented properties e.g. property manager might be able to assist with delivering new residents packs Second homes (and holiday homes) e.g. may have high turnover of residents so would need frequent

communication or more permanent displays Sheltered accommodation e.g. may have caretakers who could be able to assist with programme Other, please specify

You may have GIS information relating to housing type or visit www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination for information on housing type and occupancy. You may find other council departments are able to help you. Q9 What community networks, groups or organisations are active in your LPA? Developed and cohesive communities offer opportunities for influencing behavioural change by working with local groups. These networks may not be immediately obvious so take time to investigate this thoroughly and consult with the local community specifically in your LPA.

Peer pressure opportunities e.g. neighbourhood watch, family and friends, parish council Religious and cultural groups or local societies e.g. Women's Institute, Round Table, Young Farmers, youth

groups, student groups, church networks Community links e.g. libraries, local amenities, community centres, schools, pubs Local community voluntary groups e.g. environmental or conservation groups, community waste and recycling

groups Housing groups e.g. tenants association, caretaker’s, landlord’s, housing associations Others, please specify e.g. benefits agencies, police community support officers, neighbourhood wardens

Q10 Are there any internal audiences that should be kept informed of this programme?

Crews Call centre Elected members Other council departments


http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/

5.2.5 Review SECTION 1, Step 3 - Describe your audience(s)


Identified your LPAs

Established whether service issues are the reason for low participation

Set your objectives

Described the audiences in your LPA

You might also find it useful at this stage to review your waste data (see Q iv & v) and explore whether there is any relationship between the waste types and quantities in your LPA and the type of audience (Q10 – 13). You may find that particular groups create different types of waste, for example there is little merit in promoting tin/can collections to groups who predominantly buy fresh produce. You are now in a position to explore the communications issues in your LPA. If you have worked through Stage 1 steps 1 – 4 and have sufficient information, progress to Stage 2. If not, you will need to review whether you are currently in a position to tackle your LPAs. For further assistance in describing LPAs contact WRAP’s ROTATE team2 or contact Alison Day at [email protected], or WRAP, The Old Academy, 21 Horse Fair, Banbury, OX16 0AH. Tel: 01295 819661 Fax: 01295 819911.




5.3 SECTION 2 – Review and revise the communication activities in your LPAs The next stage focuses on how to improve communications in order to make them more effective and increase recycling activity in LPAs. The relationship between the collection service and communication activities is crucial, the communications must ‘sell’ recycling and the service must deliver the promise of the communications. 5.3.1 SECTION 2, Step 1 – Describe how you have communicated with residents in your

LPA The first step is to describe how you have communicated with residents in your LPA to date. A considered description of what you have done to date will help you to assess the impact of your communications and then develop more effective communications for your LPA. If you have already done some work on targeting specific audiences with particular communications within your LPA you should list your responses to the questions below by each audience type in your LPA. Q11 What branding have you used in your LPA?

Recycle Now Council brand Council waste brand Other, please specify

Q12 Describe the design used in your LPA

Colours e.g. browns and greens consistent with our council brand Fonts e.g. Arial Images e.g. illustrations/photographs Logo’s e.g. Council, Recycle Now, Beacon Authority Layout e.g. clear/lots of white space/dense text Other, please specify

Q13 What messages have you used in your LPA?

Use your box/Recycle Now Recycling saves energy/helps combat climate change Other, please specify

Q14 What communications activities have you used in your LPA?

Pre-service leaflet/letter Service leaflets, instructional and/or motivational information Service calendars Branding of collection containers Lorry livery of collection vehicles Launch event(s) Roadshows/Exhibitions Contamination stickers Contamination notices Crew information cards Signage at ‘drop off’ sites Signage on bring banks/containers Crew and staff training packs Website Press/members packs External advertising e.g. billboards, adshels, bus, train and tube Internal advertising e.g bus, tube


Press advertising Radio advertising PR Posters Council Newsletters Face to face work e.g. door-to-door canvassing, waste audits Community outreach Other, please specify

Q15 How frequently have these activities been undertaken and how have they been distributed?

