Erewash Borough Council: Waste and Recycling Education Campaign
Background & Context
M·E·L Research was commissioned by Erewash Borough Council, with funding from both Erewash Borough Council and Derbyshire County Council, to deliver and evaluate a targeted waste and recycling education campaign. The project formed part of a wider programme designed to increase both the quantity and quality of recyclable materials collected through the borough’s kerbside recycling services.
The council wanted to better understand residents’ recycling behaviours, identify barriers preventing greater participation, improve awareness of recyclable materials, and measure the effectiveness of targeted engagement activities. Alongside behavioural change objectives, the project aimed to evaluate whether direct engagement with residents could improve recycling participation, increase the amount of recyclable material presented for collection and reduce contamination within recycling containers.
The project combined behavioural research with operational monitoring, enabling the council to assess actual recycling behaviour alongside residents’ claimed attitudes and experiences. By integrating observational monitoring with consultation activities, the study provided robust evidence to inform future communications and service improvements.
Approach
M·E·L Research designed and delivered a comprehensive mixed-method evaluation consisting of three complementary research and engagement strands. The activities were carefully coordinated so that findings from one stage informed subsequent stages of the campaign.
Doorstep engagement campaign:
Two experienced M·E·L Recycling Advisors delivered a targeted face-to-face doorstep engagement campaign across four selected collection rounds representing different areas of the borough.
Key features included:
Approximately 4,000 households were identified for targeting.
3,671 households were canvassed.
2,080 households were successfully engaged, achieving a 57% contact rate, exceeding the campaign target.
Advisors received dedicated training before fieldwork.
Advisors wore council-authorised identification and used tablet devices to record information during visits.
Information collected included: claimed recycling behaviour, materials recycled, barriers preventing recycling, requests for recycling containers, and qualitative resident feedback.
Rather than using generic messaging, conversations were tailored using intelligence gathered during the earlier monitoring phase. Advisors were supplied with pre-campaign evidence identifying households and streets with low participation or contamination issues, allowing discussions to focus on specific behaviours and local challenges.
A structured prompt sheet supported consistent conversations while allowing advisors to respond flexibly to residents’ questions. Every household received recycling information, either through direct engagement or via a leaflet if nobody was home. During visits, advisors also arranged replacement recycling containers where required.
Bin flipping monitoring
To objectively measure behavioural change, M·E·L Research conducted pre- and post-campaign bin flipping assessments across the same geographical areas targeted by the engagement campaign.
This observational methodology assessed:
recycling container set-out rates
container fullness
contamination within recycling containers
recyclable materials incorrectly placed within residual waste.
Monitoring took place before and after the engagement campaign, with an established bedding-in period allowing time for behavioural changes and delivery of replacement containers.
Field staff worked alongside collection crews to ensure accurate observations before waste collections commenced.
The assessment covered:
3,611 households for recycling container monitoring.
Visual inspections of thousands of recycling and residual waste containers.
Analysis of contamination types, recyclable materials and container fullness using standardised quartile measurements.
The project also incorporated geographic analysis at street and Output Area level together with segmentation using ACORN classifications, enabling differences in behaviour across neighbourhood types to be explored.
Resident consultation survey
Face-to-face resident consultation surveys were undertaken before and after the campaign within the same areas covered by the engagement and monitoring activities.The consultation explored:
awareness of council recycling services
claimed usage of recycling collections
satisfaction with services
barriers to participation
motivations to recycle
campaign recall
perceived impact of communications.
Experienced M·E·L interviewers carried out interviews at different times of day and evening to maximise contact rates. The consultation achieved:
686 completed interviews before the campaign.
502 completed interviews after the campaign.
The survey results were reported through detailed cross-tabulations, including subgroup analysis by demographic characteristics and ACORN profile. Sampling confidence intervals were calculated and reported at the 95% confidence level, enabling the council to understand the statistical reliability of survey findings.
Outputs
M·E·L Research combined evidence from all three research strands to provide an integrated evaluation of the campaign. Analysis included:
comparison of pre- and post-campaign behavioural measures
descriptive statistical analysis of survey findings
cross-tabulation of resident consultation data
geographic analysis by collection round, street and Output Area
segmentation analysis using ACORN categories
integrated comparison of engagement methods
synthesis of observational and claimed behaviour.
