Recycling Code Packaging Waste Collection Incentive Programme

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1 Recycling Code Packaging Waste Collection Incentive Programme CONTACT ANA, Loureiro and JUDITE, Leal - Valorsul, S.A. Contact name: Ana Loureiro and Judite Leal Organisation: Valorsul, Valorização e Tratamento de Resíduos Sólidos Urb. da AML (Norte) S.A. Postal address: Plataforma Ribeirinha da CP, Estação de Mercadorias da Bobadela, São João da Talha - Portugal. Telephone: Facsimile: ana.loureiro@valorsul.pt, judite.leal@valorsul.pt. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This paper will be focused on the Recycling Code Packaging Waste Collection Incentive Programme and its objectives, strategy, campaign description, results and conclusions. When the problem of waste package selection quantity and quality in Valorsul s area was identified, the starting point was the generic objective of improving this two parameters of waste selection and to improve the use of the collection equipment. The Recycling Code Packaging Waste Collection Incentive Programme paper wants to present how a problem can be solved with a new communication strategy without being necessary to modify technical factors, and the relevance that a clear and unique message can make a difference. At the same time, as a parallel objective, the European Union Directives should be accomplished in a short/medium term, so the target of our communication should be adult population, those whose actions can be reflected in waste selection in a short term period (till 2011). The result was a new concept Recycling Code that was developed and applied in several communication supports and two actions were developed to achieve the target: a generalized info mail to all post boxes in our influence area and a proximity communication action Stop Operation in the shopping centres. The strategy within the Recycling Code concept was to make package waste selection the simplest possible for the population a simplified short list of what can or cannot be selected for recycling associated to well known symbols: Obligatory/ Forbidden. The conclusions were done based on the feedback of the implemented communication actions, because as the most communication campaigns, we were not able to quantify the results of the Recycling Code and we cannot say that only this campaign has influence in people behaviour. What we can assume is that we had a positive feedback from the five municipalities and the population in general that contacted us through several channels: low cost telephone line, Stop Operation (in shopping centres), , web page, fax, letter. We also concluded that if this action has reached the adult population although it is important to refer that the most part of the contacts, in the Stop Operation, takes place through the children that were with them.

2 Finally, this campaign made waste selection to be perceived as more simple (as a no difficult task and even easier then they though) and has its continuity assured in 2007 for other targets, namely companies and in partnership with municipalities, in order to get a standard waste collection communication in Valorsul s area. INTRODUCTION Valorsul, S.A. is the company responsible for the treatment of the approximately 800 thousand tons of Municipal Solid Waste produced, per year, in great Lisbon. Valorsul Integrated Management System was the solution, in an effective and technically developed way, for the increasing production of municipal solid waste problem in the metropolitan area of Lisbon (North) aggravated by the lack of space to treat and deposit those residues. Its intervention area corresponds to less than 1% of the total area of the country, but it treats almost one sixth of all domestic residues produced in Portugal. With this System, Valorsul treats and recovers in a different way waste with different recovery potentialities. The System foresees 3 types of collection: Undifferentiated, Selective collection of recyclable materials, Selective collection of organic matter, and is composed by 5 facilities: (Incineration Plant, Sorting Plant and Collection Centre, Sanitary Landfill, Biodegradable Waste Processing Plant and Bottom Ash Processing and Recovery Plant. This paper will present a case study of the communication strategy developed by Valorsul in order to promote the achievement of European Union directives on the management of packaging waste /12/CE (2011 objectives) since the former directive (94/62/CE) objectives were achieved for glass, paper/cardboard and metal flows but not for plastic goals are more demanding and despite the 20% growth of selective collection in Valorsul s area during the two last years this is not sufficient (see Tables 1 and 2). Directive 94/62/CE 2004/12/CE Deadline Recycling Goal Recycling Goal 25% 55% 15% for all materials 60% glass and paper/dashboard; 50% metal; 22,5% plastic Table 1- European Union Directives Products Paper/dashboard package 19% 20% 27% Plastic 4% 6% 6% Metals 67% 70% 74% Glass 25% 30% 34% Package Total a) 22% 23% 28% Paper/dashboard value 25% 29% 34% Global Value b) 23% 27% 31% Table 2 - Recycling Rates (in weight) (Valorsul s Sustainability Report 2005) a) The Package Total for Paper/dashboard only considers packages.

