1.0 Branding and Message. Developing Communications

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1 1.0 Branding and Message Developing Communications This section takes you through the stages of developing your communications brand and its identity, the tone of voice for your communications and explains how to link to the national Recycle Now campaign brand to get the most out of it. It uses some of WRAP s latest research into people s barriers to recycling and looks at the implications for messaging. Having identified your target audiences and their needs you need to develop your brand and message. Your brand encompasses concepts such as the brand identity, personality, promise and visual identity: The identity is the outward expression (name and visual appearance) of a company or campaign The personality is the assignment of human personality traits such as seriousness, warmth, or imagination to a brand The promise is the experience consumers should expect from all interactions with the brand eg your recycling collection services The visual identity is the overall look and feel of the brand what images you choose to use, the style and design Brands and identities are easy to produce but can be hard to get right. Developing the right brand for recycling communications is something in which a great deal of time, research and effort has been invested in order to get right and the Recycle Now brand enjoys high levels of public recognition through England. Your communications should adopt the national Recycle Now campaign branding for use locally as there are a number of benefits: Industry research shows that local communications benefit from association with national campaigns and messages through greater awareness and increased impact In June 2008, 74% of people in England recognised the Recycle Now brand The campaign logo and iconography is in widespread use by around 90% of local authorities and is being used by an ever increasing range of organisations to communicate recycling messages The campaign has an extensive range of resources designed to help local authority recycling campaigns The brand and its activities are extensively tested and evaluated

2 You can review the Recycle Now branding guidance on the dedicated website for campaign partners: Some examples of the Recycle Now brand in use by local authorities are shown on the next page. For more information about campaign branding and the importance of using the Recycle Now brand - see Becoming an Expert No Visual identity Use a graphic designer (in-house or external design studio/agency) to develop initial design ideas and ways to incorporate the Recycle Now branding along with your own corporate branding if necessary. Ideally, you should test your designs (and messages) using focus groups (or at least circulate to non-waste members of staff and call centre staff) to ensure they will be effective. Remember to obtain approval for initial designs from senior managers and/or elected members as required before proceeding too far. And finally, once selected, your brand must be applied consistently across all your communications activities. Example of a local authority visual identity applied across a range of materials: Glass recycling leaflet Garden waste collection leaflet Plastic recycling leaflet In this instance, Liverpool City Council produced its own brand guideline document to ensure the communications materials it produced were consistent and complied with the national Recycle Now branding guidelines. Whilst this is a good idea for some larger campaigns (eg for waste partnerships) it is not necessary for every local authority to do this. There are a number of specific documents and a range of online information designed to help you develop your Recycle Now brand identity and communications materials including: Recycle Now Brand guidelines Recycle Now Partners guidelines - Design of Communications Material and communications checklist - Material streams iconography -

3 Home Composting - Local advertising and promotion For a brief description of each publication, refer to the Further Sources of Information on Page 189. CASE STUDY: Campaign branding A kerbside scheme was introduced in a number of councils across County Durham for the separate collection of glass, cans and paper. The campaign was aimed at all residents with targeted messages in areas identified as low performing. In the past, communications had been limited to broad brush promotional materials such as calendars and leaflets and these materials had been produced by the individual district councils. As a result, messages across the scheme members were mixed with variations in style and brand. This was felt to be one reason why participation in certain areas was low. A different approach was required so all design was centralised and managed by the lead LA partner with sign-off by all four LA partners. Design and printing was managed by an external design agency using WRAP brand guidelines. With newly redesigned material under a single, overall campaign brand, the campaign undertook a range of activities designed to target different target audiences, including students who make up a significant proportion of residents in Durham City during term-time. Overall, participation in the scheme increased between 7% - 14%. The local authorities felt the use of Recycle Now branding provided a consistent message and allowed economies of scale. Testing the target literature, particularly for the student audience, also gave Durham City Council confidence the materials were appealing and that the messages would be well received. WRAP Local Authority Communications Case Study: Durham County Council For examples of how other local authorities have successfully adopted Recycle Now and used it locally, look at WRAP s local authority communications case studies For more information about campaign visual identity - see Becoming an Expert No Tone of voice Tone of voice enables a brand to convey its values or qualities through the language it uses. Many brands overlook the words they use and rely on visual cues: the logo, the colour and typeface. A brand's tone of voice what it says and how it says it is important yet sometimes it can be an afterthought. When the tone of voice is consistent it becomes another means of recognising the brand and reinforcing expectations (ie the brand promise). Research shows that the right tone of voice is critical to the success of recycling communications. You need to communicate with them so in ways that do not irritate, annoy or otherwise upset them. Be careful of text that may unwittingly cause offence the wrong word, phrase or tone could alienate sections of the population. Recycle Now is designed to engage consumers with clear messages in a positive, warm and friendly tone of voice. Look at the style, language and tone of voice developed by other local authorities in their successful communications by accessing Recycle Now case studies ( Once your brand and tone of voice is decided you can begin to develop your communications message/s.

