1. EDUCATION & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
The Bankstown Council Experience
‘RECYCLE RIGHT’
Today I will talk you through the Bankstown Council Recycle Right program
This is a program has designed to reduce contamination rates in the recycling bin.
Bankstown Council had contamination rates as high as 30%.
As we have a diverse community we knew we need to do something to address the contamination rates
Whilst this program focuses on removing items from the recycling bin to place in the garbage bin. It’s the strategy that we used that is important.
It can be applied to assist with programs to engage your community– that aim to engage a community to get them to do what we want to do.
We have spend almost two years researching, trialling and focus testing – and this has proved invaluable

2. It all commenced with Research
We looked at what we were doing. And we were providing information to residents about recycling. Brochures, stickers, newspaper articles/ads. And we all do this. This is based on the assumption that
if we give people information they will do what we ask them to do. They will carry out the behaviour that we want
However research shows that this is wrong.
People act for a reason and need to be motivated to make a change
So we went searching…
We started at
The Government Report
This looked at the barriers that prevent people from recycling correctly or at all – such as
The location of bins/bin areas, convenience to use the facilities, poor or insufficient facilities and the fact that recycling is now recognised as a routine behaviour – not an urgent environmental issue.
We heard about Cr Doug Mckenzie-Mohr, so we did more research on
Community Based Social Marketing
This looks at identifying the barriers that prevent people from changing their behaviour and removing those barriers one at a time, using tools such as:
Asking for a commitment
Fostering a social norm
Using prompts as reminders
Providing effective communication
Making the behaviour convenient
But we wanted more – we wanted to find out about the psychology of people and what motivates them (beyond environmental issues)

3. The Magnetic Middle Feedback Power of the Smiley Face
We were inspired by reading a book called ‘Yes! 50 secrets from the science of persuasion’ by Goldstein, Martin and Cialdini.
From this book we learnt 6 key principles that were invaluable to us:
The Magnetic Middle
People just want to be like everyone else
And they want to be just like their neighbours – especially if it seen to be doing the right thing. This is about us creating a social norm.
This links to Feedback
How do you know you’re doing the wrong or right thing if you’re not told?
People like feedback, especially when you tell them how they are doing in comparison to their neighbours – again creating a social norm.
And the universal language that people relate to is the
Smiley and Frown Face
It takes us back to primary school days perhaps where a simple smiley face stamp would give us a grand feeling of self satisfaction
People know instantly if they have done the right or wrong thing and there is a strong personal feeling associated with that.
The
Magnetic
Middle
Feedback
Power of the
Smiley Face

4. BECAUSE Use of the word Power of thinking big A simple question
We also learnt the power of asking a
Simple question
Once people verbalise their answer a question they feel the need to commit in order to remain consistent with what they said
People also need a reason to act so
The word 'BECAUSE‘ is very powerful in letting people know why you’re asking that question.
Example: photocopier line – stranger asks to jump queue
“Can I go ahead of you?” – 60% allowed them
“Can I go ahead of you BECAUSE I’m in a rush for a meeting?” – 94% allowed them
THEN wanted to test the validity of the because
“Can I go ahead of you BECAUSE I have to make copies?” – 93%!!
Shows that if the request is small, the reason does not need to be valid but there must be a reason. For a large request (ie. making a copy of a large document) the reason was found to still be necessary but the validity more important.
And the power of thinking big is going small hints that to make any big change you need to ask a simple request first. Once that’s achieved, then you can ask for something bigger. This is what’s known as the ‘foot in the door’ technique.
From all of this research we learned:
We need to provide more than just information alone
We need to work on the barriers and behaviours one at a time
We need to play with people’s minds to make people Recycle Right!
Power of thinking big
is going small
A simple question

5. Convenience Strategies
RESEARCH
developed strategies
developed resources
Feedback Strategies
Tags on bins
Postcards in letterboxes
Verbal Feedback
Door Hangers
Poster
Convenience Strategies
Tubs
Bulk Recycling Bins
Hole in lid
I Pledge

6. RESEARCH developed strategies developed resources focus tested trials
evaluated
re-design
focus tested
RECYCLE
RIGHT
PROGRAM
Focus tested

7. Feedback Strategies SUDs MUDs 10% - 23% 5% 17% 30% 0% 25% Tags on bins
Postcards in letterboxes
23% 5%
Verbal Feedback
17%
30%
Door Hangers 0%
Poster
25%

8. Convenience Strategies SUDs MUDs
Tubs
14%
16%
Bulk Recycling Bins -
37%
Hole in lid
25%
I Pledge
21%
28%

9. 30% 15% Properties inspected: 1,400 START Average contamination rate
FINISH
Average contamination rate at
30%
15%

10. PROCESS DEVELOPED BIN REMOVAL FEEDBACK Letterbox (x 3 visits)
DOOR KNOCK
Take a Pledge
WARNING LETTER
BIN REMOVAL

11. WHERE ARE WE NOW Baseline average: 46% On 3rd visit: 22% Pledge:
30% of h’holds > 10%
Warning:
18% of h’holds > 10%
Removal:
3% of h’holds > 10%
1,400

12. Most widely accepted
He could be from any culture
dramatic in kind of a theatrical and non offensive way,
but he still communicates that something is wrong…without being offensive
IN GENERAL
These images are too harsh
When we got to the bottom of it – we found out it was people didn’t like children telling them they were doing the wrong thing
EXCEPT the Arabic group - they liked the use of kids
EVENTAULLY after group discussions
Everyone approved a strategy that gives feedback to households if they’re not recycling right;
so long as the execution of that strategy is encouraging ‘in tone’,
with a ‘warm’ and ‘understanding’ image.

13. Most widely accepted
He could be from any culture
dramatic in kind of a theatrical and non offensive way,
but he still communicates that something is wrong…without being offensive
IN GENERAL
These images are too harsh
When we got to the bottom of it – we found out it was people didn’t like children telling them they were doing the wrong thing
EXCEPT the Arabic group - they liked the use of kids
EVENTAULLY after group discussions
Everyone approved a strategy that gives feedback to households if they’re not recycling right;
so long as the execution of that strategy is encouraging ‘in tone’,
with a ‘warm’ and ‘understanding’ image.

14. Most widely accepted
He could be from any culture
dramatic in kind of a theatrical and non offensive way,
but he still communicates that something is wrong…without being offensive
IN GENERAL
These images are too harsh
When we got to the bottom of it – we found out it was people didn’t like children telling them they were doing the wrong thing
EXCEPT the Arabic group - they liked the use of kids
EVENTAULLY after group discussions
Everyone approved a strategy that gives feedback to households if they’re not recycling right;
so long as the execution of that strategy is encouraging ‘in tone’,
with a ‘warm’ and ‘understanding’ image.

15. Most widely accepted
He could be from any culture
dramatic in kind of a theatrical and non offensive way,
but he still communicates that something is wrong…without being offensive
IN GENERAL
These images are too harsh
When we got to the bottom of it – we found out it was people didn’t like children telling them they were doing the wrong thing
EXCEPT the Arabic group - they liked the use of kids
EVENTAULLY after group discussions
Everyone approved a strategy that gives feedback to households if they’re not recycling right;
so long as the execution of that strategy is encouraging ‘in tone’,
with a ‘warm’ and ‘understanding’ image.

16. Daniela Santucci daniela.santucci@bankstown.nsw.gov.au
Coordinator Resource Recovery
Ph: