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Empowering residents of Merseyside to manage their household waste

To holistically address ongoing waste management challenges in the Liverpool City Region, Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority (MRWA) commissioned Magpie to develop a comprehensive behaviour change communication strategy founded in the residents’ experiences, barriers and enablers when it comes to recycling, reusing and managing food waste more effectively, complementing MRWA’s five-year waste management plan.

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How we developed a behavioural framework for behaviour change communications for MRWA

To support MRWA in developing communications that resonate with the target audience and genuinely inspire sustainable behaviour change, we delivered a multi-phase project that blended rigorous academic research with strategic innovation. This behaviourally informed approach was structured around several key stages and grounded in robust evidence and primary insights. The resulting behaviour change communications framework was designed to be nuanced and adaptable, tailored to the diverse audiences across the Liverpool City Region. The final output included a comprehensive communications framework comprising audience segmentation, behavioural drivers, intervention mapping and messaging templates to guide future communications and engagement strategies.

Date
Nov 2024 - March 2025

Client
Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority (MRWA)

Scope of work

Audience Testing
Behavioural Insights
Insight-led recommentations
Literature review
Qualitative research
Quantitative research
Research and analysis

Our Approach

Our comprehensive approach included

Literature review: A thorough examination of current evidence in sustainability practices and environmental behaviour change, ensuring our methodology is guided by the latest insights and best practices.

Quantitative research: A large-scale and psychometrically robust survey was administered to Liverpool City Region residents, forming a robust foundation for our strategic recommendations. The survey explored residents’ current waste management behaviours alongside the psychological determinants that affect their ability to adopt and sustain more environmentally responsible waste management practices at home.

Behavioural diagnosis: A behavioural diagnosis was conducted using the COM-B framework, followed by an insight-led segmentation of the target audience into distinct behavioural profiles based on shared psychographics, habits, motivations, and challenges. As a result, 4 clearly defined behavioural profiles were developed for each core behaviour – recycling, reuse, and food waste management, enabling more targeted and effective behaviour change strategies.

Behaviour change framework: A behaviour change framework was developed to target three critical phases in behaviour change: securing attention, belief formation, and action preparation. The framework recognised that residents were at different stages in their journey to become better at managing household waste and offered a phased approach to ensure communications met audiences where they were in that journey. It aimed to address specific barriers and enablers needed to support long-term, meaningful change.
Message development and testing: A set of behaviourally informed messages were developed for each strategy within the framework and tested in resident workshops to assess their clarity, relevance, tone, and perceived effectiveness, ensuring they resonated with target audiences.

Key outputs of this project included:

A multi-layered behaviour change framework to guide strategic communications
A tailored messaging matrix to complement behaviourally profiled audience segments.
A capacity building session to provide a structured plan to implement the framework and strengthen long-term capability in delivering behaviourally informed communications.

Impact on the Liverpool City Region

The strategic roadmap materialised in this project is successfully supporting MRWA to drive significant shifts in their communication approach across the Liverpool City Region, enabling effective engagement with its diverse audiences regarding waste management behaviours.

Find out how Magpie can help you implement a comprehensive behaviour change communications strategy in your organisation.

CLIENT TESTIMONAL

“Working with Magpie was a fantastic experience. Despite tight deadlines, they delivered a high-quality literature review, resident survey, behavioural diagnosis, and a clear messaging matrix to improve our communications with the 1.5 million residents of the Liverpool City Region. Their creative yet evidence-based approach, combined with strong collaboration and strategic insight, made them an invaluable partner. The outcomes will have a lasting impact on how we engage our communities.”

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