4 For more information about developing the right tone of voice - see Becoming an Expert No Type of message Your messages must be designed to engage, inform, educate, motivate and even inspire your target audiences. Depending on what your objectives are, your message needs to: Be personal Be simple and clear Address the barriers of your target audience Focus on a single action or an issue and how to overcome it. You need a clear call to action - a clear statement urging people to do something eg Recycle your Christmas Cards - so they know exactly what you want them to do Be consistent Different audiences may need different messages and you may need to develop separate specific messages to engage specific target audiences. What works for a high recycler may not necessarily work on a low/non recycler, for example: a high recycler may be motivated to greater recycling efforts by information on environmental benefits whereas a low/non recycler may only just respond to the fact that recycling is convenient and easy. Don t overload people by trying to communicate too much people are easily distracted or put off and saying too much can be a barrier in itself. It is better to focus on a single message and repeat it than try to communicate too much in one go. Your messages need to be developed with a range of communication channels in mind. How will it work, for example on a leaflet, in an advert, on an exhibition display, on the radio or on the side of a collection vehicle? Test your messages on your target audience, ideally through focus groups or with non-waste council staff and obtain approval from senior managers and/or elected members as required before proceeding too far with detailed design work. Make sure you have a clear and quick decision-making process for approving designs and messages. Avoid long-drawn out decisions and ones made by committee, as they will probably slow you down you and lessen the impact of your designs. See messages other local authorities have used successfully by accessing Recycle Now case studies here For more information about developing communications messages - see Becoming an Expert No13.

5 1.4 Planning your Communications The following section shows an extract from a typical communication plan to show how the branding and campaign tone could be developed and written. 5.0 Branding and Campaign Tone Moving Forward Council (MFC) has not developed consistent branding or visual identity for its waste and recycling promotions. It is suggested that MFC use the Recycle Now campaign look and feel for its communications material and localises the identity by using recycle for Moving Forward on all its recycling promotional material. MFC should also consider developing design guidelines to support the recycle for Moving Forward branding. This will help any designer to achieve a consistent look in the future. Taking this approach will make all promotional material easily recognised and its purpose understood. All material will be compliant with the recycle now guidelines and take into consideration MFC s corporate branding guidelines. As there is no internal design service it is suggested that all the design work is contracted out to a professional design service to ensure quality and consistency of design. It is also recommended that an agency with experience of this type of work is used to save on briefing and copywriting by MFC staff. The tone of the communications will: Include positive messages and not be blaming or negative Be consistent with regard to the look and feel Make it easy for people to take action The female head of the household tends to take responsibility for recycling in the home and this should be taken into consideration when designing communications. The Waste Projects Officer will be responsible for signing off all artwork. The branding will be used on all communication material, press and advertising.

