WRAP is calling for on-pack messaging urging customers to recycle, as part of Recycling Week.
The move follows a successful trial conducted by the organisation’s Recycle Now campaign in collaboration with Boots and Radox, which saw a 91 per cent increase in recycling rates for those who received a bottle with the message, compared to 86 per cent who received bottles with no messaging.
The initiative issued Boots’ Soft White Shower Cream and Radox bottles with the message “most people recycle me” to test the effectiveness of the behavioural “nudge.”
It also discovered that customers stated the messaging as their reason for recycling the bottle when they otherwise would not have done so.
The organisation has said that it is eager to accelerate its process beyond the trial phase and test a wider range of messages on more products.
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The news comes in light of Recycle Now’s research, which reveals that 55 per cent of UK households regularly throw at least one recyclable item into the general trash, with a third of people routinely put bathroom plastics into the regular bin.
“With Recycle Week in full flow this is the perfect time to unveil this important pilot, which could help increase recycling in the UK,” WRAP head of behavioural change Sarah Clayton said.
“The messaging is a simple prompt to recycle the item, but we’ve shown it’s an effective nudge on a key product that’s often overlooked and ends up in the bathroom bin.
“We believe this type of intervention has the potential to be applied to a huge range of products and can suit any brand and corporate identity.”
Unilever UK and Ireland marketing director Monique Rossi added: “As part of our efforts to make all our plastic recyclable, we were pleased to work with WRAP and Recycle Now on the trials.
“It is extremely encouraging to see the impact these messages can have and the potential for them to encourage people to recycle more.”
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