Raising awareness of waste management is an ongoing project, but one website is currently winning favour.

Raising waste awareness through education and campaigns is fundamental for Local Authorities meeting the challenges of sustainable waste management. In fact, to achieve the ultimate goals of waste prevention and minimisation at the top of the waste hierarchy pyramid, awareness and education are the essential elements.  In Dublin an on-going campaign has become a focal point for waste awareness across the city and county and is slowly helping to bring about change.

The Dublin Waste Awareness Campaign commenced in 2004 and set out to bring about a change of behaviour at the household level and increase household recycling rates.   The creation of a dedicated waste awareness website - www.DublinWaste.ie - supported by a customer hotline and helpdesk service for the Dublin Region has become the cornerstone of the campaign.

The website was launched in May 2004, is a regional awareness and education initiative and is funded by the four Dublin Local Authorities. RPS Consulting Engineers have managed the site since the launch of the campaign including the hotline and helpdesk service on behalf of the Local Authorities.

“Establishing the website as the central part of the campaign to date, the Dublin Local Authorities recognised that internet usage is now part of daily life for most of us,” says Warren Phelan of RPS Consulting Engineers.

“A recent report published by the Central Statistics Office in Ireland estimated that in the eastern part of the country, 49% of households have a computer, with 83% of those having access to the internet.  Continued growth in this area is expected as the internet becomes the essential technological tool of modern life.”      

DublinWaste.ie aims to educate and inform visitors on all aspects of waste management, from waste minimisation at home to how to reduce your waste bill and tips for producing good-quality home compost. 

The site provides the Local Authorities with a dedicated digital service, publishing waste features and news items, notifying householders of local infrastructural or service changes, and advertising upcoming awareness events. 

Recently the site resource was used to launch and host the consultation period for the Dublin Waste Management Plan.  “The development an effective off-line content management system ensures that the site can be maintained and updated regularly,” says Phelan. 

The website also features two interactive recycling search engines which help users to find the bring-bank or recycling centre that’s nearest to their home or work.  The creation of the search engines and extensive database has proved to be an innovative addition to the website and for the first time has made regional information available from the one source. 

Attention to the aesthetics of the site through the use of sharp graphics and the introduction of a flash banner has helped to keep the site fresh and, more importantly, interesting to the user.

”The future success of the campaign website will depend on continued investment and on maintaining a fresh and interesting medium.  The household waste management systems and associated infrastructure in Dublin continue to develop and expand,” adds Phelan. “In response to our changing environment, the website needs to keep its users informed and continue to extend its capabilities.”  

Future proposals include the development of an on-line mapping system to accompany the recycling search engines, while the creation of a free trade system between users on-line, promoting the reuse of household items, is also being developed.   

The website is also looking to improve its interaction with users and the creation of an interactive feedback service is being considered.  “This planned consultation service will allow users to the have their say on the key waste topics and play a part in the future sustainable management of Dublin’s waste, “ says Phelan. 

Since its inception traffic to the website has increased steadily and to date the site has attracted over 200,00 hits.  The level of usage continues to grow with the site now averaging over 15,000 hits per month.  The traffic profile fluctuates throughout the year, reflecting not only seasonal changes but also the introduction of new services by the Local Authorities.

“Websites don’t change behaviour but if they are well serviced and refreshed regularly they will attract users and can become a valuable medium for educating and delivering information.” 

In its short life, DublinWaste.ie has evolved from a simple digital information service to an interactive medium with extensive capabilities.  The long-term aim for the site is to continue to evolve and to remain as an essential part of future waste prevention and minimisation programmes in the Dublin Region.  For further information on the website, log on to www.DublinWaste.ie or contact warren.phelan@rpsgroup.ie.