D4.7: Behavioural change: final evaluation

This executive summary encapsulates the findings and outcomes of the final task of Work Package 4 "A Behavioural Change Approach for the Collection of Urban Biowaste and Usage of Biowaste Derived Products with Citizens and Communities", within the WaysTUP! project. The primary objective of this work package was to investigate the motivations and barriers concerning the separate collection of urban biowaste by citizens and communities, as well as the acceptance of biowaste derived products, ultimately aiming to enhance these aspects through a behaviour change campaign. The behaviour change campaign was executed in collaboration with pilot cities and their community coordinator, namely SUST and HSPN for the pilot of Athens, AMB for the pilot of Barcelona, and SAV for the pilot of Valencia, and aimed to achieve specific goals:
- Improve citizens' perception of urban biowaste as a local resource (> 80% improvement target).
- Enhance citizens' participation in the separate collection of urban biowaste (> 60% participation target).
- Improve customer acceptance of biowaste derived products (> 75% acceptance target).
The campaign employed the Modular Behavioural Analysis Approach (MBAA), comprising the following stages: the initial scoping of the study (reported in D4.1), the design of the behaviour change interventions (reported in D4.2), the intermediate analysis of the behavioural change results: intermediate results (reported in D4.6) and the final results which are reported in this deliverable. This approach, developed by IMEC, was guided by Community-Based Social Marketing principles. The interim evaluation (D4.6) indicated that the behaviour change toolkit was on course to meet objectives. However, improvements were necessary to accommodate a more diverse audience. Deviation mechanisms were introduced, including additional toolkit tools and adjustments in behavioural objectives for each pilot city.
The primary focus of this report is Phase 6 of the MBAA: Evaluation. It evaluates the effectiveness of the behaviour change interventions and deviation mechanisms developed in D4.6 in changing the communities’ behaviours. It highlights key achievements and activities:
• Successful implementation of the Behaviour Change Toolkit V2.0, though challenges with targeting a diverse audience were encountered. Positive changes were observed for all investigated variables, and with this, the effective achievement of behavioural target goals for improved perception, participation, and acceptance were reached.

Behaviour change target goals Targeted T1 T3
Biowaste perception as a local resource >80% 80% 100%
Participation in selective biowaste sorting >60% 30,4% 81,5%
Acceptance of bio-based products >75% 50% 100%

• Introduction of the Waste Sorting Game as a recruitment and educational tool, which results are reflecting differences in sorting schemes' maturity levels across pilot cities.
• Student engagement through interactive games resulting in a positive opinion on biowaste sorting.
• In-depth analysis of bio-based product acceptance, revealing the significant influence of price and potential marketing opportunities from different consumption values, especially the “conditional” consumption value.
In essence, this executive summary encapsulates the comprehensive efforts and successes of Work Package 4 in addressing social aspects of urban biowaste challenges, enhancing behavioural change, and promoting sustainable practices within the WaysTUP! project.