Opinion

Changing behaviour in the fight against litter

 

The Click exceeds 60,000 users, accounting for 350,000 pieces of litter avoided

 

The Click, the Fost Plus project designed to combat litter, reached cruising speed in 2022. The number of users increased sixfold between January and December. In addition, more and more companies are doing their bit by integrating the Click into their Corporate Social Responsibility strategy.

The Click was launched in 2021 as a reward mechanism in the fight against litter. By rewarding the correct behaviour – throwing your own waste and litter you have picked up into the bin – a change in mindset is gradually being achieved. Paying extra attention to the litter bins, among other things with more striking signs or fun decoration, also ensures that more waste ends up in the right place. Clicking – scanning your own waste and litter picked up and thereby earning virtual points – is now possible all over Belgium. Moreover, in the partner towns, cities and communes, rubbish from public bins is presorted so that the PMD can be recycled. After all, 20% of the contents of a street litter bin consists of perfectly recyclable materials.

There is still room for less litter-sensitive packaging, but ultimately, litter is the result of antisocial behaviour by an individual that bothers us all. So changing behaviour is an important pillar in any integrated approach to litter. We aim to have people adopt the right behaviour thanks to better infrastructure, motivation and knowledge. But enforcement plays a role here, too. The Click has grown strongly over the past year, proving that a positive approach can contribute to lasting change.

Clicking with colleagues

Companies have been fighting litter for years. That’s hardly surprising. It’s partly their products or packaging that end up as litter, which means not only that the materials are lost to the circular economy, but also that their image suffers badly. In addition, most companies have clear climate commitments as part of their CSR strategy. They are now making their employees ambassadors of this mindset change as regards waste and litter.

As part of our climate vision, we want to limit the impact of our products and packaging on the environment. In addition, we want to work at local level together with our staff. The challenge is simple: the company, together with all the staff in a JDE-Click community, aims to collect 5,000 Clicks over a given period. By doing so, we want to bring about a change in behaviour and thus combat litter. 

Corporate Social Responsibility is more than a buzzword. That’s why we decided to set up an Acerta Click community. Acerta Consult believes in the power of people. And people can only function at their best in a climate where we take proper care of one another and of our environment. So we are all making the Click together. Our target is 25,000 Clicks by our summer event in June 2023.

Results

The number of users increased from around 10,000 to 60,000 between January and December 2022. The number of clicks rose steadily too: from 25,000 at the start of the year to 350,000 now. The clicks per user ratio is also up, as more and more attractive vouchers are available in the app that can be exchanged for the virtual points.

The top three most popular vouchers in the app are:

  1. Vouchers at local traders
  2. Bol.com
  3. Natuurpunt