According to WRAP’s 2008 ‘Barriers to recycling at home’ report, the older we get, the more concerned we are with sustainability. Using Defra’s ‘Framework for Pro-environmental Behaviours’ report as a guide, the WRAP publication uses ACORN and demographic profiling to outline seven categories of different recycling behaviour that make up the majority of the population.

The data shows that the most inactive recyclers tend to be young between the ages of 18-24), single adults living in flats, whereas the older population, typically living in a detached household with no children, tend to recycle the most.

Whilst we acknowledge that these are overarching categories, and people can partly fit into many (or none) of the pigeonholes, there is undoubtedly some truth behind the stereotyping.

We know, for example, that flats and multi-storey buildings such as those inhabited by students often have limited recycling facilities due to accessibility and storage issues, with many residents having to actively contact the council to sign up for kerbside recycling. It could also be assumed that those young people living in flats, terraces or maisonettes do not have their own cars, so cannot easily get to their nearest HWRCs.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, older, more affluent members of the population (those aged between 55-64) not only have access to better kerbside recycling infrastructure, but also have more time (if retired) and means to get to HWRCs to recycle the materials that are not collected in their kerbside service.

The most difficult category to reckon with – and perhaps the most important segment to target – is those young people (reportedly typically between 18-34) that know about recycling but still do not do it. Harder still to come to terms with are the proportion of people who don’t recycle despite being ‘prosperous professionals, educated urbanites or aspiring singles’ and having the income and education to do better.

According to WRAP’s data, only six per cent of the people they sampled were ‘declared non-recyclers’, with 46 per cent of that sample stating that their main reason for not recycling was that it is ‘easier to throw everything in the bin’. Other reasons for not recycling were ‘having nowhere to store recyclables’ and ‘not knowing what can and can’t be recycled’.

Based on this information, we’ve mocked up versions of what we think these different types of recyclers may look like and asked consultants from Resource Futures and Ricardo-AEA to help us identify how the industry could tweak their marketing campaigns to get more people recycling. Whilst we know Resource readers will largely be Heroic Helpers, we are all bound to know someone who fits into some of the less favourable categories. Which one are you?

Oblivious Onlookers

Age: 18-24

Living in: Flats, terraces, maisonettes

Lifecycle: Young single, no kids yet, single parent

ACORN category: 2 (‘urban prosperity’) and 4 (‘modest means’)

Oblivious Overlookers are young people who have ‘no idea about recycling at all’ or recycling is ‘just not on their radar’.

Most likely to say: “Oh, I wondered what those green boxes in the corner were for. My family never recycled so it has never crossed my mind or entered my daily routine.”

Marketing strategy: Jo Firth from Resource Futures says that this group of people would benefit from a house visit from a Waste Doctor to inform them of what they can and can’t recycle, and how to recycle correctly. “Typically if they are not doing any recycling whatsoever it’s most likely that they haven’t got any information, even though they may have the boxes. Speaking face to face [with] someone to answer all their questions and get them on the right track is a good place to start. Clear, straightforward information such as posters, collection calendars and labels with a recycling box placed in plain sight in an accessible area would also help.”

Wanton Wasters

Age: 18-34

Living in: Flats, terraces, maisonettes

Lifecycle: Young single, no kids yet, single parent

ACORN category: 2 (‘urban prosperity’) and 4 (‘modest means’)

Wanton Wasters are people who know about recycling, but have ‘not seriously considered doing it’.

Most likely to say: “I tried it but couldn’t keep it up and I’m not really bothered about it – I have enough space in my bin. It takes too long to wash the things out, and anyway, I haven’t got anywhere to store my box and I don’t know what I can and can’t recycle or when the collections are, and...”

Marketing strategy: According to Resource Futures, many culprits from this group are single, young professionals who run busy lives. Part of the issue is that they are living on their own, and therefore aren’t constrained by residual waste space (unlike a family that has one bin for several individuals). Moreover, sometimes they just aren’t interested in recycling. This category is the hardest to tackle as the people here do know about recycling but are taking a conscious choice not to do it. One method of getting them to start recycling is by introducing a reward or penalty scheme to make them act more responsibly. Postal information is unlikely to work for this category, so reaching them in person or through social media notifications would help improve their efforts.

Ricardo-AEA highlights Croydon Council’s newly-introduced penalty scheme as an effective means of engaging with this group. The council has implemented a system to fine residents £80 if they repeatedly fail to recycle (after 68 per cent of residents agreed that the council should ‘take action against those that don’t comply’).

Nervous Newcomers

Age: 18-34, although some are quite a bit older

Living in: Terrace, bungalow

Lifecycle: Solitary retiree, single parent

ACORN category: 2 (‘urban prosperity’), 4 (‘modest means’) and 5 (‘hard pressed’)

Nervous Newcomers are people who are relatively new to recycling, though they ‘may have dabbled, possibly elsewhere’ and ‘may occasionally drift back’ to recycling.

Most likely to say: “I would recycle more if I knew more about it. In my day, they didn’t really have recycling, we were taught to make do and mend. I did learn about it once, but it keeps changing and I can’t keep up with it. It seems to be really difficult knowing what plastic can’t be recycled and what goes where.”