3 b) "Global Value" it is calculated including paper/dashboard total. Valorsul s Municipal Solid Waste stream (mixed collection) characterization shows that in this flow we still have a recycling package potential. In parallel, we face a set of problems in the selective collection: the selective containers designation is misleading, especially for the yellow (plastic and metal) and most part of the population thinks that can put everything (since it is a package) in this bin and we also face the all plastic is recyclable myth. In the sight of this, the refuse rate is too high for plastic and metal flow, which increases the process costs either in the collection and in the sorting. Because we believe that communication could have a major role in this scenario and that it could be modified, if we look for a solution in what originates it, we designed the Recycling Code. RECYCLING CODE FEATURES Target: Adult population that lives and works in the Valorsul s Municipalities (Amadora, Lisboa, Loures, Odivelas and Vila Franca de Xira). Technical Figures: Rise up the collected package quantity and decrease the refuse rate. Communication Figures: induce the target to participate in the selective package collection and to use the equipment properly. Consumers are at the starting point of the recycling process through the package waste selection. Several factors should be considered in order to change the current population participation in this process in order to obtain more quantity and quality. Some are technical, the type and frequency of the collection, selective waste equipment available, among others, and other ones are not, and depend on the information and willing to act that create consumers skills for waste selection. We should not look at these factors separately and communication has a major role in this task, because it influences the constitution of the criteria board that each individual applies when doing the package waste selection. Resulting from teamwork between Communication, Image and Documentation and the Studies, Quality, Information Directions, a diagnostic was made for our area. After all, we were able to identify pattern criteria to define what kind of packaging could be selected and what were the main mistakes that interfered with the sorting and recycling process. We also knew from our studies and empiricist experience (contacts with unit visitors, requests for information, etc.), that the population had a confused perception of the containers denomination, of what could be collected and that it was due because the used message to designate the three recycle bins was misleading due to a Portuguese language particularity that the words can be modified to give the idea of a bigger dimension: vidro (for glass) becomes vidrão ; papel/cartão (for paper/dashboard) becomes papelão ; embalagens de plástico e metal (for plastic/metal) becomes embalão. This last one designation appeals to the package concept it self and excludes the material that they are made of (plastic/metal). Based on this, we created a simplified list of which packaging models can be sorted and a list of the main mistakes done by people in the packaging selection. Then we asked our communication agency, to create a simple way of communicating this list. That s how the Recycling Code came up, using the traffic regulations signs based in two axis: obligatory and forbidden, what simplifies the message. Other advantage of the Recycling Code concept is its analogy with the Road Code that everybody is familiar with (see figure 1, 2 and 3).

4 Error! Figure 1 Obligatory/ Forbidden Yellow Container (Plastic and Metal Packages) Figure 2 Obligatory/ Forbidden Blue Container (Paper/Dashboard) COMMUNICATION ACTIONS Figure 3 Obligatory/ Forbidden Green Container (Glass) To achieve the goal of induce positively the multi material selective collections and therefore accomplish the E.U. directives in a mid term period, we knew that the adult population that works and lives in our area is who may render possible this scenario. So two communication actions were conceived for the spots where our target spends most of their time: home and shopping centre.

5 Generalized mailing In its first phase the Recycling Code campaign had a generalized mailing (see figure 4) that was distributed in post boxes of family household and companies adresses in our area, in January The drop mail was composed by an envelope with a teaser message: Should paper envelopes with a plastic window be placed on the blue container? If you have a doubt please see de Recycling Code. This example was choosen because was one of the more frequently asked questions that we received and because the mailing envelope is one of the object of the doubt, so people get curious about it and oppened. Inside it was a litle paper sheet explaining the mailing objective and a magnetic for the refrigerator with the Recycling Code (see Figure 5). This action was supported by Valorsul low cost telephone line (with the cost of a local phone call). This direct mail action aimed to give a informative material with a long lasting character nearby the place (kitchen) where the most part of packaging waste is produced and selected. Figure 4 Drop mail envelope Figure 5 - Magnetic for the refrigerator with the Recycling Code Stop Operation - proximity action In February 2007, we started a proximity action, the Stop Operation. If we wanted to talk to adults we should be where they spent their free time. In Portugal the shopping centre is one of the places where families spent their free time and beside this it is there where they also do their shopping. So, we established partnerships with our area commercial centre s management board and our action had no renting space costs, what means that this action is perceived as an added value to their image. We also offered to perform sensitisation actions to shopkeepers, employees and cleaning teams, which helped them in their education goals and environmental certification requirements.

