Manchester City Council
Waste and Recycling Task and Finish Group
Item 4
7 July 2015
Manchester City Council
Report for Information
Report to:
Waste and Recycling Task and Finish Group – 7 July 2015
Report from:
Neighbourhood Delivery
Title:
Motivations for Behavioural Change and the Communications
Strategy
Purpose of Report
To provide an overview of the motivators for behavioural change in relation to the
current communications plan in order to inform future plans.
Background
Manchester has been taking a behavioural approach to its waste and recycling for
the past year and has trialled different approaches including community led schemes,
partnerships with schools and businesses, canvassing and universal
communications. The councils’ sphere of influence however is small compared to
existing natural networks in communities. These networks provide an opportunity for
peer to peer influence. Understanding what motivates people within their groups is
important for planning recycling messages and schemes.
Just as important as understanding what motivates people, is to understand who
motivates them. This helps us plan who can deliver our messages most effectively.
The service has access to some very established groups and active volunteers which
it communicates with directly and who help spread the message.
There is also untapped resource in schools for example. Schools have capacity to
indirectly deliver messages on a wider scale to households. The behaviour change
work in schools on recycling has demonstrated how this can be successful. In
particular it has shown that through the use of 'pester-power' the message is brought
home to influence children’s family and neighbours. It also provides an opportunity to
equip children with the correct messages and tools to not only educate them and but
also to lay a foundation for the expected behaviours as they move through their life.
Introduction
The three behaviours that form the Manchester Waste and Recycling Strategy are;
• Recycling more
• Recycling the right thing in the right bin
• Reducing waste in the residual bin, particularly food waste
This paper sets out the motivators for behavioural change in relation to the current
communications plan in order to plan further how the Council will communicate with
individuals and their networks of influence.
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Manchester City Council
Waste and Recycling Task and Finish Group
Item 4
7 July 2015
The MCC Communications Strategy
In order to persuade people to change their behaviour the Council needs to;
• be clear about the desired behaviour the Council seeks
•
•
understand exactly who our audiences are (different people motivated by
different things)
understand the benefits and barriers of adopting that behaviour (and
competitive behaviours)
• understand what would motivate our specific audiences to adopt the behaviour
The communications strategy groups residents into four categories and to date
campaigns have focused on these groups. Appendix 1,Table 1 provides a high level
view of the behaviour change initiatives that can influence more consistent and
correct behaviour in these groups.
• Super committed Recyclers
• Recyclers / committed recyclers (including mid performers)
• Sporadic / Little Recyclers
• Non-Recyclers
The current communication messages are educational based (see appendix 2) in line
with the phased approach to the communication strategy of; education, engagement
and enforcement. We know that one size does not fit all though so the next stage of
engagement ie through incentive and will require more targeted communications
messages based on a behavioural approach.
A behavioural approach to understand the motivations and emotional associations
within groups helps to develop an understanding of current behaviour and how to
influence more of the desired behaviour. Targeted messages that appeal to a
persons own/ or their group type motivation are more successful than universal
communications and can represent the difference between occasional improvement
in behaviour and sustained behaviour change.
Reports from neighbourhood delivery teams provide evidence that there is a
significant number of committed recyclers in Manchester who have been influenced
by the effective use of bin calendars, campaigns and website messages and
community guardians. The Council has an opportunity to influence these committed
recyclers who are mid performers to recycle more items, more regularly and
correctly. This group has a fairly good knowledge and awareness of what can be
recycled and how to do it properly. So their behaviour (around not recycling some
things) may be less automatic and is an active choice influenced by certain
motivators and so cannot be influenced by information alone.
Communications that engage residents in activity that is tuned to their emotional
response are more effective than universal campaigns. Figure 1 illustrates the
emotions that affect behaviour that we will need to take into account when planning
new communications and behaviour change initiatives. For example, the Council
might plan incentive schemes to provide a suitable benefit that captures a persons
interest, and overcomes any disgust or contempt towards rinsing out containers, or
shame around wasting out of date food.
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Manchester City Council
Waste and Recycling Task and Finish Group
Item 4
7 July 2015
Figure 1 The Emotional Responses that Influence Behaviour
Motivators of Behaviours and The Communications Strategy
There are also 14 motivators that will persuade us to act that we should take account
of in planning the next phase of the strategy.
In order to encourage positive behaviours, there needs to be an understanding about
the barriers that exist, (situational, attitudinal, knowledge and behaviours) and how
we can use motivators to overcome these barriers. Appendix 3, Table 2 explains the
motivating factors influence on behaviour and suggests how this is could be met with
the next phase of communications and incentive plans.
