Respect the Throne: a New Approach to Wastewater

Respect The Throne: Flushing out problem behaviours from the bottom up. This initiative was developed by the Hunter Water Corporation, winner of the impactful communications award in the 2022 NSW Sustainability Awards.

The COVID-19 pandemic, and subsequent toilet paper shortage had an immediate impact on Hunter Water’s wastewater system with a sharp increase observed of nondegradable matter in the wastewater network.

With immediate action required to reduce the risk of blockages in the network, and potential environmental and health risks to the community, Hunter Water delivered a creative message to the community. The message was timely, cost effective, and quirky in order to gain cutthrough in a challenging customer communications and engagement environment.

The ‘Respect the Throne’ campaign successfully cut-through in a cluttered public communications environment and showed that a creative and adaptable communications approach can provide a fast, cost-effective and durable behaviour change outcome.

Being adaptable, responsive and creative was key to achieving fast and measurable behaviour change across the community, to address an escalating operational challenge. The ‘Respect the Throne’ message was delivered using the right tone, at the right time, and in the right place.

Within the Australian water industry, the occurrence of large-scale sewer blockages is significant. Like all sewerage systems, Hunter Water’s network is designed to treat degradable sewerage, known in the industry as the 3P’s. The flushing of items such as paper towels, sanitary products and wipes is further contributing to the problem, resulting in potentially severe impacts to the environment. Other consequences include the impact to community liveability, as well as safety risks to water utility staff, and potential customer dissatisfaction.

This campaign is effectively improving the efficiency of our wastewater plants by providing education about appropriate disposal of non-biodegradable products. The campaign also facilitated the  reduction of pollution, resulting in less sewer main breaks.

Being aware of the current environment, being relevant whilst delivering a timely message with the right pitch and tone, was what made this a successful engagement approach. This is a topic that doesn’t often get the same attention as water conservation initiatives.