Waste Management StrategyResearch Top Liners
Support ServicesNovember 2010
www.crawley.gov.uk
Two Phased Research
1 Stakeholders Lots of positives, fly tipping, procedures, improved working with
contractor, range of door step recycling. However, Contamination Recycling rates Messages to residents could be better So………….
2 Resident Research to investigate Recycling rates Items to recycle Barriers to recycling Collection days and times Containers GREENBin service Getting the message out
www.crawley.gov.uk
5,000 Households Summer 2010
5,020 questionnaires, randomly 1,510 returned = 30% All neighbourhoods represented Highest Furnace Green; nearly 1 in 4 (39.6%); lowest
Broadfield; just over 1 in 5 (21.8%) Most lived in houses 11% lived in flat
1 in 5 of Northgate & Southgate respondents lived flats 18% Bewbush respondents lived flats
Over representation older people 35% aged 40-59 yrs 29% aged 60-79 yrs
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Recycling Habits
Lots of Recycling going on! As well as REDtop bins
Only 0.7% not recycling! Almost all do it as matter of course Some very positive comments about Council’s REDtop
recycling – one bin Neighbourhood Recycling Centres still used; 7 in 10 do not
want them removed– “…I wouldn’t be able to recycle all my stuff without it”. – “because there are certain items which cannot be recycled at
home and these items would end up as landfill”– “it is useful if I am away for door collections and miss the
fortnightly collection”– “it encourages people to recycle”
Metcalf Way – more periodic use; only 15% do not use
www.crawley.gov.uk
Barriers to Recycling
Unsure of what can be recycled Especially plastics; yogurt pots; plastic food containers
Lack of storage space Wrong sort of information
Only 7% say they have never receive information Issue is “type” of information
What to recycle (the detail) “don’t understand why we can’t give you all these damned food
packaging. Like the ready meal things. They look the same as plastic milk and coke bottles, but these get thrown. They are a large part of our waste; it seems shameful”
Bank holidays and changes to collections How to recycle other goods not put in REDtop and where to go
Not understanding what happens to recycled goods “Council takes all the rubbish and recycling to same landfill site, so what’s the
point”
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Encouraging Recycling
3 in 10 thought better information
3 in 10 thought incentive schemes - particularly Broadfield & West Green
Compulsory recycling supported more in Langley Green – 36%
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Encouraging recycling
29%
26%2%
30%
13%
Incentive schemeCompulsory recyclingLimiting amount of refuse collectedBetter informationNo reply
Neighbourhood Recycling Centres
One quarter never use them But… one third use them as least monthly 7 in 10 not in favour of removal West Green respondents least likely to use them
but most likely to want to keep them! 76% don’t want them removed
Reasons to retainRemoval would encourage fly tippingActs as overspill for collection serviceOffers alternatives for recycling
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Items to take to Neighbourhood Recycling Centres
Over half – small electrical goodsEspecially Broadfield – 7 in 10;
Bewbush and West Green – 6 in 10BatteriesContinue textiles and clothingCD’s, DVD’s, videos etc more popular
Pound Hill, Three Bridges, Furnace Green
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Metcalf Way
Only 15% don’t use it; cf almost quarter who do not use Neighbourhood Recycling Centres
Similar usage patterns to Neighbourhood Recycling Centres – one third use it at least monthly
Well used for green waste
www.crawley.gov.uk
GREENBin Service
8 in 10 did not use service Rises to 9 in 10 for Bewbush
Varied reasons for not using the ServiceMetcalf Way used insteadComposting at homeCost as issue
Approx 1 in 5 would use periodic collection service; cost important factor
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What to recycle?
Quite good levels of understanding generally, but…….
Confusion over plastics in particular; 1 in 5 think they can recycle…….Yogurt potsPlastic food containersMargarine tubsCling filmsPlastic bags
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Which items can I recycle?
Plastics and Polystyrene stand out……
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164
336
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600
Total responses
Plastic Bottles
Glass
Card milk/juice cartons
Junk Mail, scrap paper
New spapers/mags
Envelopes
Directories, brochures
Cans
Cardboard/cards
Nappies
Polystyrene
Food w aste
General rubbish
Plastic packs, yog pots
Green garden w aste
No reply
Which items can be recycled?
