Recycling on-the-go campaign Impact Report: May - October 2021
The #InTheLoop story so far... Hubbub’s work on recycling-on-the go began back in 2018 with our pilot project #LeedsByExample, which was a collaboration between Hubbub, Leeds City Council, over 25 major businesses including Danone, and local community groups. Since the initial pilot in Leeds, Hubbub has run three 6-12 month campaigns in Swansea, Edinburgh and Dublin, testing a range of different interventions and building on our expertise in changing behaviours around litter, waste and recycling. #InTheLoop impact at a glance:
Leeds 186 new bins, tripled recycling rates in Leeds City Centre.
Swansea 119 new or improved recycling bins, increased collection of target materials by 89%.
Edinburgh 58 new recycling bins, 173 businesses supported the campaign.
Dublin Introducing on-the-go amid the pandemic, generating a positive buzz online and coverage in national media.
During the trial periods alone, over 2.1 million cans, plastic and glass bottles and coffee cups were collected and recycled across Leeds, Swansea and Edinburgh. 2
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Our do’s and don’ts of recycling on-the-go Our ambitions
Start with insights. Understand the local context to inform communications and design.
Failing to monitor your progess and not sharing your results publicly (good and bad) will limit your impact.
Collaborate from day one. Tap into local expertise and networks. Clear and consistent communications are crucial to make people less confused about recycling.
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Maximise your impact. Champion re-use over recycle wherever possible.
Location, location, location. Position your bins wisely: busy locations will get a higher volume of material.
Bins need buddies. Use bins with both recycling and general waste sides or pairs bins next to each other. Phase your roll out. Test your approach before expanding to new areas. Build a legacy. Ensure the system remains viable in the long term.
Stay consistent. Avoid confusing people even more by changing your designs or messaging.
Trial new ways to engage the public, measure and learn from their outcomes.
Be specific. Avoid general terms and detail the items you want to collect.
Make recycling simple, visual and fun. Try out humour and local language and sayings.
Don’t reinvent the wheel. Learn from proven behaviour change techniques.
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The issue In 2019 an estimated eight billion drinks containers were thrown into landfill, littered or burned in the UK. That’s 250 per second...
126 for every single person across the whole year... Or 1.72 million in the time taken for Ash Barty to win this year’s Wimbledon’s Women’s Single Final.
Why is this?
Why recycling on-the-go matters Plastic bottles and cans are regularly used items, made from valuable materials that can be reused and recycled again and again. Every bottle and can put back #InTheLoop:
Less than half of local authorities currently have on-street recycling systems (WRAP 2019).
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Nearly half of the public find recycling while out and about confusing meaning the recyclable items end up in the general waste.
On-street recycling is seen by many councils as being too expensive and difficult to set up and where tested, contamination rates are often too high to recycle properly.
Reduces the amount of virgin plastic and aluminium required for making new products.
Saves energy and reduces carbon emissions compared to making materials from scratch.
Reduces waste sent to landfill, incineration or littered.
Supports the shift to a more circular economy.
Even with the change in consumption habits during the COVID-19 pandemic that saw more people spending time at home, the food-to-go market is expected to continue to grow and return to pre-COVID-19 levels by the second half of 2022, making recycling on-the-go as important and relevant as ever. 7
The context in Wimbledon Wimbledon is a district and town located in the borough of Merton, in south-west London. Wimbledon is split into two sections, the ‘town’ and the ‘village’. It’s most famous for The Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world which brings hundreds of thousands of people to Wimbledon each year.
Merton Council...
Has declared a climate emergency with aims to be a carbon-neutral borough by 2050.
Is aiming for a 7.5% reduction in waste by 2023 and increasing recycling rates on-the-go will help them to reach these targets.
Before the start of the campaign, Wimbledon had a network of recycling bins, first introduced in 2009. However, when surveyed, around 50% of residents said they hadn’t recycled when out and about, either due to a lack of bins nearby, or confusion around what to put in the bin. Due to a high volume of contamination due to wrong materials ending up in Merton recycling bins (items such as food, coffee cups, etc.), the materials were unable to be recycled, and were instead sent to an energy recovery facility.
