Keep Britain Tidy unveils new waste hierarchy to encourage reduce and reuse behaviours

Keep Britain Tidy today unveils a newly designed and tested version of the waste hierarchy as part of fresh guidance to help the industry to better educate the public about waste prevention and mindful consumption and urgently accelerate the UK’s transition to a circular economy.  

A new report has shown how using the new waste hierarchy, alongside effectively framed messages, can better engage the public about waste prevention and calls on the industry to 'speak with one voice' to reinforce messages and aid public understanding.

Research by the charity indicates the public still largely defaults to recycling and lacks understanding that this is only the third best option - behind reducing and reusing - in the countless other waste hierarchies currently in use.

There is also confusion surrounding the commonly used terms ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’, with almost a third of people (30%) feeling the terms are interchangeable.

The new hierarchy features logically grouped levels, more detailed descriptors than catchall reduce, reuse and recycle terms and is highly visual, with images and symbols suggesting types of items and behaviours to consider.

After seeing the new hierarchy, 71% of research participants said it was clear what it was asking them to do, 58% recognised better ways to minimise their environmental footprint beyond recycling and 51% felt motivated to protect the planet.

Freely available to download and use here, the hierarchy is included along with other communications elements in Keep Britain Tidy’s new report, which has been designed to equip local authorities, as well as those in the waste sector and beyond, with practical, evidence-based tips on effective waste communication.

Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, Chief Executive of Keep Britain Tidy said: “We have made a lot of progress by emphasising the recycling part of the waste hierarchy.

"But we can’t just recycle our way out of the climate emergency; we urgently need to shift mindsets and make reuse and consumption reduction a social norm.  

“Embracing better, insight-led communications like this new waste hierarchy is an essential piece of the puzzle as it will have a significant bearing on how widely adopted reduce and reuse behaviour become.  

"We urge practitioners across the industry to follow our new guidance and, vitally, to come together to tackle the issue.”

Keep Britain Tidy’s research report was made possible thanks to CIWM, Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority, SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK, as well as players of People’s Postcode Lottery.