Written Information
Only 7% received No information Half receive & keep – most likely in Pound Hill &
Furnace Green Third receive but don’t keep Design & clarity of information well regarded “Sufficiency” of information dips slightly;
confirming other findings on What to recycle Needing more detail Comments on where to find recycling points
www.crawley.gov.uk
Frequency of giving out information
Most would like information only when things change
Also applies when people move house
www.crawley.gov.uk
Frequency of Receiving Information about service
20%
31%
43%
2% 4%
Once year
Once 6 mths
Things change
Other
No Reply
Council Website Only 6% use it to get information
Age profile a factor butHalf still had a view – so presumably some had
tried/had perceived views Users tend to be happy; compliments about
clarity Non users :
Information is “buried” – difficult to navigate Younger people more responsive to online
and texts than older respondents Website not necessarily great for alerts;
emails preferred
www.crawley.gov.uk
Preferred Ways of receiving information
Direct mail tops the bill! Two thirds vote for this Little variation across age groups or neighbourhoods
Older prefer written word – papers, Crawley Live Younger more receptive to online and texts Texts are more popular across all age groups when it comes to
alerts for unavoidable disruptions
www.crawley.gov.uk
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
%
20-39 yrs
40-59 yrs
60-79 yrs
80+ yrs
Receiving Text Message for unavoidable disruptions
Service Delivery
Two thirds want same day of week Hardly any support for refuse and recycling on
different days Three quarters happy with service collection as
is Two weekly collections not at all popular Lots of different views on containers for waste
and recycling……
www.crawley.gov.uk
What container?
One size does not fit all!
Little support for large wheeled bin for refuse and smaller one for recycling
2 large wheeled bins most preferred in Maidenbower
Comments on black bags
Wheeled bins for refuse more hygienic
www.crawley.gov.uk
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500
Total Responses
Large w heel bin refuse; small recyc
Large bin recycle; small refuse
2 large bins; refuse & recycle
Large bin recycles; black bags refus
No reply
Preferred Container
Getting Involved with Waste Management
62 respondents indicated a willingness to act as a Voluntary Waste Reduction Adviser
11 volunteers from Ifield None from Tilgate All other neighbourhoods between 2 and 7
www.crawley.gov.uk
Some thoughts on Implications of the Findings The importance of recycling seems to be getting through,
evidenced by:Support for larger recycling containers than refuseRange of items; places to recycle – moreValue of Neighbourhood Recycling Centres – don’t
remove themValue of Metcalf Way – only 15% don’t use itRecycling habits – part of routineSupport for on street recycling bins especially
Northgate Existing refuse/recycling service well liked by many
www.crawley.gov.uk
Things to think about…..
Information is key…. (seems to be the priority)The dilemma of addressing the specifics like
plastics; which is complicated, yet keeping it SIMPLE
Explaining the outcomes of contamination needs explaining, but in SIMPLE terms – what happens if it goes wrong?
Where other recyclable items not collected in REDtops can be recycled
Better information on items that can be recycled at each neighbourhood centre
Retaining variety of options important
www.crawley.gov.uk
More things to think about…?
Ways to encourage greater use of website Is information “buried”? Can it be improved? But it won’t reach everyone Not necessarily the best way to give alerting information
Encourage retention of written information Carry on with calendars Charts for neighbourhood recycling
Special articles to raise the profile of recycling; do an article specifically on plastics? Explain what happens to recycling; why it’s important NOT to contaminate
Joined up thinking……. When tenants move, ensure refuse/recycling information is sent to them; private householders via Council Tax
www.crawley.gov.uk
Still thinking!........
Confusion re: plastics needs addressing Manufacturers? CBC information
Giving choice on collection containers – but how realistic is this? If Council can’t pay for the wheeled bin, at least give the option
and perhaps negotiate with suppliers for reduced costs for householders?
Worth considering periodic collection service for green waste, but cost needs careful consideration; might be better to think of other communal options? And/or using Waste Reduction advisers?
62 respondents willing to help with waste reduction advise; all neighbourhoods except Tilgate represented; what next? How best to use? Help with home composting?
www.crawley.gov.uk