Marketing strategy: People who are relatively new to recycling or who don’t recycle very often would benefit from information through the post. Children can have an active part in educating the older generation about recycling, says Resource Futures, who adds that handouts from schools running recycling projects are a great way of getting people with young children learning about recycling. Another good way of targeting this group is by printing or sticking recycling information on the box itself, so that the information can’t be misplaced.

Sporadic Supporters

Age: 35-54

Living in: Bungalow, terrace, semi-detached house

Lifecycle: Solitary retiree, solitary adult worker

ACORN category: 3 (‘comfortably off’) and 5 (‘hard pressed’)

Sporadic Supporters are people who tend to recycle, but who sometimes forget or miss out some materials, and/or people who ‘recycle opportunistically, not regularly’.

Most likely to say: “I do my best, but I can never remember what day the collections are. It would be great if the recycling collectors knocked on the door to remind me when they’re about – I sometimes end up chasing them down the road when they drive past!”

Marketing strategy: Marketing to people who fall into the category ‘Sporadic Supporters’ would benefit from an opt-in text or email system, so they can be reminded of when collection dates are (Resource Futures has found that people do not like being contacted by the council unless they have opted-in to do so) or through reminders on selected Bluetooth hubs as well as through online and social media marketing.

Ricardo-AEA also suggests showing these people that their efforts, however small, make a difference and emphasising how easy it is to recycle. Incentive schemes are also a good way of encouraging this category to do more.

Middling Mainstreamers

Age: 35-54

Living in: Semi-detached house, bungalow

Lifecycle: Full nest couple with kids, solitary retiree

ACORN category: 2 (‘urban prosperity), 3 (‘comfortably off’) and 5 (‘hard pressed’)

Middling Mainstreamers are usually relatively well-off families who ‘usually take part’ and recycle ‘staple’ items but often are ‘confused about other items’.

Most likely to say: “We try and recycle as much as we can to protect the planet for our children. We also want to make sure that our children know how to recycle for when they get older. We recycle our tins, plastic bottles and glass but we still aren’t sure whether we can recycle yoghurt pots or batteries.”

Marketing strategy: This category of recycler, those with a family who tend to recycle frequently but are confused about certain waste streams, would benefit from postal marketing with materials that are designed to be kept. Resource Futures suggests sending out printed materials outlining accepted materials as well as collection dates with a fridge magnet on the back, or materials that will appeal to children, such as recycling wheels. Also, promoting child-friendly websites, particularly those with games or projects, could help engage and educate those with young children.

Ricardo-AEA adds that, with this group of recyclers, running material-specific campaigns for items that are not being recycled correctly or that are not being recycled as frequently as they should be would help (such as campaigns to include tea bags in food waste). Giving this category stickers to adhere to bins outlining which materials they can and cannot recycle would also be beneficial.

Competent Contributors

Age: 55 and above

Living in: Semi-detached and detached houses

Lifecycle: Empty nest, couple with no kids

ACORN category: 1 (‘affluent achievers’) and 2 (‘urban prosperity’)

Competent Contributors tend to be older, affluent people who are ‘reliable and regular’ recyclers, but they may still ‘miss out some materials or collections’.

Most likely to say: “We’re really keen on recycling and put all the materials that can be recycled out for collection each week, but we don’t recycle our wood or electricals because we don’t have a car and can’t get to the household waste recycling centre.”

Marketing strategy: These people already know about recycling and do it, so the priority here is pushing them up the waste hierarchy to think about reducing waste in the first place. According to Resource Futures, this is the most receptive group to door-to-door visits, as they are already engaged in the topic and are willing to tweak any existing recycling arrangements. Suggesting methods of making conscious decisions to reduce packaging when out shopping would also help.

Ricardo-AEA adds that regular feedback on progress and achievements is ‘absolutely vital’ with this group to ensure that they are on the right track and to answer any questions they have. Providing information on what happens to the recycling once it is collected is a good way of encouraging them to recycle more and helping them understand what impact their actions have.

Heroic Helpers

Age: 55-64

Living in: Detached house

Lifecycle: Empty nest, children elsewhere

ACORN category: 1 (‘affluent achievers’)

This smaller section of the older, affluent population are what WRAP bills as people who are very eco-conscious and ‘recycle all available items of all recyclable materials all of the time’.

Most likely to say: “I try and keep my carbon footprint small and recycle everything I can. I even post my old biscuit wrappers to a recycling company to make sure that I make as little waste as possible. Everything has a use. Some of my neighbours are terrible at recycling, so I do weekly trips to the tip to help them out.”

Marketing strategy: Recyclers in this group are the most prolific and reliable recyclers, but unlike Competent Contributors, they would not necessarily respond very well to advice about changes to their recycling system. Resource Futures suggest that the best way of motivating this group to do more is to promote the higher tiers of the waste hierarchy and encourage the message of reducing and reusing materials, rather than merely recycling them. Suggesting ways to home compost rather than sending organic waste out for EfW is also a viable plan to reduce carbon emissions.

Ricardo-AEA adds that Heroic Helpers’ enthusiasm could be harnessed by encouraging this category to join schemes such as Southend’s ‘Recycling Champions’, so they can spread the word about recycling and encourage neighbours, friends and family to do more.

Images by Jason Whitchard