Applying Insight on Motivations for a Targeted Approach
Taking a segmented approach to communications and incentive activity will be an
important part of the next phase. Knowing who to target and where will be further
understood by using the round data collected by the contractor. Also council
information on demographics, tenure, property type and dependency and also
bespoke research of groups can be used to segment the 4 groups further to plan
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Manchester City Council
Waste and Recycling Task and Finish Group
Item 4
7 July 2015
targeted communications that influence the specific motivations of residents
behaviour.
This information described above will help further shape the Council activity and
message to the mid performers those who already engaged in recycling and reducing
waste. The Council will commission research into the impact of behaviour change
approaches and impact using national examples to inform the approach Manchester
should take. The Council needs to also understand more about the nature of these
14 motivational factors on the hardest groups to influence eg the transcient and
student populations. Non committed recyclers are the hardest group to motivate, the
Council also intends to commission research into how best to understand, engage
and influence these residents using funds awarded by DCLG.
Understanding who is the best messenger or motivator to deliver the message most
effectively ie the Council through corporate communications, local groups, peer to
peer, businesses, or schools will be an important aspect to plan. The service has
seen success from also using local intelligence and working in co-production with
communities to give us a deeper insight into the beliefs and motivators that exist at a
very local level beneath the demographic information. This can be further developed
to inform the communications messages and planned activity so that residents
connect and identify with correct recycling behaviour as it is the norm within their
group, feel some benefit from and also have a sense of personal responsibility
toward recycling.
The WRAP report, (2014) ‘Barriers to Recycling: A Review of Evidence since 2008’,
provides some particular insight around why people chose not to or are deterred from
recycling. Additionally, the report includes typology of 12 segments for flats, with flats
being recognised as a type of property with the biggest potential to increase
recycling. This research can also be used to inform the approach in Manchester in
the next phase of communications.
Whilst recycling expected behaviours are simple to understand for individuals and
carry out, the combination of recycling expectations can be confusing and
overwhelming. This is one of the biggest barriers for households and will require a
change in household processes and dynamics. Routines and distribution of
household chores are an important factor here and WRAP indicated how important it
is for this to be overcome to create a behavioural shift among mid performers. The
Council strategy seeks to simplify the expected waste behaviours to create a more
manageable and sustainable pattern of behaviour for the whole household based
around their motivations.
Stages of Change
Recognising, that some of the easy wins have been secured in recycling means that
the Council needs to find ways that move the mid performers to become super
committed and recycling waste that they perceive is more difficult or unpleasant to
do.
Using the stages of change model to understand how ready residents are to change
will give insight to help design communications messages and activity. The Council
could target groups at each stage to move them from their current knowledge
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Manchester City Council
Waste and Recycling Task and Finish Group
Item 4
7 July 2015
towards a deeper understanding, then on towards belief they can do more and
properly, resulting in action and sustaining that change as new norms and habits.
The use of champions to influence these groups appropriately along with pledges
and incentives is recommended.
Conclusion
The next stage of the communications approach could take an even more targeted
approach in it’s engagement, by using insight on the specific motivational influences
on behaviour of particular groups. to plan communications messages and activity that
can lead to measurable and sustained behaviour change. Using an intelligence led
approach, strengthening the work with groups and individuals with influence, and
involving the community in co-design we can work towards a new social norm where
the majority of residents recycling all recyclable waste, correctly, all of the time.
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Manchester City Council
Waste and Recycling Task and Finish Group
Appendix 1 Item 4
7 July 2015
Appendix 1 Current Communications
Education based messages as outlined below are being phased in, starting with
direct but supportive and educative approach, to build knowledge and understanding
before moving on to a stronger more enforcement led tone.
Messages include:
•
If your rubbish can be recycled – put it in the recycling bin – not the black bin.
•
Black bin is not for things that can be recycled
•
How to find your recycling containers? (High rise)
•
Don’t know when your collection is? Go online (link to Manchester.gov.uk)
•
Thank you – help us recycle more.
•
Download the app
•
What to do with my extra rubbish?
•
How to get more recycling bins
•
What to report an abandoned bin
•
What goes in the green bin? Recycle food
•
What goes in the Blue / Brown bin Recycle tins and cans
•
How to get a new black bin (when policy is agreed)
•
Recycle cardboard
•
Recycle paper
•
Recycle glass
•
Reminders that collections dates don’t change on bank holidays
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Manchester City Council
Waste and Recycling Task and Finish Group
Appendix 2 Item 4
7 July 2015
Appendix 2 Table 1
Comms
Group
Super
committed
Recyclers
Current Behaviour
Desired Behaviour
Communication Strategy
May recycle items that we don’t want them to or
overlook items that could be recycled
Sometimes contaminate bins with plastic bags ie
holding cans/ bottles
Recycle more items; ie
from rooms other than the
kitchen.