6 Valorsul also assured the conception and production of all the information supports to advertise the Stop Operation. The Stop Operation is composed by an informative stand with the three containers for packaging waste collection ( ecoponto in Portuguese), biodegradable waste container, rubbish bin, battery container and examples of recyclable and non recyclable waste in an attempt to simulate the waste selection scene. The aim is to promote recycling packaging waste rules and procedures through practice and prove that is even easier than driving. When visitors see the Stop Operation we believe that the Recycling Code is already a familiar image and concept because they have received the info mail before what creates a propitious surroundings to participate in the action and consequently to clarify any existing doubts. In this action the magnetic and a little brochure with the Recycling Code (see Figure 6) was also distributed. Figure 6 - Recycling Code brochure cover Figure 7 Stop Operation Stand Stop Operation action is leaded by the Recycling Team. This team was in an intensive training programme at Valorsul in order to be well prepared to deal and answer with our target questions and doubts. Beside this, they register in proper forms the requests for information/suggestions/claims, that are answered directly by Valorsul or forward to the competent entity. The Recycling Team also gives the correct contacts according to the subject of questions, for example: equipment placement, white brand, electric and electronic equipment and old furniture collection, other kind of waste recycling, etc. This team also do the accounting of useful contacts* and the informative materials distribution. *Note: A useful contact is considered when the selection game is played or when a request for information is placed or/and answered.

7 Figure 8 - Stop Operation information supports in a shopping centre Figure 9 Recycling Code - Stop Operation Game EVALUATION By the end of 2006 this two actions of the Recycling Code campaign presented a positive balance of useful contacts. From an average of visitors per day in the nine shopping centres where the Stop Operation was present useful contacts were generated. But more 500 proactive contacts (#) were also generated according to the following means: Stop Operation 75; Blue Phone Line, Web portal, and fax: 425. During Stop Operation Recycling Code brochures and magnetics were distributed. Beside this 5000 informative materials (magnetics and brochures) were given to the municipalities, which also distributed it as a support of its environmental education actions.

8 # Note: proactive contacts are the ones that were generated by the Recycling Code Campaign and that can be requests for information/suggestions/claims, that after originated the mailing of informative materials and the realization of sensitisation actions. CONCLUSION At the present time we can make a evaluation based on the Recycling Code team feedback, the register of information forms, the amount of distributed materials and the municipalities feedback and say that this action has reached the adult population although it is important to refer that the most part of the contacts, in the Stop Operation, takes place through the children that were with them. Communication campaigns are not easy to measure because we are not talking of products but we are working in a behaviour field where is expected to change daily actions. And regarding waste collection we cannot say that a positive or negative change is only due to our communication strategy, because we have several other communication agents, at a local or even national level, that also communicate with our target. What we can say is that the feedback we received either from municipalities, population, companies, other waste management systems, etc. is that this campaign made waste selection be perceived as being more simple. At the beginning, the implementation of a new concept and approach to recycling was not very well received by some of the municipalities. They had their own experience and they saw themselves as the competent authority for this matter since they are the ones responsible for the equipment and collection. But during the 2006 year they were able to see and check, based on an attitude change of the population toward the selective collection no longer a difficult task and even easier then they though that maybe this was a good solution. So, this campaign has its continuity assured in 2007 and we are planning other targets actions, namely for companies and in partnership with municipalities in order to get a standard waste collection communication in Valorsul s area. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Author wishes to thank all the colleagues in Valorsul from distinguished areas of knowledge and to Red Cell, the communication agency responsible for the conception and production, which made the Recycling Code Campaign possible. REFERENCES 94/62/CE Directive ( ), Official Journal of the European Union. 2004/12/CE Directive ( ), Official Journal of the European Union. Valorsul Sustainability Report, 2005.