6 Becoming an Expert No11: Campaign branding and identity Branding is the way in which organizations distinguish their product or service from others. A brand incorporates a distinctive name, style and design which combined, express the promise to the customer. The message, on the other hand, is the communication of information using words, a call to action and a particular tone of voice. It is important to be clear and single minded about your main message. Brands are often embodied by a logo (such as the Nike tick or Ferrari horse) but are actually much more than this. A brand projects itself through the whole look, feel and tone of its communications. This is achieved by using particular fonts, a set suite of colours, set layouts (this applies particularly in leaflets) so that everything can instantly be recognised as coming from the same brand. Colour is important as colours and symbols have different connotations for different countries and cultures, for example, white signifies spirituality and purity in western culture and death in Chinese culture. You should check that any colours you use are suitable for your target audiences. You should also check that your branding and designs meet the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act. WRAP has ensured Recycle Now meets the current Disability Discrimination Act guidance, namely that signs and their information should be clear, concise and consistent. The Recycle Now brand Recycle Now is the national recycling campaign for England, supported and funded by Government, managed by WRAP and used locally by over 90% of all English authorities. The brand was developed specifically for recycling after a great deal of research and testing and is designed to engage the public in a positive manner. The recycle icon is the logo of the brand and is designed for easy recognition. It embodies the feel-good nature of recycling. Both the recycle icon and Recycle Now call to action were extensively researched with consumers before the campaign started. They tested very positively. It s simple, descriptive and says: I love recycling The recycle mark includes a clear call to action and should be included on all communication and operational materials everything from leaflets to vehicle liveries. Here is a good example of local authority branding and overall design:

7 Hanging banners in town centre: Householder leaflet: Reusable shopping bag: Householder newsletter: Bin hangers for plastic recycling campaign:

8 Why use Recycle Now? There are a number of reasons for local authorities to use the Recycle Now branding for their local communications. Your campaign and your message are fighting for attention - estimates of how many messages people are exposed to every day vary from a conservative 500 to over 3,000. When competing against global marketing and advertising budgets running into millions, your recycling message has to work very hard indeed. Recycle Now was designed with this in mind. It is well recognised by householders in England Brand recognition by the public stands at 74% (2009) and this will probably increase in the future. In 2009 the number of committed recyclers rose to 67% of adults. Recycle Now offers consistency The campaign logo and iconography is in widespread use by around 90% of local authorities. A consistently applied brand will reap benefits over time in terms of increased recognition during the campaign and an extended period of brand recall compared to campaigns with inconsistent branding: Effect 30% to 40% Consistent, Strong branding Inconsistent, Weak branding Time Source: Saatchi & Saatchi Recycle Now is being used more and more by commercial brands Many leading companies and brands use the Recycle Now icon and new, on-pack recycling labels are being gradually phased in by Britain s leading retailers and brands. The scheme, which is led by the British Retail Consortium and supported by WRAP, has been developed to reduce consumer confusion and provide simple advice on what can and cannot recycle based on access to recycling facilities. Recycle Now can be localised and you can maintain your local identity Adopting the national Recycle Now brand locally: You will give a consistent brand for householders By using the logo, householders will identify your communication as recycling information Saves money there s no need to pay designers to develop new materials it s available to download free of charge It s tried and tested Research shows consumers like the logo, identify with it and it is known to engage people with recycling

9 Recycle Now can help you spend your money more effectively Testing and analysis the recycle now brand and communications materials have been extensively researched and tested, meaning you don t have to spend money doing this again Using the tools, resources and templates on the partners site means you do not have to pay design costs have these drawn up again Recycle Now brand guidelines can be adapted for your own local authority use, helping you save both time and money for your authority by offering clarity and consistency of message and brand use Recycle Now resources Via Recycle Now, WRAP provides a wealth of support materials and resources for local authorities to use and localise. These include: A photo library Access to all the Recycle Now iconography including the main icon and material stream icons Template posters and adverts A pick and mix section to enable authorities to create their own materials Template press releases All resources are available on Implementing Recycle Now locally This section and the next two (Becoming an Expert Numbers 11, 12 and 13) cover branding, tone of voice and messaging and contain a number of examples of different types of communications literature. Refer to the examples in these sections to get ideas of how local authorities are successfully using the Recycle Now brand locally. All communications materials should adhere to the Recycle Now brand guidelines in order to preserve the integrity of the brand and its benefits. However, that does not mean it cannot work alongside and integrate with your own council identity and corporate design guidelines. Some local authority campaigns, with either strong corporate identity or comprising a number of councils working together, have developed their own brand guidelines to ensure the needs of all parties are met. For example:

