Feedback on recycling trial schemes
The challenge
North West Leicestershire District Council serves around 100,000 residents and, like many local authorities, is facing significant pressure around climate change and sustainability. Research conducted by the council found that local recycling rates were falling short of where they needed to be, with residents citing confusion around the existing system of multiple boxes and bags as a recurring barrier. The council set an ambitious target of reaching a 50% recycling rate within three years and launched a pilot scheme to help get there, issuing 250 residents with new wheeled recycling trolleys designed to make the process simpler and more convenient. Getting meaningful feedback on that pilot was essential.
The approach
North West Leicestershire already used Citizen Space for their formal consultation and public involvement work, so extending it to gather feedback on the recycling pilot was a natural next step. They created a dedicated feedback survey using a mix of qualitative and quantitative questions alongside standardised demographics, giving residents a simple and convenient way to share their views from home, on their own terms and in their own time. The platform's flexibility made it straightforward to present the feedback form as distinct from a formal consultation process, while its built-in analysis and reporting tools made collating and acting on the results significantly easier for the council team.
The results
The survey gave the council a clear and structured picture of how residents were finding the new trolleys, what was working and where there was room for improvement. With the trolley review still underway, the council launched a second concurrent pilot to compare results. Progress towards the 50% target has been tangible, with the recycling rate reaching 46.3% in 2019/20.
"We're on a three year journey to improve the district's recycling rate to 50 per cent and we want residents to be on that journey with us for the good of the environment and the future of our planet." - Councillor Andrew Woodman, Portfolio Holder for Community Services, North West Leicestershire District Council
We’re on a three year journey to improve the district’s recycling rate to 50 per cent and we want residents to be on that journey with us for the good of the environment and the future of our planet.
Delib is a govtech leader specialising in consultation and engagement, trusted by over 600 government organisations worldwide, including major planning projects. Since 2004, we've been building secure, accessible digital platforms to make participation simpler, fairer, and more inclusive. Our flagship product, Citizen Space, was built in collaboration with the UK government and has supported more than 11 million responses across over 110,000 democratic activities.