Only empty plastic bottles and cans
The challenge How can we get more people in Wimbledon - both residents and tennis visitors - to recycle correctly?
Any old rubbish here
Wimbledon #InTheLoop aimed to introduce a new system for recycling on-the-go that worked year-round for local residents and visitors alike. 8
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Our ambitions
Create a system
for recycling on-the-go that is cost effective and will remain in place long term.
Test what works
Raise awareness
of how to recycle correctly and why it is an important step in tackling the waste issue.
by introducing infrastructure and interventions to encourage correct recycling during the 2021 Wimbledon Championships.
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Nudge people
to change their behaviours while they are out and about so that they recycle correctly by default.
Save materials
from going to waste by collecting empty plastic bottles and cans and responsibly recycling them.
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The funders
A winning partnership
Wimbledon #InTheLoop was made possible thanks to the financial support of natural mineral water brand and Official Partner of The Championships evian, as part of its commitment to sustainability.
As we’ve learnt from previous campaigns, it’s essential to work alongside local partners who bring their local expertise and network as well as their commitment to the success of the campaign.
Danone, evian’s parent company, has been a valued collaborator of Hubbub’s recycling on-the-go campaigns for a number of years in Leeds, Swansea and Edinburgh and we’re thrilled to have continued this partnership with evian on Wimbledon #InTheLoop.
Initial partnership
+ Hubbub
Local delivery partner
leading local engagement, spreading campaign messages and ensuring local buy-in.
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We are thrilled to see the positive impact that the Wimbledon #InTheLoop campaign has had on driving behavioural change around recycling, and are proud of the infrastructure we will be leaving for the local community. Partnerships like this are hugely important for us as we make strides towards our ambition of becoming a fully circular brand by 2025, and we will continue to support #InTheLoop Phase Three in more towns and cities across the UK. As part of our circularity commitment, we’re always looking for ways to ensure the bottles we produce are recycled at the end of their life. Gemma Morgan, Brand Marketing Manager at evian
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Merton Council
Measurement and evaluation partner
providing independent material assessment and collation of the data.
Local amplification the local Business Improvement District.
Tackling issues of waste at a local level is a core objective for Sustainable Merton. We are pleased to have contributed to improving rates of recycling in Merton and are excited to see if this successful pilot could be implemented elsewhere in the borough. Diana Sterck, Sustainable Merton CEO
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Our greatest achievements We improved the quality of recycling collected
A lasting legacy of easy to use colourful bins
Campaign start
Campaign end
1 in 2 plastic bottles and cans ended up in the recycling. But due to high levels of contamination, nothing could be recycled.
Today, 9 in 10 plastic bottles and cans end up in the recycling. Contamination has been reduced and the materials can now be recycled.
We introduced... 50 new recycling bins
We collected a large number of target materials
We led a diverse and impactful engagement campaign
Over 4 months we collected an estimated...
Over 200
900,000
people reached through wide-reaching comms
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people engagled at The Recycler in Wimbledon Park during The Championships
Press and media coverage reached
756.9k
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Our behaviour change model
Only empty plastic bottles and cans
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People became able to recycle … because we improved the system, making it easy for them to do the right thing.
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Introducing colourful new bins The campaign introduced 50 new, recycling dual bins with one yellow side for plastic bottles and cans and one side for general waste. We wanted the bins to stand out and be easy to use, so we: Incorporated a playful, locally relevant design on the side to catch people’s attention. Changed the messaging on the bins from ‘Recycling’ to specifically ‘Only empty plastic bottles and cans’ to reduce confusion about what can be put in the bins. Changed the shape of the aperture to a smaller, circular one as a final nudge to remind people it’s only for plastic bottles and cans. Used bright colours, large icons that are colour coordinated to WRAP waste streams to make it consistent with wider recycling guidance. Added signage to the top of bins so people have multiple opportunities to see the messaging. This included a ‘no coffee cups’ message, an item that we found was commonly put in the recycling incorrectly.