10 Liverpool City Council brand identity guidelines and green waste collection calendar: Gloucestershire County Council Recycle for Gloucestershire brand guidelines: It is not necessary for every council or campaign to go to the effort of developing their own local campaign guidelines but every campaign should check their designs are compatible with their own corporate design guidelines and those of Recycle Now. To help you implement the Recycle Now campaign brand locally and make best use of it in a wide variety of situations, Recycle Now has produced a set of guidance documents to help you use the Recycle Now brand on local communications and produce clear, well designed communications materials. These can be accessed online at

11 Recycle Now Brand guidelines A new set of brand guidelines for Recycle Now has been developed which explain how best to use the Recycle Now logos, icons, colours and artwork templates. The new guidelines are an amalgamation of the previous brand and partner guidelines, updated to be an easy-to-use and highly interactive document. In addition, there are some more generic documents on the WRAP website designed to help you with many aspects of recycling communications. Some of the key ones relating to branding and design include: Design of Communication Material This document gives basic and practical suggestions on the design of effective communications. These principles can be applied to collection calendars, leaflets, adverts and other marketing communications. Printing processes explained The aim of this guide is to explain the design and development process that you will go through in commissioning promotional material for waste management services, whether through an outside design agency or through your own internal design team. It takes you through the design and development process from the initial concept for a promotional item through to the delivery of the final product and what happens at all stages. Guidance on Developing Collection Calendars Kerbside collection calendars are an essential communication tool for most authorities, enabling them to provide essential information to householders about their waste and recycling services with instructions on how to participate. This document guides you through all the elements of putting together a clear and easy to understand calendar. Developing recycling and waste websites This guidance document and web page review methodology has been developed as a result of requests for waste and recycling web page reviews from a number of London Boroughs to help ensure they provide relevant information about the services, make them easier to use and enhance the user experience. An evaluation matrix was developed to assist with the review process, which systematically outlines essential information the recycling and waste web pages should contain.

12 Becoming an Expert No12: Campaign tone of voice Tone of voice enables a brand to convey its values or qualities through the words and language it uses and research shows that the right tone of voice is critical to the success of communications. The tone of voice you adopt can make all the difference to how your message is received by the public. Remember, tone of voice is not so much about what you say - it s about how you say it. For example you could take an authoritative approach such as: You must use your new recycling service now Or, you could talk to people in a way that is warm and friendly such as: We re here to help you get the most from your new recycling service In both the above, the overall message is the same, but the tone of voice is markedly different. Extensive research shows people have clear preferences in the way they want to be talked to: Ensure your written copy always uses positive language and a positive tone People do not want to be told what to do, be preached at or patronised They need to be given the facts and persuaded to use recycling services in the spirit of partnership i.e. we re all in this together and we re all doing our bit to help Look to promote Friendly Factual Simple My voice Mainstream Benefit to me Seek to avoid Guilt Threat Public Service/Duty Waste Fringe Rubbish Recycle Now is designed to engage consumers with clear messages in a positive, warm and friendly tone as the examples on the following pages show.

13 Front cover of a recycling leaflet from Tower Hamlets in London, written in a light friendly style: General recycling poster from the Recycle for Gloucestershire campaign: Both examples have a light and friendly style, tone which is supported by the images with the smiling Recycle Now family and the bright, vivid colours used in the designs. On the next page is an example of a change in service leaflet produced by Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council. Again, it is written in a warm friendly style; it does not preach, nor does it patronise; it starts by asking for people s help then goes on to explain the new service and some of the key issues that householders are likely to have.

