Promoting Household Recycling To Reduce Waste

Resource Futures manages this long-term project for Devon County Council which is designed to make an impact on recycling levels across the region through the provision of a team of three full-time Waste and Recycling Advisors.

Working in nine of the authorities within Devon, the team engage with residents in areas determined by the local authority partners, working closely with them on key messages and target areas.

Our Advisors ensure residents are equipped with all the containers they need to make full use of the recycling services provided and also promote waste reduction, small WEEE collections, and garden waste collections as required. Supporting the authorities by educating residents about service changes and/or roll-out of new materials is also a key part of the service provided.

Objectives

Through this work, Devon County Council in partnership with nine authorities in Devon, is looking to:

Improve awareness around contamination.
Increase recycling and composting capture rates.
Decrease household residual waste.
Decrease contamination in household recycling.
Increase the number of home composters sold.
Increase sign up to the Mailing Preference Service.

All our Advisors also assist in county-wide promotional work when required.

Approach

The three full-time Waste and Recycling Advisors provide face-to-face engagement, each with a specific remit to cover three of Devon’s nine districts. Advisors spend between seven and 19 weeks per year in each area – determined by the size of population within that district. Close liaison with each local authority partner means that the work is tailored to their particular needs during the allocated time frame, for example supporting a new service roll-out or a food waste recycling campaign.

The main thrust of the work for the Advisors is visiting households and speaking to residents about their local services and providing them with containers to enable increased use of the services. In addition, where appropriate, residents are engaged with waste reduction messages and in some areas, Advisors set up small events or stands in libraries.

Where an authority specifically requires work in flats and multi-occupancy buildings, Advisors speak with residents and, if required, will assess the infrastructure needs of blocks in order to facilitate more recycling.