Where does the waste go? All materials are collected by Veolia and sorted in the UK. Most are taken to a sorting facility in Rainham, East London. Once sorted, the materials are baled (squashed into cubes) and sold on to audited reprocessors. PET plastic bottles and cans that are put back #InTheLoop can become new products in as little as 6 weeks. 20
Waste contractor
Merton Council’s partner
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Improving the quality of recycling The campaign achieved one of its key aims for Merton Council: to improve the quality of materials collected and reduce contamination in the bins to a level that allows the waste to be recycled. Not only did the overall quality of materials improve, but we also saw an increase in the quantity of plastic bottles and cans collected too. Four months into the campaign, we estimate to have collected:
The audits conducted on the new bins showed a significant improvement in the quality of materials collected, and a consistent performance in the medium term, with comparable positive results during The Championships and three months afterwards. Based on performance of previous campaigns, we expect a continued improvement over time as people become more familiar with the infrastructure. By weight
Baseline Audit 1 audit
Plastic bottles 9% and cans Everything 91% else
Audit 2
Average
Percentage change
14%
14%
14%*
52%
86%
86%
86%
-5%
*Whilst glass wasn’t a target material, it can be recycled and people continued to use the bins for recycling. Factoring glass in the average target material weight is 41%.
A note on contamination… Putting any materials other than the target materials (empty plastic bottles and cans in Wimbledon) is classed as contamination and this is one of the biggest challenges for recycling on the-go.
Overall, we observed:
Only empty plastic bottles and cans
A 277% increase in the number of target materials being collected (plastic bottles and cans). 22
Contamination is often caused by confusion about what can be put in the bin or wishful recycling/wish-cycling - the practice of putting items in the recycling because you believe or hope it is recyclable. The audits conducted showed that whilst some level of contamination remained, the quality overall improved significantly.
Any old rubbish here
out of 10 plastic 9 bottles ending up in the recycling, compared to 1 in 2 prior to the campaign.
A reduction in the levels and type of contamination to a level that allows the waste to be recycled.
For example, there were 50% less coffee cups (in weight) in the recycling bins in the third audit compared to the first one, and a visible reduction in other items that are wishfully recycled, like dirty food waste packaging. We also observed an almost complete elimination of items that should never be in a recycling bin, like dog waste, food waste and non-recyclable plastic such as polystyrene. 23
Developing deeper insight With each #InTheLoop campaign, we aim to test new ideas and develop new insight into how to make the #InTheLoop model for recycling on-the-go as impactful and effective as possible. As COVID-19 restrictions eased, we hit the streets to observe how people were using the bins across the campaign area.
Our main takeaways: The vast majority of bin usage is correct When observing people use the bins, we saw that the overwhelming majority are now using the bins correctly – putting plastic bottles and cans in the recycling and everything else in general waste side. If in doubt, keep it out!. Coffee drinkers are unlikely to use bins straight outside the café As people often drink on-the-go, the messages reinforcing not to throw coffee cups in the bins work best across the campaign area. Cigarette smokers always use the general waste bin for their cigarette butts (when they use a bin) This suggests that there is almost always some level of positive intention when people put the wrong thing in the recycling bin (i.e. wishful recycling). Plastic cups are popular in the summer In addition to standard coffee cups, we observed an increase in clear plastic cups used for iced coffee drinks and bubble teas found in our recycling bins, as people switched to cold drinks to beat the heat. You can only read the bottom sign from about a metre away We’ve learnt from previous campaigns that people spend less than two seconds at a bin, leaving limited time to read signage. This led to additional signage being added to the tops of the bins. 24
Based on our learnings we...
Created targeted videos online and through local amplifiers to reinforce what can and can’t be recycled.
Added additional vinyls to the top of the bin so people have multiple opportunities to see the message.
Ran in-person engagement events in local hotspots to speak to more people about recycling on-the-go. 25
People became willing to recycle … through a wide-reaching communications campaign which trialled new, creative approaches to engaging residents and visitors in the area.
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The Recycler To make recycling fun and help tackle the issue of park litter, we gave a horsebox a makeover to become ‘The Recycler’ ‘The Recycler’ was stationed in Wimbledon Park throughout The Championships (29th June – 9th July) and staffed by volunteers to spark conversations with local residents and spectators on their way to The Championships. Park visitors were encouraged to go on litter picks and return their litter, plastic, bottles and cans in exchange for a selection of sustainablysourced treats including fruit, fudge, seeds and a discount at the local zero waste shop. In order to run the activity as sustainably as possible, all the items were sourced from Zéro, a local zero waste shop based in Centre Court shopping in Wimbledon.
