The original task was to help communicate Laholms kommun’s new recycling containers and to motivate citizens to adopt and use the new system. In order to get people onboard – and perhaps even interested – in the new program, we felt it was necessary to communicate more than just the new recycling containers themselves.

We took a big step back and asked a few big questions: ”Why do we need to recycle in the first place” and “Why do people NOT recycle”.

Naturally, recycling is important to the environment, and crucial to our efforts to cut down on the negative environmental footprint our modern lifestyle has on the planet. But, we asked ourselves, are people really aware of the huge negative impact our refuse has on the environment? Are they aware of the fantastic options available today that do less harm? And if they still choose to not recycle, then what are the most common reasons why?

We set out to use the occasion of rolling out the new container system to communicate the impact of pollution and the advantages of alternate products and systems – including the new recycling containers.

Then we decided to get a bit more creative.

We wished to gain a much higher level of attention to the recycling program, so we set out to develop a series of short films that would gain attention and spread. We focused on all the reasons why people chose NOT to recycle and developed a series of characters (a young woman, a harried father, a retired person, and a business man) who would represent the range of excuses people give for not recycling.

These films (viewable below) were then published on YouTube,  Facebook, and the L website.

In the first campaign month we have received over 140 000 views and generated a lot of discussion and interest in what would otherwise be simply the rollout of a new type of trash can.