Reducing recycling contamination in Auckland

Client: Auckland Council

Challenge
Some disadvantaged communities in South Auckland had high rates of recycling contamination, which puts pressure on the sorting systems at the recycling centre and results in more waste going to landfill.

What we did
BIT partnered with WēBē to design, implement and evaluate three solutions to reduce recycling contamination in areas of highest disadvantage in South Auckland. We interviewed 15 residents living in those areas to understand the main barriers and enablers to accurate recycling. Using residents’ input on solutions, we designed and implemented three solutions. We conducted a process evaluation where we interviewed another 12 residents and held a focus group with bin inspectors to determine the ease of implementation and evidence of promise of the three solutions.

Outcome
We produced an attractive, professional final slide deck which recommended that two of the solutions could be scaled up immediately with only minor adaptations, and one needed further testing before scaling up.

Key take-aways
We are experts in using behavioural science to support behaviour change that makes a difference to the environment. We are experienced in using culturally sensitive methods to engage disadvantaged participants. We enjoy working in the field to conduct evaluations of our solutions.