212 people engaged by
returning plastic bottles, cans, waste or engaged in conversation.
Supported by
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Sustainable Merton Volunteers.
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A visitor to The Recycler
“ We gave away…
Litter picks
• 85 Zéro discount vouchers • 8 pieces of fruit • 55 seed packets • 300 grams of raisins • 103 pieces of fudge
• 9 Danone staff • 35 people came in families to help litter picking
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Our kids loved being able to make the park a bit cleaner and learn more about #InTheLoop. I’ll be telling my friends that coffee cups and lids shouldn’t be going in the recycling!
Litter collected over the 10 days: (approx.) • 25kg of general waste • 15kg of recycling (plastic bottles, cans and glass)
I had an extremely rewarding afternoon as a Roaming Recycler. Getting out into nature to clean the park was really enjoyable. I also learnt so much about the #InTheLoop campaign and how Hubbub have been engaging the public around responsible recycling in Wimbledon and beyond. Katie, Danone Volunteer
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A wide-reaching communications campaign Press and media coverage
Online engagement
The campaign received five items of press and media coverage (all positive) including: • Local coverage on SW London Online • Trade coverage on Business Green Online, Packaging News Online and edie.net. • Print coverage in Retail Express Print.
We spread the word about the campaign by amplifying messages through our local partners and a paid social media campaign which focused on the local geographic area, creating locally relevant content tailored to the target audience.
In person engagement Local Stores and Shops 33 shops and business displayed campaign information and window stickers across Wimbledon Town and Village to increase visibility. Events In addition to The Recycler, our local delivery partner, Sustainable Merton have 10 events planned until the end of 2021 to continue to promote the campaign. Billboards During The Championships we ran a billboard campaign across 10 sites supported by Merton Council and JCDecaux ensuring there were no opportunities to miss the key campaign messages.
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Total reach
756.9k
Social media campaign The social media campaign was driven by combined efforts from Merton Council, Sustainable Merton and Hubbub across a range of channels including newsletters, blogs, videos and posts across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook so everyone had a chance to hear about the campaign. To ensure the consistency of our branding and messaging, all visual assets and communication guidelines were stored on a shared Dropbox for access and use. To date the targeted ads have generated a cumulative reach of 135,000, 330,000 impressions and 2,500 engagements. Our main post received 1,300+ likes, 50+ comments and even 40+ shares across all platforms. Website We created a dedicated campaign website that included FAQs, a campaign area map and a quiz. To date, the the website Wimbledon-intheloop.co.uk has received 1,200 page views and 67 quiz entries. 31
Art competition With COVID-19 restrictions limiting in-person engagement at the start of the campaign, to celebrate the launch we ran an art competition for young people. The five winning designs would be displayed on the recycling bins in Wimbledon during The Championships and form a mini ‘Art Trail’ for local residents and tennis spectators to explore, with the winner receiving a VIP tickets to the Wimbledon Championships in 2022. The competition was promoted online through social media, newsletters and directly to schools and colleges in the local area. Despite positive engagement online, the competition received only one entry. We always want to trial new ways of engaging people in our campaigns and in the spirit of sharing the good and the bad of the campaign, we wanted to share our thoughts on how we would approach things differently next time. Target a younger audience The art competition may have been more popular if we had targeted a younger age group, instead of 13-21. 11-14 year olds may have been encouraged by their parents and be motivated by the prizes. Keep it simple We might have been too ambitious in our prompts by setting two distinct briefs – one focused around recycling and the other encouraging Wimbledon inspired art work. Broaden the catchment We focused on engaging local students close to Wimbledon but casting our net wider would have helped us reach more people. Consider the timings COVID-19 has significantly disrupted learning for young people in 2021, making extra-curricular activities less of a priority. 32
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Campaign legacy