Information leaflet distributed every two years by the crews Press release to community newspapers one per month Door-to-door canvassing to all residents in LPA. One off activity delivered by consultancy. Other, please specify


5.3.2 Review SECTION 2, Step 1 - Describe how you have communicated with residents in your LPA


Identified and described your LPA


Set your aims and objectives

Described how you have communicated with residents in your LPA

It is important at this stage to take the time to review all of your communications to date as the next step assesses the impact of these methods. You may also find it helpful to log examples of your communications to illustrate this step. If you have worked through Stage 2 Step 1 and have sufficient information, progress to Step 2. If not, you will need to review whether you are currently in a position to tackle your LPA.


5.3.3 SECTION 2, Step 2 – Assess the impact of your communications

You need to think critically about how you have been communicating with your identified target audience in your LPA. You may have delivered excellent communications across the borough BUT they may not have been appropriate for your particular LPA. Only by identifying where communications have been ineffective will you be able to improve your approach. Q16 How do you currently monitor the impact of your communications and what does this tell

you? In order to effectively assess your communications you will need to consider the following: Impact – what effect has your communications had on behaviour? e.g. have recycling rates increased, has the amount of residual waste decreased Outcome – what effect has your communications had on attitudes? e.g. are residents more aware of the schemes Process – how effective were the campaign materials? e.g. can people recall the material you issued or remember the message

Call centre feedback e.g. high numbers of residents asking for collection dates – potential issue with calendars not being received or understood

Surveys e.g. low recall of communications methods in LPA – potential issue with either brand or with communications activities

Comments received by door-to-door canvassers e.g. whole streets could not recall receiving leaflet – potential issue with either leaflet or with distribution

Customer satisfaction feedback e.g. compliments on clarity of leaflet Opportunities to See (OTS) generated through advertising e.g. comparison of which advertising generates the

most OTS in the LPA – will help direct future adverts and public relations Advertising Value Equivalents (AVE) of media coverage e.g. which titles give the best coverage of your press

releases? Call centre logs and website visits/hits e.g. which communication methods generate the most responses? Public consultation conducted with focus groups in the LPA e.g. what do people think of your brand and

messages? Feedback from community groups who support/work with your LPA e.g. residents have made it clear that

they do not understand the information leaflets Other data sources, please specify

For more information about how to measure communications view WRAP’s Monitoring & Evaluation Guidance3. Q17 What additional monitoring do you need to conduct or additional data do you need to

acquire?

Talk to call centre Conduct surveys Conduct focus groups Review citizens panel information Calculate OTS and AVE Review call centre logs and web visit numbers and correlate with communications issued Talk to community groups (specify) Other, please specify

You need to conduct this monitoring and insert the results into A21 before moving onto the next question. For more information about how to measure communications view WRAP’s Monitoring & Evaluation Guidance3.








Q18 What communication issues exist within the LPA and why? Refer to your answers from Q16 and Q17

Communications are not reaching residents

Student population e.g. leaflets distributed outside of academic year therefore not received by student population

High turnover of population e.g. leaflet distribution might not be frequent enough to be sure residents have received one

Access issues e.g. gated or secure access making distribution difficult, residents may not have received leaflet

Not making the most of community links e.g. some hard to reach residents might not have received information in an appropriate form


Communications are not being understood by residents

Cultural differences/barriers e.g. standard leaflet may not communicate service effectively Literacy/language barriers e.g. standard leaflet may not communicate service effectively Not making the most of community links e.g. some hard to engage residents may not have

received information in an appropriate form Other, please specify

Communications do not contain the correct/enough information

Lack of/inappropriate instructional information e.g. elderly population may need further information on assisted collections

Lack of/inappropriate motivational information e.g. recycling saves energy message may not resonate with students



None


5.3.4 Review SECTION 2, Step 2 - Assess the impact of your communications By now you will have:

Identified and described your LPAs




Assessed the impact of these communications and identified communication issues

It is important that you have thought critically about your approach to date in order to help you develop improved communications when you progress to step 3. Remember to look beyond the issues you identify first to gain a complete picture. If you have insufficient information so far you will need to review whether you are currently in a position to tackle your LPAs or whether you need to do additional research to assess your communications and identify communication issues. For more information about how to measure communications view WRAP’s Monitoring & Evaluation Guidance3.





