Cure Afvalbeheer x Zeewaardig

About Zeewaardig

Zeewaardig designs methods to creatively solve complex problems in collaboration with clients. They follow a cyclical process: identifying the problem, teaching design skills to the client and/or end-user, conducting design research, analyzing, generating ideas, developing, and testing. If the prototype isn’t quite right, they go through the cycle again, refining until they find a perfectly fitting solution. The client is always part of the process. Zeewaardig transfers knowledge of design research and a user-centered approach so that their clients can eventually do it themselves. This was the case with Cure, where Zeewaardig guided employees on how to engage residents in these changes.

For more information, visit zeewaardig.com.

About the incentive

The amount of residual waste in Geldrop-Mierlo must go down because residual waste goes straight into the incinerator, which is bad for the environment and wasteful. According to analyses by Cure, 50% of the residual waste in this municipality consists of other materials, mainly organic waste. This waste stream ends up in the incinerator unnecessarily, when it could instead be reused to make products like biogas and compost. Another benefit of proper waste separation is that reusable waste recovered from residual waste is less contaminated when organic waste is not mixed in the same bin.

To drastically reduce the amount of improperly sorted residual waste, the municipality has decreased the collection frequency—residual waste is now collected once every four weeks instead of every two weeks in Geldrop-Mierlo. Another challenge for Cure is the issue of 'side waste'—trash that residents place next to underground containers because they think the container is broken or full. Side waste attracts pests and creates an untidy street view. Once something is placed next to the container, more tends to pile up.

But how do you get residents on board with these changes? Communicating this falls to Cure, which works for the municipalities of Geldrop-Mierlo, Valkenswaard, and Eindhoven. Cure sought a long-term solution based on behavioral insights and a local approach. The municipality of Eindhoven suggested using social designers to address these issues, and after a tender process, Zeewaardig was chosen as the right partner for Cure.

About the process

The research

The researchA good approach begins with research—in this case, qualitative research on the streets, talking to people in Mierlo and Geldrop at supermarkets, Saturday markets, and other places where many residents gather. The goal was to get a sense of how people felt about waste collection. Is the reduced collection frequency a problem, and for whom? What does the problem look like?

The research team delved deeper with some residents at home, discussing and observing how they handled their waste, how they organized their sorting, and what challenges they faced. A group of residents also received questions via WhatsApp for three weeks, which they answered in text and pictures. One question, for example, was: "How did you sort your waste after cooking today?" Researchers discovered that one resident thought they were sorting correctly, but the photo revealed a mistake in the waste stream.

Cure has a measurable goal set by the municipality of Geldrop-Mierlo: to reduce residual waste to a maximum of 30 kg (66 lbs) per person per year. But what does that amount look like? The research showed that residents had no idea. Thirty kilograms is abstract, and the weight of other waste streams and the importance of proper sorting weren’t clear to everyone. Some residents even believed the persistent myth that all the waste ends up in one pile anyway.

The plan

In analyzing the research results, Zeewaardig used the behavioral lens model from Utrecht University of Applied Sciences. This model helps develop a strategy for behavior change by describing various motivations for why people do or don’t do something. For example, if someone doesn’t separate waste because the container is too far away, that falls under the ‘wants and abilities’ lens. You can address this by placing the container closer. However, if someone thinks all waste ends up in one pile anyway, that falls under the ‘knowledge and beliefs’ lens. This can be addressed by educating people about what actually happens to separated waste.

The Execution

Separating waste can be challenging—not everyone knows exactly how to do it. Cure has a waste separation guide, and after the initial research, Zeewaardig created a new, more visual design for it. They also developed an animation that shows residents what happens to their waste after collection. Visual communication is effective when it comes to waste—some people prefer not to read, and symbols and animations quickly show a broad audience how to separate waste and why it matters.

This visual approach was carried into other interventions. For example, Zeewaardig created a street intervention to make the municipality's goal more tangible. A "kilo timeline" showed residents how many garbage bags would fit into 30 kg of waste per person per year, compared to the current average amount. Zeewaardig also demonstrated how much heavier a bag of organic waste is compared to residual waste, making it clear that by better separating their organic waste, residents could significantly reduce their residual waste by weight.

The interventions are just one part of Zeewaardig’s solution. Another key component is a knowledge base where the research team consolidates all insights from the research and interventions. This is useful because Cure runs many projects across three municipalities. If a similar project is launched in Eindhoven, for instance, Cure staff can easily consult the knowledge base for insights and results from the Geldrop-Mierlo project, allowing them to start with a well-informed plan instead of relying on gut feeling.