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What happens next? One of the key objectives of the trial was to ensure its long-term viability. This was achieved by building a productive relationship with two key campaign partners. • Having demonstrated the scheme’s worth, Merton Council is now taking full ownership of the campaign’s assets, infrastructure and learnings. • Sustainable Merton, the campaign’s delivery partner, will continue running activities on-the-ground and amplifying on-the-go messages until the beginning of 2022, ensuring that the public continue to successfully recycle on-the-go. Legacy plans include: Binfrastructure All the bins are now property of Merton Council, and legacy funding will ensure vinyls can be replaced in the future. Extension In early 2022, there will be a further 35 bins installed to expand the campaign area and replace the remaining old bins in Wimbledon. As well as this, the council are exploring introducing similar bins to the other Town centres in 2022. Communications Sustainable Merton and the Council will continue to put key messages on social media on a regular basis as part of their wider communications strategy around waste and recycling. Local engagement Sustainable Merton will be continuing to promote the campaign at local events with activities planned until the end of the year. 36
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Our methodology We measured impact thoroughly to ensure the credibility of our results. These included: • Three waste audits led by RECOUP To assess the impact of the campaign, we ran three waste audits: one prior to the campaign, one during The Championships and one at the beginning of September. We surveyed 40 bags of waste each time, 20 from the recycling and 20 from the general waste collected from across the campaign area, to give us an overall picture of performance. The audits recorded the quantity of materials collected in each waste stream (general waste and recycling), both in terms of weight and volume, to assess quality (contamination rate vs target materials) and quantity.
• On the ground insights
We also worked closely with Sustainable Merton, Love Wimbledon and the Merton Council Climate Action Group to gain on-the-ground insights and engage with local residents. This helped us to adapt our strategy, communications and interventions throughout the campaign. This feedback loop helped us learn and adapt faster.
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Notes and references Waste quantity These figures are estimates and are based on the number of items collected during the second and third audits. Those should be caveated with the following points: • Timings - as the second audit was taken during The Championships, we would expect that the footfall would be higher, as would the emptying frequency of the bins. The third audit was taken on weekday morning in September. • Choice of bins - the waste that was collected was taken from 20 bins across the campaign area, out of 50 bins. The 20 bins varied between audits. • COVID-19 - the first and second audits were taken whilst there were restrictions in place, and as such may not represent typical daily use. • Seasonality - These numbers may not reflect a 12 month period, as they cover only the summer months and are likely to be higher than in winter. Waste quality A certain degree of contamination is inevitable when collection recycling. This is especially true of on-the-go recycling where there is more opportunity for mistakes to be made and people are less likely to to have the opportunity to wash their items ‘on-the-go’ and therefore food contamination is hard to reduce. A key success factor is whether the recycling plant are satisfied with the quality of the recyclate they receive, which was not the case prior to the campaign but is now the case in Wimbledon as a result of the campaign.
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Further resources
About Hubbub Enterprise
Find out more about the #InTheLoop campaign:
We are Hubbub Enterprise, a B Corp social enterprise owned by the Hubbub Foundation. The Foundation’s purpose is to inspire ways of living that are good for the environment. Hubbub Enterprise builds on some of the Foundation’s successful experiments, scaling these ideas to maximise impact and generate a surplus for the Foundation. This revenue gives the charity freedom to experiment and come up with more new ideas for Enterprise to build on.
Wimbledon #InTheLoop: • Website • Results Infographic About other #InTheLoop campaigns across the UK: Visit the #InTheLoop homepage for campaign information and impact reports for our campaigns in Leeds, Swansea, Edinburgh, Dublin and Telford. Get in touch: Got a question or just want to say hi? Drop us an email.
Beyond #InTheLoop, examples of our work include:
• Ballot Bin: The world’s first voting ashtray which tackles the most common form of single-use plastic litter: cigarettes.
• Employee engagement: Exciting, structured and impactful programmes and challenges for ambitious corporations to engage their employees around sustainability.
• Plastic Fishing: Our unique water-based litter pick aboard 99% recycled plastic boats is an eye-opening experience that enables school children and employee volunteers alike to help turn the tide on plastics.
• The Cup Fund: The UK’s largest grant fund to support ambitious projects that boost coffee cup recycling.
• Climate Communications for local authorities, giving residents the tools
they need to understand the Climate Emergency and live more sustainably.
... And more. You can read more about us on our website here.
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