5.3.5 SECTION 2, Step 3 – Develop effective communications You now need to consider developing your communications with reference to your identified audiences and the communications issues that you have identified in the previous sections. Each LPA is different, remember what works well in one area must be carefully interpreted and adapted in order to suit the circumstances of another LPA. Q19 With reference to the issues raised in Q18, and your objectives noted in Q4, what should the

purpose of the communication be?

Inform students what to recycle, how, why and when at the start of term time Insure communications reach residents in high density housing including gated properties and houses of

multiple occupancy Inform residents in your LPA what to recycle, how, why and when using plain English and communications

methods that are appropriate to the residents in this area Develop a campaign to motivate people Other, please specify

Q20 What branding will you use? Will it differ from other council or recycling brands and why?

Recycle Now/council brand/council waste brand Using Recycle Now brand but photographs of local people and landmarks rather than illustrations to

demonstrate relevance to local people Other, please specify

Q21 Describe the design you will use and how this differs/complements other council or

recycling designs used and why

Colours e.g. browns and greens consistent with our council brand Fonts e.g. Arial as per existing brand Images e.g. illustrations/photographs of local people and landmarks rather than illustrations to demonstrate

relevance to local people Logos e.g. Recycle for Summertown Layout e.g. clear/lots of white space/well spaced text/as per existing brand Other, please specify

For more information on how to create effective communications view the Basic Design Principles4 , look for good examples from other local authorities either through the Recycle Now partners site5 or by contacting neighbouring authorities. Q22 Describe the key messages you need to use and why Consider the tone of voice and both information and motivation messages

Use your box/Recycle Now – clear calls to action Recycling saves energy/helps combat climate change – motivational messages Let’s get it sorted – persuasive not authoritarian Using ‘your’ and ‘our’ rather than ‘residents’ and ‘council’ – personalise messages Other, please specify

Q23 What communications activities will best reach the audience in your LPA? Think of all possible routes to your audience. There may be existing events or publications that will help you access your audience for example community radio stations or parish newsletters. It is possible that these routes may have more credibility than a bespoke communication from the council.

Pre-service leaflet/letter Service leaflets, instructional and/or motivational information Service calendars


http://www.wrap.org.uk/document.rm?id=3591

http://www.recyclenowpartners.org.uk/local_authorities/brand_in_action/index.html

Branding of collection containers Lorry livery of collection vehicles Launch event(s) Road shows/Exhibitions Contamination stickers Contamination notices Crew information cards Signage at ‘drop off’ sites Signage on bring banks/containers Crew and staff training Website Press/members packs External advertising e.g. billboards, adshels, bus, train and tube Internal advertising e.g. bus, tube Press advertising e.g. consider culturally specific media Radio advertising PR Posters Council Newsletters Face to face work e.g. door-to-door canvassing, waste audits, Community outreach Internal communications with identified internal audiences (refer back to your answers to Q10) Other, please specify

For more information on planning communications campaigns refer to Developing recycling communications campaigns6. Q24 How frequently will you undertake these activities and how will they be distributed?

Information leaflet distributed every two years with crew Press release to community newspapers one per month Door-to-door canvassing to all residents in LPA. One off activity delivered by consultancy Other, please specify

Q25 Are there any other council partners or programmes that could help you develop and deliver

the communications more effectively? Refer back to your answers from Q9

Housing e.g. help with communication activities as well as the practical development/implementation of new schemes especially in council run estates and high rise properties

Community Safety e.g. use of community wardens to spread the message locally Education e.g. help with getting messages across in schools and out into the community Community Development e.g. identification of community leaders/organisations who can help get key

messages circulated in LPA Planning e.g. help with installing new drop-off or other facilities in LPA Communications e.g. experience of targeting communications specifically to householders and communities Finance e.g. help with providing a communications channel to LPA residents, especially new comers, with

their Council Tax information Neighbourhood renewal programmes Education for Sustainable Development initiatives Sure Start Family Learning programmes Community Arts programmes Other, please specify

WRAP has developed ‘Recycling in Schools’ course which focuses on developing a practical approach to planning, implementing and maintaining recycling schemes in schools that will contribute to the achievement of local authority strategic recycling aims. For more information download: Recycling in schools course outline and learning outcomes7.






