1. Behavioural Insights A Human-Centered Approach to Better Understanding
Behaviours of Peel Residents

2. Background Participation is driven by 3 factors: CONVENIENCE
e.g. cart-based collection
EDUCATION
e.g. advertising, school workshops
ENFORCEMENT
e.g. by-law officer home visits
The success of Peel’s waste diversion programs is dependent on resident participation

3. Recap 6-step approach for applying behaviour insights 1 2 3 6 5 4
Define Outcome
Diagnose Behavioural Barriers
Identify Interventions
Design Interventions
Test Interventions
Analyze Results & Scale Up 1 2 3 6 5 4

4. Putting research into practice
Define Outcome
Diagnose Behavioural Barriers
Identify Interventions
Design Interventions
Test Interventions
Analyze Results & Scale Up 1 2 3 6 5 4
Develop and test solutions that address barriers
Get actionable evidence about what works
Building on the behavioural research…
develop and rigorously test solutions that address key barriers that residents experience
These solutions will be developed based on behavioural insights and tested using rigorous methods for evaluating the effectiveness 
Goal is to have high-quality, actionable evidence about what works when it comes to promoting residential recycling.
Scale up…

5. 4 Behavioural Barriers Residents don’t know which bin items go in
The “yuck” factor discourages proper disposal and storage
Residents don’t make the link to the broader public benefit
Design and space issues inhibit recycling
4 behavioural barriers from the field research
Focus on 2 that can be addressed through communication and education

6. Step 3: Identify Interventions
Choose 1 to test 4 57 80
80 ideas from internal sessions
Assessed feasibility and impact
Narrowed to 4 options
Prioritized ideas and filtered to narrow the options
Filter for duplicates – basic analysis
KEY was Prioritizing for feasibility (operations and ca it scale up) and impact (from behavioural science perspective

7. Step 3: Identify Interventions
Emotional appeal
Narrowed to 2 of 4 options.
Practical approach

8. Step 4: Design Interventions
Folded Postcard
Aprox 20,000 Residents will receive this folded mailer as part of a random control trial

9. Step 4: Design Interventions
Removable sticker
The measurement for the test was done through route specific pre and post in-bound waste audits, which will help answer 2 key questions:
1 Would a message, highlighting the effort of actual workers involved in process, make people recycle correctly?
2 Would providing residents with stickers or reminders to place in their home, help reduce contamination?

10. Step 5: Test Interventions
Randomly select 12 routes
1. Pre-test audit on all 12 routes
2. Mail postcards to 6 routes
3. Post-test audit on all 12 routes

11. Step 5: Test Interventions
Practical Operations
Evaluation& Data Science
Examples: Routes not uniform
Existing pilot areas
Audit capacity
Examples: Large sample size
Maximize Randomness
More audits

12. Step 6: Analyse Results and Scale Up
Now in progress

13. Testing Common Waste Terms and Images Used with our Residents
Do Words Really Matter?
Testing Common Waste Terms and Images Used
with our Residents

14. Background Starting Point:
Are we communicating as effectively as we can to help our residents participate correctly?
Find out through research:
Behavioural Insights
Waste Terminology Testing
Concept Testing
Pilot Testing (Campaigns & Interventions)
The success of Peel’s waste diversion programs is dependent on resident participation

15. Research Objectives Find out:
how do residents interpret waste terminology we currently use?
what terms should we use going forward?
any insights to help inform key messaging for future campaigns, materials and web content.

16. Scope of Work Focus Groups Online Survey
Used IPSOS-REID as the research vendor.
Started the research first with focus group sessions:
5 Groups – Participants each
Mississauga and Brampton (curbside and MR grouped separately), Caledon combined.
Recruited only residents who have primary or shared responsibility of managing waste in their home.
Reflect a mix of Peel demographics and other criteria (Own/Rent, Urban/Rural, Male/Female, Income level (low, mid, high), Language, Immigrant/ Newcomer to Peel)
We then followed up with an online survey to:
gain representative sample ( residents)
quantify results and see if focus groups results align with online survey results
Further test images and words that did not generate consistency or consensus

17. Focus Groups – Setting the Context
perceptions of waste services?
awareness of specific waste programs?
recall of any waste-related material, public messaging?