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15 Changing your tone of voice for different target audiences For most communications you will use the same positive tone of voice because it has been shown to work with most of the people most of the time. There are times, however, when a different approach might be better. Some audiences respond better to slightly different messages, images and language and you could change your tone of voice to engage these audiences more effectively. If you decide to take this approach, it is vital that you thoroughly research and test your communication messages and materials with your target audiences to ensure they are likely to achieve the desired result. The following examples show how the tone of voice has been altered to appeal to a very different target audience, namely students. Compare these conventional recycling leaflet and poster designs To these recycling campaign posters for students: These communications materials are specifically designed to appeal and be relevant to students. Tone of voice for a low performing area Despite having a recycling rate of 47%, Melton Mowbray Borough Council decided it wanted to encourage its residents to do even better and produced a leaflet designed to simultaneously target two audiences:

16 Excellent recyclers (75% of local households) Poor recyclers (25% of local households) Their leaflet had a certificate of excellence congratulating the excellent recyclers on one side and an alternative message on the other for low recyclers: The text on the reverse of the leaflet was designed for both groups: to congratulate the high recyclers and to make low/non-recyclers aware of the consequences of their lack of action in a way that had a low likelihood of irritating them. It is reproduced below:

17 Becoming an Expert No13: Developing campaign messages Your message is the communication of information through the combination of words, imagery and your tone of voice. It is important to be clear and single minded about your main campaign message. You messages need to be developed with your aims and objectives in mind they should be designed specifically to help you achieve them. For example, if you want to launch a new kerbside service for food waste it would not be appropriate to spend a large proportion of budget on advertising promoting your recycling banks. There are times however, when integrated communications will promote different aspects of recycling or waste prevention over the life of a communications strategy and these will have to be carefully planned and scheduled to give each issue space so as to not overwhelm people with too many messages at once. Communications literature which tries to say too much becomes confusing and people will not to respond to it as well as a single, clear, simple and focussed call to action. Finally, your messages should always be tested on your intended target audience. Recycling can be a sensitive issue and it can take a great deal of thought to come up with an effective idea. Messages can sometimes have unexpected effects both positive and negative. Occasionally the most unlikely and unpromising message can be the one to spark a reaction within people. Different audiences are likely to respond to different messages the message that motivates a high recycler will leave a non-recycler cold. Always test your messages to make sure they work as you intend them. The following examples from the Recycle for Gloucestershire campaign show how different messages have been used in different situations. A poster promoting new cardboard and plastic recycling facilities in Cheltenham (post-it section note blown up for clarity):

18 Finally, reproduced across the next two pages is a very different leaflet promoting recycling and home composting by telling people where their recycling goes and what happens to it:

19 [Type text] Recent research by WRAP has shown that both committed and non-committed recyclers are encouraged to recycle more by knowing more about what happens to their recycling after the council takes it away.

20 [Type text] Another poster, this time promoting plastic bottle recycling in the aftermath of regional flooding: The text at the top of the poster reads: Got Bottle? Recycle it! Due to the recent floods you may have many plastic bottles. Please recycle them at your nearest bottle recycling site. This is a clear call to action on what was probably a highly topical local issue.