Q26 Are there are any other stakeholders that may be able to help? Refer back to your answers from Stage 1, Step 4

Peer pressure opportunities e.g. neighbourhood watch, family and friends, parish councils Religious and cultural groups or local societies e.g. Women’s Institute, Round Table, Young Farmers, youth

groups, student groups, church networks Community links e.g. libraries, local amenities, community centres, schools, pubs Local community voluntary groups e.g. environmental/conservation groups, community waste/recycling

groups Housing groups e.g. tenants association, caretaker’s, landlord’s, housing associations Others, please specify


Review SECTION 2, Step 3 – Develop effective communications By now you will have:




Described how you have communicated with residents in your LPAs


Identified a communications approach which will address these issues

Now is a good time to look back and double check that the approach you have developed will resolve the issues you identified in Stage 2, step 2. Remember to think creatively about which communications methods will effectively respond to the issues in each LPA. You might like to review the case studies1 to see how LPAs have been addressed in other areas. If you feel you need further help to identify a suitable communications approach consult further guidance including:

Developing communications campaigns6

Basic design principles4

Recycle Now brand guidelines8

Recycle Now partners guidelines9

Examples of good practice on the Recycle Now partners website5

Or you may like to apply for ROTATE support. For further assistance in developing effective communications contact WRAP’s ROTATE team2 for free advice and support or Alison Day at [email protected] , or WRAP, The Old Academy, 21 Horse Fair, Banbury, OX16 0AH Tel: 01295 819661 Fax: 01295 819911.







http://www.recyclenowpartners.org.uk/local_authorities/brand_in_action/



5.4 SECTION 3 – Plan and programme your communication activities You are now in a position to develop your communications plan. 5.4.1 SECTION 3, Step 1 – Assess how your communication activities will impact on your

service Q27 How will your recycling services be affected by the communication activities? Please add as much detail as you can and try to consider the resource implications of the issues raised below.

Call centres e.g. increased communications activity could lead to an increase in call volumes Crews/Staff e.g. all staff involved with the services that are affected by communications need to receive

training and briefings on planned activities. WRAP has developed a crew communication training course contact training on [email protected] for further information.

Collections e.g. ensure you have sufficient supplies of collection containers/supporting communications, review whether the collections will take longer

Capacity of vehicles e.g. if the communication generates a significant increase in the amount of recyclate will the vehicles have the capacity to collect?

PR e.g. increased PR coverage raising the profile of the campaign, ensuring spokespeople are briefed and available for comment, meeting with the press and providing information

Website e.g. ensuring website is kept up to date with information about the campaign Monitoring e.g. increased requirements for monitoring and evaluation Other, please specify

If at this point you are unsure how the communications may impact on the service WRAP’s ROTATE team can provide help and advice. Contact WRAP’s ROTATE team2 Alison Day at [email protected], or WRAP, The Old Academy, 21 Horse Fair, Banbury, OX16 0AH. Tel: 01295 819661 Fax: 01295 819911.





5.4.2 SECTION 3, Step 2 - Plan your activities Q28 Complete an activity table detailing your communication campaign For each activity you need to detail all the individual actions that need to happen in order for the activity to take place. Think carefully about whether there will be any supplementary activities such as any training of internal or external partners that you need to add. You need to establish when each action needs to happen and how long it will take. Be realistic about how long each action will take and build in sufficient time for planning. You also need to start working up a budget: estimate your costs using past costs, talking to colleagues or other authorities and the indicative costs guide10. It can be useful to develop an activity table detailing the activities, timescales and costs. A sample version for you to complete is provided: LPA template activity table Consider how much detail you need to include. At this stage rough estimates will be enough to help you consider the scale of your proposed campaign and prioritise your LPAs. You will be prompted to return to your activity tables to refine your plan later in this process. Think a carefully about what additional resources you will need to deliver this programme. These resources might include the following. Figure 3: Possible additional resources required to deliver a communications campaign Resource Needed Requirements Staff Existing staff

Temporary staff Recruit staff

External expertise Designers Printers Communication consultants Community leaders

Funding/Budget Existing budget Funding available Other sources of funding e.g. external funds

Timescales Project planning How long to set up How long to deliver How long to see results

Partners Are there any other partners? Negotiating partnership agreements Establishing working procedures


You will find it helpful to refer to WRAP’s Indicative costs guide10 and Developing recycling communications campaigns6.