Recycle all food waste
Reduce residual waste
Reduce plastic bags being
used in recycling
containers.
Educate
Recyclers /
committed
recyclers
They are already partially or fully engaged in recycling
and therefore either have some level of knowledge or
commitment.
Recycle more items; ie
from rooms other than the
kitchen.
Recycle all food waste
Reduce residual waste
Reduce plastic bags being
used in recycling
containers.
Educate & Engage
Knowledge, Pledge,
Peer to Peer
Incentive
Often/ sometimes contaminate bins with plastic bags ie
holding cans/ bottles
Behaviour Change
Initiative
Reminder
Peer to peer
Pledge incentive
Sporadic /
Little
Recyclers
Occasionally recycle when required but often
contaminate recycling bins with the wrong waste.
Risk that they could lapse and become less frequent or
non-recyclers.
Commit to recycle regularly
Commit to recycle correctly
Recycle food waste
Reduce residual waste
Educate & Engage some
enforcement
Knowledge, Pledge, Peer
to peer
Incentive
NonRecyclers
Not recycling at all and not influenced by universal
messages may be influenced by targeted, face to face
engagement. Likely to be influenced by enforcement
Understand how to recycle
Recycle regularly and
properly
Educate, Engage, Enforce
Knowledge, Incentive,
Enforcement, Sanction
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Manchester City Council
Waste and Recycling Task and Finish Group
Appendix 3 Item 4
7 July 2015
Appendix 3- Table 2 Influence of Motivation on Behaviour
The motivators
How this influences behaviour
Considerations for Communications and other activity
1.Personal Identity
How do residents view themselves in relation to their neighbours and peers.
Group based communications by specific target segment;
property, type, tenure.
2.What others Do
Is recycling normal among their neighbours or social groups?
Understand where residents come together as groups ie
on social media, local groups.
3.Intuition
Do residents know what to do and does it feels natural for them to recycle
4.Principles
Resident recycles through a sense of social responsibility even if the
resident does not enjoy the task they understand and act responsibly
5.Good reasons
Residents need to know what is the point of recycling.
6.Benefits to me
Residents need to know how it could save them money, give them a reward
they care about
7.Emotion
Guilt, shame of throwing food away, plastic, paper that was hardly used.
Recycling can help overcome this if seen as the right thing to do.
Disgust towards food waste can be a barrier even among residents who
recycle dry goods regularly
8.Control
keeping a hygienic and healthy home and garden
9.Fits into My Life
Part of a routine
Keep information current and easily available on what and
how to recycle
Thank and reaffirm they are doing the right thing.
Reward and thank for responsible behaviour and target
for more accurate recycling and higher volume recycling
and reduced waste through incentive.
Universal communication ie the WRAP campaign
promoting the equivalent energy saved through recycling.
Smarter shopping/ cooking = less waste, money saving
Incentive based scheme that has a reward that is
personally relevant.
Show what happens when things are recycled properly.
Incentive around wasting less food by changing shopping/
cooking habits.
Pledges that secure an emotional investment in reducing
waste/ recycling.
Information and incentive around how to dispose of what
is truly waste and the benefits of managing waste
correctly
Understand the roles of waster and recyclers in the
homes and target communications and incentive activity.
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Manchester City Council
Waste and Recycling Task and Finish Group
10.Need for the
New
Appendix 3 Item 4
7 July 2015
Novel but timely
Peer group influence around how to manage waste well
at specific times, ie shopping, meal times, gardening,
celebration times.
11.Need to Know
12.Fear/fear of
Loss
13.Future Goals
Not knowing can mean not doing. Not understanding can mean not doing.
Threat of enforcement/ sanction
14.Benefits to
Others
Contributing to a better future for this and next generation.
Waste not want not
Keeps people in a job.
Concept of greener healthier society
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Target activity around transition points ie: Moving in and
out - messages delivered by landlords, RPs,
New babies messages via health visitors.
Complex families cases messages via keyworkers.
Education
Staged process as proposed through education and
engagement to enforcement
Associate recycling food waste with composting and
growing for food and gardening. Incentives around better
resident and neighbourhood spaces
Work with schools and children. Future Planet. Social
responsibility
Community rewards schemes
Create understanding of the recycling process and
industry as a local economy.