21 [Type text] Primary and secondary messages Once your message has been identified, you have to present it in the right way and that partly lies in good design. There are a few key principles that you should follow: Headline Hierarchy (secondary messages) Make it personal to the reader In a calendar, leaflet or advertisement the most important element is the headline. The headline is either the heading that goes at the top or if there's no heading, it's the first few words. The headline needs to grab peoples' attention and tell them what it is about. Keep it simple; do not try to be too clever a catchy and appropriate strap line is best. A clever concept can go over peoples heads they don t have the time or the inclination to try and work it out. It is very important that you develop a hierarchy so that the most important information or message is at the top and the least important at the bottom. Peoples attention span can be short and they will skim the information after the first few sentences unless you can maintain their interest. The copy of your calendar, advertisement or leaflet needs to be a personal communication to the individual reading it. It should address their specific interests or known concerns and it needs to constantly communicate the benefits of what you are offering. Make it positive Action Make Information Understandable Generally the message you are trying to get across or the service or product you are introducing is a positive thing otherwise you would not be doing it! Focus on the message. Very simple this one preferably one sentence only. Your communication must make it clear what action you want people to take. Make sure information is easy to understand and uses simple and concise language. If you are using facts and figures make sure information is as up to date as possible. Use clear and simple terminology that householders will understand and do not use jargon which may be familiar within your industry but to no one else. Example poster showing primary and secondary messages: Primary message: Recycle your newspaper. It s good news for everyone. Secondary message: Recycle your newspaper and in seven days it could be another newspaper Messages and addressing barriers to recycling

22 [Type text] Research by WRAP into people s barriers to recycling has shown that people need different messages which relate to their situation and/or specific barriers. In reality people often experience a mix of barriers which means a single silver bullet message may not work and you may need overlapping messages covering a range of barriers to be successful. Ensure your headline message addresses the most significant or widespread barrier and any secondary messages address other barriers. The two posters below are examples of two messages addressing the most basic barrier to recycling easy access to recycling services: the first poster highlights the fact that all households in the local authority area have a recycling service; and the second tells people what they can recycle and where it goes. The main findings of WRAP s research,, looking at barriers, audiences and messaging is shown in the table on the next page. The table gives an indication of, for each audience, the types of messages most likely to strike a chord with them. Use this table in conjunction with the information about identifying your target audiences (see Section 4 and Becoming an Expert No8: Identifying Target Audiences ) to identify the messages most likely to produce the desired response from your target audience. There is a further table in Becoming an Expert 14 which looks at messages, audiences and the most appropriate communication methods. Remember however, this information can only give you an indication of the likely barriers and issues of a particular audience and is no substitute for local knowledge and research which may identify some quite different factors unique to your area. You should always test your ideas and messages on representatives of your target audiences before you start your campaign. For more detailed information consult WRAP s research Barriers to recycling at home which provides in-depth information about people s barriers and looks at the links between social grade, barriers and messaging. It is referenced a number of times and can be accessed online here:

23 [Type text] Recycling Competence Level (1 to 7) 1. Recycling unaware 2. Aware but inactive 3. Contemplated but not engaged Description Just not on their radar, no idea about it at all Know about it but have not seriously contemplated doing it May have dabbled, possibly elsewhere, may do occasionally, drifted back 4. Unreliable Recycle but sometimes forget, or miss out, recycle opportunistically not regularly 5. Trying their best 6. Broadly competent 7. The Complete Recycler Usually take part, recycle staple items but confused about other items Reliable and regular but may still miss out some materials or collections Recycle all available items of all recyclable materials all of the time Profile - tendency to have one or more of the following characteristics ACORN categories: 2, 4 Age: Property: Flats, terrace, maisonette Lifecycle: Young single, no kids yet; single parent ACORN categories: 2, 4 Age: Property: Flats, terrace, maisonette Lifecycle: Young single, no kids yet; single parent ACORN categories: 2, 4, 5 Age: Property: Terrace, bungalow Lifecycle: Solitary retiree, single parent ACORN categories: 3, 5 Age: Property: Bungalow, terrace, semi- Lifecycle: Solitary retiree, solitary adult worker ACORN categories: 3, 5, 2 Age: Property: Semi-detached, bungalow Lifecycle: Full nest couple with kids, solitary retiree ACORN categories: 1, 2 Age: 55 and above Property: Detached, semi-detached Lifecycle: Empty nest, couple with no kids ACORN categories: 1 Age: Property: Detached Lifecycle: Empty nest, children living elsewhere Main messages and actions a) Instructions b) Explanations c) Dispelling the myths a) Instructions b) Explanations c) Dispelling the myths d) How it works a) Instructions b) Explanations c) Dispelling the myths d) How it works f) Saving cash a) Instructions b) Explanations c) Dispelling the myths d) How it works e) Rewards f) Saving cash a) Instructions c) Dispelling the myths d) How it works e) Rewards f) Saving cash a) Instructions c) Dispelling the myths d) How it works e) Rewards f) Saving cash a) Instructions d) How it works e) Rewards f) Saving cash Key to main messages and actions: a) Instructions What, when and how to recycle - details of the service and how to use it b) Explanations What is recycling? Why should you do it? What are the benefits to people and the environment? c) Dispel myths Education about the good & bad things in recycling & waste disposal from simple operational issues to more complex ones eg the relationship between landfill and climate change. d) How it What happens to recyclables once collected where they go and what they are made into. works e) Feedback and thanks Tell people how they are doing and how well they compare to everywhere else. Thank them for their efforts.

