Renfrewshire Council

In December 2018, Renfrewshire Council transformed its waste and recycling service, the single biggest service change that a local authority can make. It significantly altered the way that waste and recycling is collected for more than 90,000 households and 1,200 businesses in Renfrewshire. The objectives behind communicating the new service change were: awareness raising; affect positive behavioural changes; and encourage greater engagement with recycling services and increase recycling tonnage collected in Renfrewshire. An innovative and successful public communications campaign was delivered to achieve these aims. It used: • Social media - including live Q&A events; • Redesign of the Council website for easier customer interaction; • Bespoke calendars with 11 variations of information packs sent to residents; • Face-to-face roadshow events covering daytime, evenings and weekends; • Press, vehicle and radio advertising; • Visits from dedicated Waste Advisors; • Direct Mailing; and • Housing and Tenants Associations.

This award is open to a single council or where appropriate a partnership of councils, or a council-owned company. Private sector partners can enter on a council’s behalf, with the permission of the council itself. The communications function is more integral to what councils do than ever. Influencing behaviour – in relation to, for example, recycling, transport or looking out for older neighbours – is increasingly important, as is the need to build trust in the difficult decisions councils have to take in these challenging times. Campaigns can make a significant contribution to achieving these objectives, and this award is designed to showcase councils’ expertise in this area.