SPECIAL FEATURE – EDUCATION AND TRAINING
Modern family GREEN INDUSTRIES SA’S LATEST EDUCATION PROGRAM SEEKS TO HEIGHTEN THE STATE’S UNDERSTANDING OF WASTE SEPARATION WITH A MULTI-PRONGED DIGITAL CAMPAIGN.
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aking a modern approach to waste education is now more important than ever, with shifting international export markets placing greater significance on reducing contamination. In the wake of these changes, the South Australian Government created a support package for local government and the recycling industry. Vaughan Levitzke, Green Industries SA Chief Executive, says an educational kerbside separation campaign was highlighted as part of the package. “We formed two groups under the package taskforce: one for procurement and one for education,” Vaughan says. “The education group comprised mostly of councils, waste educators and companies that run material recovery facilities.” Following engagement with the education group, Vaughan says Green Industries undertook market research with an estimated 1000 South Australian households. According to Vaughan, the 2018 research examined current levels of contamination and separation knowledge in an attempt to understand information barriers. “That research showed a clear preference for simple, consistent, state-wide messaging. Time and time again, householders remarked that they would recycle more, if they only knew which bin to use,” he says.
50 / WMR / August 2019
“People needed easy access to information about what different councils accept in each bin.” Vaughan Levitzke Green Industries SA Chief Executive
“I have to say, I have not been enamoured with the way we have traditionally conducted education programs.” Vaughan says with Which Bin, Green Industries are approaching the public from multiple different mediums. “I think that’s why the program has been successful,” he adds. Which Bin urges residents to consider what they put in household recycling and organics bins, with the aim of improving the quality of recyclables. The campaign includes a series of episodic television ads, a linked social media campaign and an educational website. The Which Bin website is designed to act as a centralised space, where residents can access waste information relevant to their respective council. Vaughan says Green Industries’ previous engagement program was called Recycle Right. However, focus groups found citizens preferred the name Which Bin. “The problem is that householders weren’t getting consistent information across councils, and the advice they were getting was
often unclear,” Vaughan says. “People needed easy access to information about what different councils accept in each bin.” Regulation information for all South Australian councils is available on the Which Bin website. After a year of research, local South Australian advertising company Showpony were tasked with creating the campaign’s creative collateral. “The ads are kind of like a sitcom, with links to the US comedy Modern Family,” Vaughan says. Episode one of the four-part campaign introduces viewers to Vinnie and his family as they learn which bin to use and how to better recycle. Four episodes have been produced so far, with titles such as “Vinnie embarrasses his daughter and recycles 10c containers for fun” and “Vinnie and Lucy recycle soft plastics … eventually”. When episodes end, viewers are directed to the Which Bin website. Within the campaign’s first month, Vaughan says Green Industries saw significant traffic on the Which Bin website. “Most people were accessing the site from mobile phones. The lesson