24 [Type text] f) Saving cash What are the costs and financial benefits of recycling, waste disposal, LATS etc

25 [Type text] The use and importance of facts and data in messaging Facts and data can be useful to help illustrate your points. For example: National Recycle Now campaign examples Recycling just one glass jar saves enough energy to power a light bulb in your home for one hour Recycle your metal can and it could come back as part of a car, a plane or even another can Recycle your newspaper and in seven days it could be another newspaper Local authority campaign examples Why am I being asked to separate my food waste? Approximately a quarter of the waste in an average household bin is food waste. When it decomposes in a landfill site it produces methane a greenhouse gas 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide. This waste can now be recycled into a compost which will be used as a soil improver on farms. Source: Oldham MBC Thank you South Staffordshire Your contribution to recycling in South Staffordshire makes all the difference and means that we are now recycling 43% of our waste! With your continued help we can do even better! Source: South Staffordshire Council Data and facts however, must always be used carefully. Using research data that is incorrect, has been misinterpreted, or is not directly relevant to your specific situation or your target audience, leaves you open to criticism, which may undermine your credibility and your entire communications effort. Use data (facts and figures or other information) sensibly express the information in terms people can relate to. No one knows what 10,000 tonnes of waste looks like but they will have an idea of the scale of 250 juggernauts Keep it relevant, meaningful and personal (to local people or the local area) Keep it simple Only use data from reputable and impartial sources which can stand up to scrutiny. Always reference data and keep a central file of the information and where it came from in case it is queried Check the context of the information you want to use and ideally check it personally with the organisation or person you got it from to ensure you understand the underlying data completely and that it fully meets your specific needs. This is especially true for information that converts waste or recycling data into energy savings or CO 2 emission equivalents Be very careful with the way you phrase or express the information as a word out of place can completely change its technical meaning. If in doubt, get it verified If you are using some key facts in your communications: You must base them on robust, authoritative research data which can be substantiated and relied upon (see above) The information you use must comply with the Code of Practice of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) If challenged, you must be able to substantiate any statistics or claim

26 [Type text] Examples of facts used in local authority campaigns Example of local authority literature using facts : Front: Back: Text from right hand leaflet: Where does it go? All glass collected in the County is reprocessed at a facility in Southampton and then used in road aggregate, water filtration units or made into new glass bottles and jars. Did you know? The average Buckinghamshire family throws away over 300 glass bottles/jars a year. Glass can be recycled indefinitely. Up to 80% of the bottles you buy can be made from recycled glass. The largest glass furnaces produce more than 400 tonnes that s more than one million bottles and jars each day! The energy saving from recycling one glass bottle will power a 100 watt light bulb for almost an hour. One bottle bank can hold up to 3,000 bottles before it needs to be emptied. Finely ground glass (or processed sand) is used in golf bunkers. Source: Buckinghamshire/Aylesbury Vale Council

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