WRAP
Boosting public trust and removing barriers to recycling in Northern Ireland
WRAP
In 2024, nearly a third of people in Northern Ireland said they lacked confidence that their recycling was actually recycled. Many were discouraged by stories of waste being sent abroad, and 14% said that the absence of feedback from councils was a direct barrier to recycling more.
The Challenge
Curate figures from wastedataflow - the database for municipal reporting - into a user friendly form that makes sense to a public audience, presenting this in a visual and easy to navigate way to provide clarity about what happens to recycling.
What we did
The idea behind MyRecyclingNI.org.uk began with a concept we developed for the Welsh Government — a digital platform that makes the end destinations of household recyclables visible and easy to understand.
We adapted the model for Northern Ireland, creating a clean, mobile-first website where residents can search according to where they live to find out where recycling collected by their council goes for recycling, as well as calculated impacts such as the estimated carbon savings achieved.
The process involved a process of iterative design, working with WRAP and DAERA, to create a clear user journey and attractive UI.
“WRAP worked closely with Resource Media and DAERA to develop the MyRecyclingNI website. From the outset it was clear that Resource Media had an excellent understanding of waste data and waste data reporting and were able to use this to develop the easy-to-use website. We worked with them to produce graphics and icons that householders in Northern Ireland could relate to when visiting the site. The visitor analytics and data provided from the site traffic is also proving useful.”
The Results
The platform gives the Northern Ireland Government (DAERA) a central tool to meet its obligations around public communication, environmental transparency and citizen engagement. The website sees steady organic traffic, with a significant spike after WRAP Northern Ireland rolled out campaign packs to local councils — demonstrating strong public demand and the value of coordinated promotion.
Turning transparency into trust
The website gives residents the confidence to recycle more by showing them exactly what happens next - and helps local authorities meet their reporting obligations while reducing public enquiries.
