M·E·L Research was commissioned by the re3 Partnership to undertake user satisfaction research across its Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) in Reading and Bracknell. The study formed part of an ongoing programme of customer satisfaction measurement, enabling the partnership to compare performance with previous survey waves and monitor changes in user behaviour, service satisfaction and awareness over time.
The research sought to understand how residents used the recycling centres, including visit frequency, journey patterns and the materials they brought for disposal. It also aimed to assess satisfaction with a range of operational aspects, including cleanliness, queuing, customer service, safety information and communications, while examining awareness of site requirements and identifying the catchment areas served by each site. Collectively, the evidence provided the re3 Partnership with a robust evidence base to support operational management, customer experience improvements and future service planning.
Approach
M·E·L Research designed and delivered a large-scale face-to-face user satisfaction survey across both Household Waste Recycling Centres using experienced field interviewers. The project was carefully planned to ensure data collection could be undertaken safely within busy operational environments while minimising disruption to site users and vehicle movements. Interviewers worked closely with site supervisors throughout fieldwork and completed site inductions and health and safety procedures before commencing interviewing.
The project comprised:
Face-to-face tablet survey (Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing – CAPI) with visitors to the Reading Household Waste Recycling Centre. Interviewers approached users while they were disposing of waste and recycling materials and completed 1,252 interviews. Sampling took place across both weekdays and weekends to ensure a representative spread of users. Responses were captured electronically using a bespoke SNAP survey database, eliminating manual data entry and improving data quality. Confidence intervals were calculated, with the achieved sample providing results within approximately ±2.77% at the 95% confidence level.
Face-to-face tablet survey (Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing – CAPI) with visitors to the Bracknell Household Waste Recycling Centre, following the same methodology. A total of 1,215 interviews were completed across weekday and weekend sessions. Data were captured electronically using the same SNAP platform, with the achieved sample providing results within approximately ±2.81% at the 95% confidence level.
The questionnaire explored:
frequency and timing of visits
materials brought to the recycling centres
reasons for using the HWRC instead of kerbside recycling services
awareness of health and safety guidance and site requirements
satisfaction with cleanliness, queuing, customer care, meet and greet teams, website information and safety information
perceptions of staff and telephone customer service
communication channels used and preferred
journey purpose and travel behaviour
postcode information to map the geographical catchment of users.
The study also enabled comparison with survey results dating back to 2008, allowing the client to monitor trends in user satisfaction and service performance over multiple years.
Outputs
Data from both surveys were analysed using quantitative statistical techniques, including confidence interval calculations to assess sampling precision and year-on-year trend analysis against previous survey waves. Findings were presented through charts, tables, infographics and mapped postcode analysis to provide clear visual interpretation of service performance and user behaviour.
Separate written reports were produced for the Reading and Bracknell sites, providing detailed analysis of each location while maintaining a consistent methodology to enable comparison across the re3 Partnership. The reports highlighted customer satisfaction measures, operational performance indicators, communication preferences, travel catchments and recycling behaviours to support ongoing service monitoring and decision making.
The research demonstrated consistently high levels of customer satisfaction across both sites. Overall satisfaction exceeded 95% at each Household Waste Recycling Centre, with particularly strong ratings for site cleanliness, customer care, meet and greet teams, website information and safety advice. The findings also provided detailed evidence on user behaviour, reasons for using the centres, awareness of site requirements and communication preferences, enabling the re3 Partnership to make evidence-based decisions regarding service delivery, customer communications and future operational improvements.
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