5.4.3 SECTION 3, Step 3 – Integrate monitoring mechanisms Local authorities should monitor and evaluate their recycling schemes including both collections performance and effectiveness of communication programmes as a matter of routine. This enables assessment of scheme performance against expectations/requirements and also helps diagnose problems, design new approaches and ultimately improve efficiency and effectiveness. In order to assess the effectiveness of your communications campaign and review whether you have achieved your defined aims and objectives you will need to develop a series of monitoring mechanisms. Q29 What should you monitor and evaluate? (Refer to your answers to Q16 and 17)

Tonnages - when, by whom and how much will it cost? Participation rates/set out rates - when, by whom and how much will it cost? Capture rates - when, by whom and how much will it cost? Levels of contamination - when, by whom and how much will it cost? Attitudes and claimed behaviour - how, when, by whom and how much will it cost? Other, please specify

Now add the detail of your pre and post campaign monitoring activities including the cost and timescales to your activity table (provided in Q28). It can be helpful to break down each monitoring activity into sub activities such as preparing the monitoring (getting round lists etc), conducting the monitoring, inputting the data, analysing the data and writing the report. This will help you to be more accurate with your estimates of exactly what tasks need to be done, how long they will take and how much they will cost.

The results of the monitoring will have a longer-lasting impact if they are written up in some form and may help form the baseline or background data for further work. For more information on developing a monitoring plan and writing and preparing monitoring results refer to Section 2.32 of WRAP’s Monitoring & Evaluation Guidance3.





5.4.4 Review SECTION 3 - Plan and programme your communications activities By now you will have:






Identified a communications approach which address these issues

Identified how the communications may impact on the service

Planned your activities

Integrated monitoring mechanisms

You have now completed all 3 stages of the decision making process for your first LPA. If you identified more than one LPA in Stage 1, Step 1 you can now return to Stage 1, Step 2 to work the process for all remaining LPA in turn. If this is your last LPA please proceed to ‘Finalise your plans.’


5.5 Finalise your plans 5.5.1 Prioritise your work

Once you have completed this process for all of your LPAs you will need to carefully review what can feasibly be achieved. You may not be able to work on all of the identified LPAs at this stage. There may be service issues that need to be resolved and it is likely that there is a limited budget for this work. You now need to prioritise which LPA you are going to tackle first. There are many factors that may influence how you prioritise such as:

biggest potential gains

quickest potential gains

least resources required

greatest alignment to corporate priorities

Those LPAs that you are not currently able to address can be revisited in the future should circumstances change.


5.5.2 Finalise your communications plan The next step is to write up your plan for your LPA. Communications planning is critical as it will enable you to effectively structure the delivery of your campaign, maximise the use of resources and enable you to confirm a realistic budget and timescales for the project. You may also find it useful to share with other stakeholders. A good communication plan should contain the sections detailed in the planning cycle detailed below in Figure 4. Figure 4: Communications Planning Cycle


By working through this decision making tool you will have already developed the basis of a communications plan. Figure 5 demonstrates which of your answers will help you complete each section of the Communications Planning Cycle.