A particular focus of the evaluation examined the relative effectiveness of different communication approaches by comparing households receiving:
face-to-face engagement with Recycling Advisors
leaflet-only communications.
The integrated analysis demonstrated measurable improvements across several operational indicators following the campaign, including increased recycling container set-out, fuller recycling containers and reductions in contamination. The comparison also showed that households receiving face-to-face engagement generally demonstrated greater improvements than those receiving leaflet-only communications.
Alongside quantitative findings, the project captured extensive qualitative feedback from residents, identifying recurring barriers including uncertainty over recyclable materials, issues relating to recycling containers, and operational concerns about collection services. These insights provided practical evidence to inform future communication campaigns and service improvements.
Outputs provided to the client included:
a comprehensive written evaluation report
detailed statistical data tables
integrated analysis across multiple research methodologies
mapping of results by geographical area
ACORN segmentation analysis
practical recommendations for future recycling communications and ongoing behavioural change activity.
The evaluation enabled Erewash Borough Council to assess the effectiveness of its education campaign, understand where future communications should be targeted and identify which engagement approaches generated the greatest improvements in recycling behaviour.
M·E·L Research is pleased to welcome four new colleagues to our growing team, strengthening our research and evaluation expertise as we continue to expand our services and support clients.
The appointments of Laura Karban, Associate Director; Bethan Jewsbury, Senior Evaluation Managers; and Chloe Parker, Research Manager, alongside Rhoslyn Davies, who joins us on a short-term basis to provide additional senior evaluation support, bring a wealth of experience across social research, evaluation, public policy…
It was an absolute honour to attend the Women’s Health Conference in London this week, bringing together clinicians, policymakers, campaigners and others passionate about improving women’s health.
As a researcher specialising in women’s health social research, I was excited to have the opportunity to learn, be challenged and exchange ideas with people who share that passion. And I wasn’t disappointed.
There has (quite rightly) been a lot of discussion recently about the gender health gap. But some of the evidence shared…
We are pleased to be working with the MS Society on new health and care social research exploring how health and care services can better support people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and help reduce avoidable hospital admissions.
The health and care social research study will focus on opportunities for earlier intervention and more coordinated, preventative support, while recognising that hospital admission is sometimes clinically necessary. It will…
Last week, I had the opportunity to speak at Collections Inside & Out, a symposium hosted at National Trust Chirk Castle & Garden, bringing together people working across gardens, horticulture, heritage, collections and interpretation.
I was, perhaps, a slight interloper among so many people with deep horticultural expertise but every presentation was incredibly interesting and I learned a lot – and broadly managed to follow the general flow of what was being said (still not 100% au fait with taxa…
We’re pleased to share that our Commercial Director, Elliot Simmonds, will be speaking at the Collections Inside & Out symposium at National Trust Chirk Castle & Garden on 24 September 2026. Bringing together professionals working across heritage collections, gardens and landscapes, the symposium will explore the relationship between indoor and outdoor heritage and the opportunities created by thinking about them as part of a connected visitor experience.
Elliot’s session, “Integrating Indoor…
M·E·L Research has been named the winner of the Award for Outstanding Contribution to Social Value & Ethical Research 2026 at the UK Enterprise Awards.
The award recognises the values that shape both the work we choose to undertake and the way we deliver it. From building trauma-informed practices into our research to improving inclusion and reinvesting in the communities around us, social responsibility is part of how we operate every day.
M·E·L Research joined the British Dyslexia Association (BDA) at the House of Lords this week for the launch of a new report exploring the experiences of dyslexic young people who are not in employment, education or training (NEET).
Tamsin Maries, Senior Research Manager, and Elliot Simmonds, Commercial Manager, represented M·E·L Research at the event…
New UK-wide research from M·E·L Research’s SPARK report shows improving mental health indicators alongside continuing exposure to suicide, widespread lifetime suicidal thoughts and significant gaps in practical knowledge.
Suicide prevention depends on understanding not only how many people are affected, but also how confident the public feel about recognising risk, starting difficult conversations and finding appropriate support. The Spring 2026 SPARK report from M·E·L Research brings these issues together, providing a detailed picture of attitudes…
