What is the latest research on customers' views on recycling & waste

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What is the latest research on customers’ views on recycling & waste? Version 1 | Public© Ipsos MORI
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What is the latest research on
customers’ views on recycling & waste?
12th March 2015, Matthew Evans, Associate Director

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What I will cover
• Where are consumers now?
• What are they willing to do?
• What are their barriers and
motivations for taking action?

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Where are consumers now
when it comes to waste and
recycling?

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What do you see as the most/other important issues facing Britain today?
Base : representative sample of c.1,000 British adults age 18+ each month, interviewed face-to-face in home Source: Ipsos MORI Issues Index
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What is the latest research on customers’ views on recycling & waste? Version 1 | Internal Use Only© Ipsos MORI
So are there signs of “green
fatigue”?
Agree ‘they are tired of the fuss
that is being made about the
environment’31%
Base: Adults aged 16-64 in Great Britain on Ipsos MORI Online Access Panel (unweighted base size: 1,000 panellists). Results weighted to reflect a
nationally representative profile of Great Britain. Fieldwork was conducted between September 3rd and September 17th 2013.

Though when they are asked
directly, they do show
concern for the
environment…
Agree ‘we are heading for
environmental disaster unless
we change our habits quickly’59%
Base: Adults aged 16-64 in Great Britain on Ipsos MORI Online Access Panel (unweighted base size: 1,000 panellists). Results weighted to reflect a
nationally representative profile of Great Britain. Fieldwork was conducted between September 3rd and September 17th 2013.

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In your view, what are the three most important environmental issues facing
[your country] today? That is, the top environmental issues you feel should
receive the greatest attention from your local leaders?
And waste has consistently been in the top two
environmental concerns
Base: Global -18,503 adults aged 18-64 in the US and Canada, and aged 16-64 in 23 other countries, 6th-20th August 2013 (at least +500
interviewed in each country). Great Britain – 1,000 adults aged 16-65 in Great Britain. All conducted on Ipsos Online Access Panel.
Ipsos MORI Global @dvisor (Environmental Concern)
50
48
41
25
19
48
45
42
24
24
Future energy sources and supplies
Dealing with the amount of waste we
generate
Overpopulation
Global warming/climate change
Over-packaging of consumer goods
2011 2013
Top Great Britain mentions (%)

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And most say recycling is important to them and are
willing to make the additional effort
Base: All respondents in UK (5,500), 2012
55% 38% 5% 1%UK Total
Very important Fairly important Not very important Not at all important Don’t know
Thinking about recycling household waste, which of the statements below best describes how
important recycling is to you personally?
Importance of Recycling
75% 23% 2%UK Total
I recycle even if it requires additional effort I recycle if it does not require additional effort
I do not recycle Don’t know
Which of the statements below best describes your attitude to recycling?
Recycling Attitude

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements? “I try
to recycle as much as I can”
But self-reported and official recycling rates have
plateaued recently
Ipsos MORIBase: 2013 - Adults aged 16-64 in Great Britain on Ipsos MORI Online Access Panel (unweighted base size: 1,000 panellists). Results weighted to reflect a nationally representative profile
of Great Britain. Fieldwork was conducted between September 3rd and September 17th 2013. 2003 – 2008 – adults aged 15+ in Great Britain, unweighted base of 2,019. per point.
72 80
89 86
22
17
9 10
18
27
38 44
0
20
40
60
80
100
2003 2005 2008 2013
Strongly agree / tend to agree (%)
Strongly disagree / tend to disagree (%)
Household recycling rates in England (%)
Percentage(%)
Year
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Recycling rates: source Defra

Q. Which of the following statements best describes your attitude to recycling?
But is there a perception gap between self-reported
behaviour and actual recycling rates?
Base: 1,000 residents of the SLWP area, interview by telephone. Fieldwork dates: 14th – 19th November 2012.
Recycle as much as
you can even if it
requires additional
effort
Recycle when it is
made easy to do so,
and only requires a
little additional effort
Only recycle if it does
not require any
additional effort
Do not recycle
65%
28%
4% 3%
Actual recycling rates
Borough Recycling rate (%)
Croydon 38.06
Merton 37.31
ABK 46.79
Sutton 37.37
10

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What are consumers willing to
do and where are there
opportunities for
improvement?

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% Likely
to change
% Unlikely
to change
52% 21%
44% 23%
38% 7%
34% 4%
28% 27%
22% 45%
Q. Thinking about things you might do in order to limit your own contribution to climate change, how likely or
unlikely would you be to make the following changes within the next year?
There is willingness to avoid over packaging, to reuse and
to recycle
Base : All respondents (1,040) : Fieldwork dates : 26th September – 10th October 2014 Source: Ipsos MORI
25
31
52
61
39
18
9
7
13
15
5
4
16
11
12
11
9
7
26
25
13
8
14
11
15
14
5
2
15
20
5
7
1
1
6
14
2
2
1
1
7
10
2
2
2
2
5
15
Avoiding products which have a lot of
packaging
Avoiding buying new goods, for example
mending what you have or buying used
products instead
Saving energy at home, for example by
installing insulation or switching off lights
Recycling materials such as glass, paper
and plastic
Walking, cycling or using public transport
instead of driving a car or motorbike
Not flying, or replacing some flights with
train or bus journeys
I am already doing this as much as I possibly can Certain to
Very likely to Fairly likely to
Fairly unlikely to Very unlikely to
Certain not to Not applicable

