Tackling food contamination - time recycling cleaned up its act!

Ecosurety has partnered with Hubbub and Lambeth Council on a bold new behaviour change campaign tackling one of recycling’s messiest problems: food contamination.

Food waste is responsible for nearly a third of contamination in Lambeth’s recycling. When leftover food ends up in recycling bins, it reduces the amount of material that can be properly processed and increases costs for local authorities - meaning more public money is spent sorting out the mess instead of improving services.

Giving dirty talk a whole new meaning

That’s why we’re working with Hubbub and Lambeth Council on a campaign that takes a cheekier-than-usual approach to a serious issue. Instead of repeating the standard recycling rulebook, this campaign uses playful, unexpected messaging to grab attention and get people thinking differently about how they recycle.

At its heart, the campaign is testing a bigger idea: can bold, creative communications cut through better than traditional recycling messages and lead to real, measurable behaviour change?

With Simpler Recycling on the horizon and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) unlocking new funding for councils to engage residents, the timing is critical.  

Watch our campaign video below

Small changes – big impact

We’ll be sharing the results and insights from this campaign later in the year, helping shape future approaches to resident engagement and recycling communications.

This project will help create a blueprint for how local authorities can optimise their communications to maximise the value of EPR fees. By showing what works in practice, it will support more effective resident engagement and link local authority activity with wider consumer awareness campaigns to deliver greater long-term impact for the recycling system and producers alike.

Want to collaborate on an impact project like this? Get in touch with us at info@ecosurety.com.