Figure 5: Sample communication plan and applicable sections of the decision making process

Background Information contained in your answers to Questions ii - 3, 16 & 17

Situational analysis An analysis of the above, projection of where you want to be and a response to the

issues raised in your answer to Question 18

Aims and objectives Your answers to Questions i & 4

Target audience Information contained in your answers to Questions 5 - 10

Branding and message Information contained in your answers to Questions 19 - 22

Strategy and communication methods Information contained in your answers to Questions 23 - 26

Campaign activities More detail on the delivery of the communication methods detailed above

Planning your campaign activities Information contained in your answers to Questions 27 & 28

Monitoring and evaluation Information contained in your answer to Question 29

Communications planning cycle – applicable questions

You now need to finalise your activity table for your LPA. Review your activities and revisit your estimates for timescales and costs. Seek guidance when compiling your estimates from the indicative costs guidance, case studies, previous projects you have run and from the experience of other authorities who have run similar projects. The finer you breakdown the activities the more accurate you are likely to be when identifying all the actions in that activity and when estimating the timescales and costs. However, too much detail can be confusing to people not directly involved in the programme so you may need to develop summary activity tables to share information with your managers or other departments. Once complete, you will have a clear plan outlining exactly who you plan to target, when, where and how. This will enable you to deliver communications more effectively and maximise resources. You are now in a position to deliver your LPA communications campaign.


5.5.3 Further work Once you have delivered and monitored your low participation area communications campaign there are a number of activities that you should consider to build on the work delivered to date. These include:

Report on the delivery of the campaign including project issues, successes and challenges

Report on the effectiveness of the campaign, did you achieve your aims and objectives?

Identify what ongoing work is required in the identified LPA and develop plans to deliver these activities

Make recommendations for further work in LPA (if necessary work through the decision making tool again)

Make recommendations for how the results from this work may apply to other LPAs

Disseminate this information to both internal and external audiences

Monitor and review on an ongoing basis so that any decreases in participation can be quickly identified

WRAP are looking to share more examples of effective communications campaigns which have addressed low participation areas. If you have any examples, or any other comments or feedback, please contact Alison Day at [email protected].



6.0 Conclusion

There are a number of key lessons to successfully resolving issues in low participation areas:

Issues to be resolved may relate to the unsuitability of both service provision and communication methods currently used. It will be important at an early stage to correctly diagnose the actual cause of low participation and to identify solutions accordingly;

Developing an informed and accurate description of the low performing areas and their audiences is

critical to identifying the issues to be resolved;

There are no off-the-shelf solutions, issues are best resolved by working through the process described in this guidance document. Whilst one can draw on the experience of the way others have tackled issues in low performing areas, no two areas will be the same.


7.0 Appendices 7.1 Appendix 1 Summary and Key Recommendations of Masterclass on Low Participation

Areas The Masterclass identified a number of key principles to consider when working with low participation areas:

1. Each LPA needs a tailored service and communications solution based on its individual requirements.

One ‘size’ does not fit all.

2. Take the time to fully understand the make up of the area, physically and socially.

3. Work in partnership both within and outside the council, recognising the benefits of working with community leaders and organisations.

4. Use life stage and lifestyle as ways to help identify potential target audiences and determine how to

engage them.

5. Keep communications simple. Use clear designs, visual images and focus on basic information and simple messages.

6. Involve the crews:

• Encourage crews to assist with monitoring and to feed back on what’s happening on the rounds • Ensure sufficient training is provided, this will enable crews to act

as ambassadors and be more motivated to deliver a good quality service • Hold focus groups to get the crews feedback on service delivery and performance • Incentivise crews to encourage them to become involved in improving participation

7. Work with school age children to communicate messages:

• Communicating with school age children helps engage parents and encourage participation at home

• Potential language issues are reduced as the majority of children learn English • Can be useful as a precursor to door-to-door canvassing to raise awareness that recycling

advisors will be canvassing the area • Can invoke peer pressure or ‘pester power’ • Where parents can read English they are likely to read what children bring home from school


