Improving recycling through effective communications: Background

This section looks at the information you need to gather to assess your current position and carry out a situational analysis (the next stage of the strategy development process).

• The area and the people living in it – who they are, how old they are, where they live, what types of houses they live in, what their lifestyles are.
• How well they use the local recycling and waste management services.
• What are their barriers to recycling?

Once you have gathered all the internal information you can, you should look further afield to see if there is other information or research that might be useful. The final stage is to review all the information to see what it tells you and to identify if there are any gaps in your knowledge that need to be filled.

Even if you know your local area, you should complete this first stage because it will give you the factual evidence you need to develop your strategy, provide baseline information on which you can set targets and help you make the case for the communications budget you need. It will also set the context for anyone who may be less familiar with the area.

Explore other pages in the report:

• Improving recycling through effective communications
• Situational analysis
• Aims and objectives
• Target audience
• Branding and message
• Strategy & communication methods
• Communication activities
• Scheduling & costing activities
• Monitoring & evaluation
• Conclusion