Hard-hitting campaign ups recycling habits
23 October 2006
Almost a quarter of residents in four south and west London boroughs who saw Recycle Western Riverside's (RWR) hard-hitting advertising campaign are now recycling more, according to an Ipsos MORI poll published today.
Encouragingly, 79% of people in the target group who saw the campaign now say they recycle "everything" or "a lot" - 7% more than those who did not see it.
Aimed at the one in four residents who currently recycle little or none of their rubbish, the thought-provoking campaign was a direct call to action for residents to help prevent tonnes of waste going to landfill.
The adverts featured famous London landmarks buried in rubbish and asked, 'Just when will you start recycling?'. The campaign was a runner up at the recent Campaign Poster Awards and is a finalist in this year's National Recycling Awards.
The study also showed that 94% of residents claim that recycling is important to them personally. And of the residents questioned, 81% now feel well informed about what can and can't be recycled, compared to less than half of residents in 2002.
The Western Riverside Waste Authority constituent boroughs have worked hard to improve recycling services and the introduction of the boroughs' trademark orange sacks and recycling banks have made it much easier for residents to recycle. The survey showed that almost 80% of residents are now satisfied with the accessibility of their recycling facilities, compared to just 42% in 2002.
Sam Jarvis, RWR Campaign Manager, said: "We're thrilled that more people are recycling as a direct result of the RWR advertising campaign. Almost a quarter of people who saw the adverts also encouraged their friends and families to start recycling. There's still a way to go, but working with the councils the RWR campaign hopes to encourage more residents to recycle more things more often."