7.2 Appendix 2 Improving Low Participation Areas – A Decision Making Process - Questions List

Improving Low Participation Areas - A Decision Making Process

Identify your LPAs Q i What are your aims for this work? Q ii Describe your Local Authority Q iii Summarise your waste and recycling services Q iv How do you currently monitor recycling and waste performance in your authority and what does this tell you about participation? Q v What additional monitoring do you need to conduct or additional data do you need to acquire? Review Identify your LPAs REPEAT SECTIONS 1 to 3 FOR EACH LPA SECTION 1 – Profile your Low Participation Areas SECTION 1, Step 1 Ensure services issues are not the reason for low participation Q1 What waste and recycling services do you currently provide for your identified LPA? Q2 What feedback have you received on your service and from whom? Q3 What service issues are you aware of that may cause low participation? Review SECTION 1, Step 1 - Ensure services issues are not the reason for low participation? SECTION 1, Step 2 - Identify objectives for your LPAs Q4 What are your objectives for this work? SECTION 1, Step 3 – Describe your audience(s) Q5 What information do you have on the lifestages of residents in your LPA? Q6 What information do you have on lifestyles of residents in your LPA? Q7 Are there any cultural issues which need to be considered? Q8 What are the property types and tenure? Q9 What community networks, groups or organisations are active in your LPA? Q10 Are there any internal audiences that should be kept informed of this programme? Review SECTION 1, Step 3 - Describe your audience(s)



SECTION 2 – Review and revise your communication activities in your low participation areas SECTION 2, Step 1 – Describe how you have communicated with residents in your LPA Q11 What branding have you used in your LPA? Q12 Describe the design used in your LPA Q13 What messages have you used in your LPA? Q14 What communications activities have you used in your LPA? Q15 How frequently have these activities been undertaken and how have they been distributed? Review SECTION 2, Step 1 - Describe how you have communicated with residents in your LPA SECTION 2, Step 2 – Assess the impact of your communications Q16 How do you currently monitor the impact of your communications and what does this tell you? Q17 What additional monitoring do you need to conduct or additional data do you need to acquire? Q18 What communication issues exist within the LPA and why? Review SECTION 2, Step 2 - Assess the impact of your communications SECTION 2, Step 3 – Develop effective communications Q19 With reference to the issues raised in Q18, and your objectives noted in Q4, what should the purpose of the communication be? Q20 What branding will you use? Will it differ from your other council or recycling brands and why? Q21 Describe the design you will use and how this differs/compliments other council or recycling designs

used and why Q22 Describe the key messages you need to use and why Q23 What communication activities will best reach the audience in your LPA? Q24 How frequently will you undertake these activities and how will they be distributed? Q25 Are there any other council partners or programmes that could help you develop and deliver the communications more effectively? Q26 Are there any other stakeholders that may be able to help? Review SECTION 2, Step 3 – develop effective communications SECTION 3 – Plan and programme your communication activities SECTION 3, Step 1 – Assess how your communication activities will impact on your service Q27 How will your recycling services be affected by the communications activities? SECTION 3 Step 2 - Plan your activities Q28 complete an activity table detailing your communications campaign SECTION 3, Step 3 – Integrate monitoring mechanisms Q29 What should you monitor and evaluate? Review SECTION 3 - Plan and Programme your communications activities RETURN TO SECTION 1 AND REPEAT FOR EACH LPA. Finalise your plans Prioritise your work Finalise your communications plan Further work


8.0 References

Ref. Title Location 1 Improving Low Participation Areas page of the WRAP website http://www.wrap.org.uk/go.rm?id=199182 ROTATE page of the WRAP website http://www.wrap.org.uk/go.rm?id=31583 ‘Improving the Performance of Waste Diversion Schemes - A Good Practice Guide

to Monitoring and Evaluation’ http://www.wrap.org.uk/go.rm?id=9196

4 Basic Design Principles http://www.wrap.org.uk/document.rm?id=35915 Recycle Now Partners website ‘Brand In Action’ http://www.recyclenowpartners.org.uk/local_authorities/brand_in_action/6 Developing Recycling Communications Campaigns http://www.wrap.org.uk/document.rm?id=27327 Recycling in Schools Course Outline and Learning Outcomes http://www.wrap.org.uk/document.rm?id=48178 Recycle Now Brand Guidelines http://www.wrap.org.uk/go.rm?id=184339 Recycle Now Partners Guidelines http://www.wrap.org.uk/go.rm?id=1843310 Indicative Costs Guide http://www.wrap.org.uk/document.rm?id=2672





http://www.recyclenowpartners.org.uk/local_authorities/brand_in_action/






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