Promoting Household Recycling To Reduce Waste

Resource Futures manages this long-term project for Devon County Council which positively impacts recycling levels across the region through the provision of a team of three full-time Waste and Recycling Advisors. Since 2017 our team has engaged with residents across the nine authorities in Devon 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 their recycling services, promoting waste reduction and garden waste collections as appropriate. 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:

Increase recycling, food waste and garden waste capture rates.
Decrease household residual waste.
Decrease contamination in household recycling.
Increase uptake in home composting.
Increase awareness around waste minimisation and reuse.
Promote sign ups to the Mailing Preference Service

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.

The main thrust of the work for the Advisors is visiting households: speaking to residents about their local services and providing them with additional containers to enable increased use of the services. In addition, and where appropriate, residents are engaged with waste reduction messages.

Where an authority specifically requires work in flats and multi-occupancy buildings, Advisors speak with residents and, if required, will assist in assessing the communal recycling facilities/infrastructure at each location, in order to facilitate improved recycling.