But there are still many
opportunities to be greener
still, for instance…

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Sorting out our wardrobes
1 and 2 – WRAP, Valuing our clothes report (2012), 7,950 respondents aged 16+ in the UK.; 3 – WRAP, clothing longevity and measuring active use summary
report (2013). Online Access Panel (3,244 panellists). Results weighted to reflect a nationally representative profile of Great Britain. Ipsos MORI / WRAP
*Excluding footwear and accessories
Around 30%of clothing in the average wardrobe
hasn’t be worn for at least a year1
…and just13%
However…
would like to do more to buy clothes that
both look good and last for longer337%
would pay more for clothes that have
less impact on the environment2

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Thinking about the last time you had left-overs or made more food than was
needed, what happened to those left-overs? (Multi-code)
43
21
16
8
6
12
Used as part of another meal
Didn’t get used and were
thrown away
Used as a meal in
themselves
Still being stored
Fed to the dog/pets/birds
Don't know/can't
remember/not applicable
Learning about what to do with left-over food
Ipsos MORI / WRAP
Top Five (%)
Base: 3786, UK Adults with at least some responsibility for shopping and preparing food. Fieldwork conducted face-to-face between 7th
January 2013 to 24th June 2013. Data weighted to fit a nationally representative profile of the UK population.

And with food there are specific challenges for younger residents
*12 accompanied shops with 18-34 years old conducted by Ipsos MORI April – May 2014
* * 4,070 British adults aged 18+ were surveyed between 25th and 29th June 2014
• 18-34-year-olds are twice as likely to agree that they don’t
like eating food that is stored in the freezer than over-35s
(18% versus 8%)**
• Very few froze home made meals regularly to use at
another time. Most freezers were used for storing frozen-
brought items.
• Some considered the freezer a “graveyard” for things soon
to go off (e.g. “to save some meat”) or unwanted (e.g. gifts
from relatives), or as an “insurance policy” – a place to
make last resort meals out of.
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To what extend to you agree or disagree that the following waste collection
services are adequate for the needs of your household?
Disposing of the wardrobe, plus the fridge and kitchen sink
Base: All respondents Aged 18+ in England (Unweighted base of 1,570). Figures have been rebased by removing “Don’t Know”
responses to account for those areas where service may not be available. Data is weighted to a nationally representative profile.
Ipsos MORI / University of Kent – funded by Defra and the
Environment Agency
81
80
72
72
54
14
15
16
13
20
Black wheelie bin or bin
bag collection
Recycling collection
Food waste collection
Garden waste collection
Bulky item collection
Agree (%)
Disagree (%)

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What are the motivations and
barriers to consumers taking
action?

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COM-B Model: Behaviour occurs as an interaction between
three necessary conditions...
Source: Michie et al (2011) Implementation Science
Useful to use a framework to understand
behaviour change

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Is climate change going to be a key driver of
behaviour?
Source: Ipsos MORI/Chatham House (2014). See
http://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/files/chathamhouse/field/field_document/20141203LivestockClimateChangeBaileyFroggattWellesleyUpdate.pdf

Q. What would you say were your reasons or motivations for recycling your household waste?
(UNPROMPTED)
However, helping the environment, while important, is only
part of the reason for taking action on waste
Base: 975 residents of the SLWP area who recycle, interview by telephone. Fieldwork dates: 14th – 19th November 2012.
2
5
2
5
9
10
51
2
3
5
8
9
13
58
Encouragement from friends/family/neighbours
Nothing - I've always done it
Everyone else is doing it
Helps future generations
Encouragement from the local council
Second nature / easy / easier than not doing it
Good for the environment
2012 2010
Top 7 responses
%
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To what extent do any of the following encourage you to try to minimise the amount of food that your household
throws away (into the bin, compost bin or council collection)?
And being efficient and our wallets’ welfare are more of a
priority when it comes to food waste
Base: 3786, UK Adults with at least some responsibility for shopping and preparing food. Fieldwork conducted face-to-face between 7th January
2013 to 24th June 2013. Data weighted to fit a nationally representative profile of the UK population.
Ipsos MORI / WRAP
71
68
63
48
42
37
Wanting to manage my home efficiently
The possibility of saving money
Eating the healthiest diet possible
Feelings of guilt when I throw food away
that could have been eaten
A desire to reduce my impact on the
environment
Food shortages elsewhere in the world
A great deal / a fair amount (%)
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Do we ask too much of the public?
• Time can be a key barrier. If we ask too much of the
public they might be tempted to take the easy way out
Provide them with clear information which they can
refer to easily
Public respond well to a more positive tone
Explain the benefits of taking action for the area
“One bin is better, it just looks messy
when you’ve got loads of different ones”
Male, Birmingham
“I think they’re trying to
break it up too much”
Male, Dunbar
“They send little leaflets through the door with big pictures
on so you know what can be recycled easily...you can stick
it on your fridge as well” Female, Cardiff.
Points to consider …

In moving towards our more resource
efficient economy it will be important to...
Capitalise on our worries about waste
by…
Making it easier to do the right thing
and…
Pointing us in the right direction

Version 1 | Internal Use Only
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Thank you
matthew.evans@ipsos.com | 020 7347 3004
© Ipsos MORI This work was carried out in accordance with the requirements of the international quality standard for market research, ISO 20252:2006 and with the Ipsos MORI Terms and Conditions which can be found here

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