Local Authority communications case study: Oldham Council

Oldham Council approached WRAP in 2008 for technical and communications support. Their new 'managed weekly collection' scheme was to include fortnightly recycling, separate weekly food waste and fortnightly refuse. The final phase of the rollout included engaging a culturally diverse community where a high proportion of residents first language wasn't English, recognising that this would require specialised communication activities.

Oldham has a population of 219,000 with over 94,000 households. The Borough has significant levels of deprivation but also areas of prosperity. It is a diverse community with 14% of the population being from black and minority ethnic (BME) groups. In certain inner wards of Oldham this figure rises to almost 60%. 11,000 households were included in this final phase requiring a targeted campaign; 53% of which are Pakistani and 47% Bengali.

A Local Communications Adviser from WRAP worked directly with Oldham's Waste Minimisation and Recycling Manager to identify the issues, examine the evidence, and share local authority experience from elsewhere so that an informed local decision could be made about what specific communication activities and methods should be used.