18. Focus Groups – Words and Images
27 words tested
30 images tested
Examples:
Contamination
Textiles
Community Recycling Centre
Waste diversion
Organics
Examples:

19. Results – Overall Context
Multi-Residential Households have poor perceptions of waste services and the behaviour of other residents
High awareness of Community Recycling Centres and private companies/charities who accept waste or donations
Varied preferences for communication channels

20. Results – Word Testing Contamination Waste Diversion Double Bag
Most words and terms were familiar to participants except for:
Contamination
Waste Diversion
Double Bag
Bag-based collection
By law (violations)
Material Recovery Facility
Most responses reaching consensus except for

21. Results – Image Testing
Cart vs Bin – “Bin” was clear winner
Most images generated a term/word the Region already uses
Some images did not generate consistency or consensus on terms:
Top takeaways:

22. Focus Groups – What worked well
Flexibility to make adjustments on-the-fly
Ensuring participants wrote their answers/opinions before group discussion.
Avoids group-think, influencing
Physical notes were useful for researchers

23. Focus Groups – Challenges
Recruiting of those living in apartment/condo
Few residents living in basement apartments (who receive curbside collection)
Volume of images / words tested
Participant fatigue
Limited time
(Adjusted our online survey based on this experience)

24. Online Survey
As mentioned earlier, after we completed our focus groups, we then followed up with an online survey – mainly to:
gain representative sample ( residents)
quantify focus group results and see if online survey results align
Further test images and words that did not generate consistency or consensus

25. Online Survey - Format A sample of 400 Peel residents aged 18+
Sampled via the Ipsos I-Say panel and non-panel sources.

26. Online Survey – Key Insights
habits
Peel residents are doing more to recycle than to compost.
82% say they always recycle an item if they believe it is appropriate to do so, while only 56% will do the same with compostable organics.

27. Online Survey – Key Insights
likely recyclers
Those making 3Rs efforts (reduce, reuse, recycle…and compost) are doing so in multiple ways.
Peel residents who are actively making an effort towards the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle…and compost) are committing to various sustainability avenues.
Those who are doing all/most of what they can to recycle are also doing the same for reducing their waste, reusing, and composting.
Further, these residents also show to have higher awareness of our waste program.

28. Online Survey – Key Insights
room to improve
Many Peel residents admit they could do more towards 3Rs.
While most Peel residents say they are doing all they can do towards the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle…and compost), this still leaves a large proportion who admit they could be doing more.
In fact, 49% say they could be doing more to compost, including two in ten (18%) who are currently doing very little or nothing.

29. Online Survey – Key Insights
terminology
Familiarity with terms varies.
More familiar with: contamination (in recycling), double-bag, by-law (violations), and Community Recycling Centers
Less familiar with: waste diversion, and Material Recovery Facility
While most Peel residents say they are doing all they can do towards the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle…and compost), this still leaves a large proportion who admit they could be doing more.
In fact, 49% say they could be doing more to compost, including two in ten (18%) who are currently doing very little or nothing.

30. Online Survey – Key Insights
community programs
Awareness of Community Recycling Centres is highest.
The majority of Peel residents are aware of Community Recycling Centers (78%) and bulky item curbside collection (74%).
Comparatively fewer are aware of battery curbside collection (54%) and clothing/textile drop-off sheds (53%).

31. Digital Marketing Specialist Marketing & Communications
Dennis King
Digital Marketing Specialist
Marketing & Communications
Bernadette Celis-Clarke
Advisor, Promotion, Education & Outreach
Waste Management, Waste Planning
, Ext. 7431
Questions?