1998 Trash Cutter Award Program Case Studies

City/County of San Francisco: Most Innovative Program

• Program Description
• Program Summary
• Costs
• Benefits
• Contact

Program Description

In the San Francisco Bay Area, 400 supermarkets and 110 cities and counties have partnered to bring the message to shoppers about the importance of waste prevention and buying reusable products. In 1996 an analysis of product sales in one supermarket chain showed that sales of minimal packaging and recycled-content products increased 19.4 percent during the campaign, while sales of over-packaged products declined 36 percent. By 1997, 84 percent of shoppers surveyed said that their shopping habits were change based on the campaign messages. Over the three years of the campaign, it has included various supermarket displays, brochures, posters, a drawing, an information hotline and kick off events, all backed by extensive media campaigns.

Program Summary

The campaign, now entering its fourth year, is a unique award-winning partnership which brings together local government and private industry to educate consumers on the importance of waste prevention--stopping the generation of waste before it happens, and reuse--the reuse of products and packaging.

Exit polls (conducted both during and after the campaign in both 1996 and 1997) showed that 43 percent of shoppers remembered one or more elements from the campaign, there reaching more than one million shoppers. While the campaign was still in progress 59 percent of shoppers remembered elements of the campaign. The media campaign (radio, TV and print) had an impact on more than 1.5 million people.

In 1996 almost three-quarters of shoppers (72%) who noticed the materials were interested in the messages of the campaign, with almost 30 percent saying it affected their buying habits. This percentage increased to 84 percent in 1997, with more than half (54%) saying it affected their buying habits. In 1996, 29 percent of the consumers reached by the campaign bought in bulk, 20 percent bought reusable products, 18 percentage bought items with  minimal packaging, 18 percent bought items with recycled packaging, and 10 percent brought their own bags to the checkout counter. In 1997, 30 percent of the consumers reached by the campaign bought items with recycled packaging, 23 percent brought their own bags to the check-out counter and 19 percent said they bought bulk products.

Unlike the previous programs in 1996 and 1997, much of our evaluation/targeting work for 1998 was done in the planning stages for the program. We conducted a series of focus groups (conducted by Andre Associates) to fine tune our messages to make sure the messages were on target. We also had Andre Associates evaluate and help us revise our television and radio commercials. Based on professional recommendations, we determined that it was more effective for us to maximize our media effort instead of putting any additional money into trying to evaluate the campaign through surveys.

Over the three years of the campaign, it has included displays in up to 200 supermarkets, shelf tags, brochures, posters, a drawing, a hotline and kick-off events, all backed  by extensive media campaigns. For 1998, the paid electronic media campaign (340 radio ads and 500 television ads) resulted in 28,450,000 impressions (which means that, on average, each of the 4,982,800 adults in the Bay Area saw or heard 5.7 commercials during the campaign). Our target audience saw or heard the spots an average of more than six times. In addition, our full-page length comic wrap was delivered with the Sunday comic section in seen newspapers to more than 1,350,000 households, reaching more than 3,375,000 readers. Bonus radio and television spots resulted in several million additional impressions.

Coverage of the 1998 campaign included news reports on seven radio and television stations, articles in 30 newspapers and public service announcements on 35 radio and television stations. Cities and counties also purchased ads in 41 newspapers.

Support for the campaign has come from a number of private and public partners, including the Alameda County Waste Management Authority, City of Alameda, City of Albany, City of Berkeley, Contra Costa County, Central Contra Costa Solid Waste Authority, Castro Valley Sanitary District, California Integrated Waste Management Board, City of Cupertino, City of Fremont, City of Gilroy, City of Hayward, City of Millbrae, City of Milpitas, City of Pittsburg, City of Oakland, Santa Clara County, City and County of San Francisco, San Mateo County, City of San Leandro, City of San Jose, South Bayside Transfer Station Authority, City of San Ramon, Solano County, City of Vacaville, Tiny Tots Diaper Service, Eveready Batteries,  California State Association of Counties, the Local Government Commission, the League of California Cities, the California Department of Conservation, Steel Recycling Institute, Safeway, Inc., Cala Foods/Bell Market/Foods Co., Supermarket Warehouse, Nob Hill General Foods, Inc., Andronico's Market, Raley's, PW Supermarket, and Pacific Bell Directory.

Costs

The 1998 campaign budget included approximately $187,000 in direct financial contributions. Eighty-two percent of all financial contributions were received from local governments and the balance of the funds was received from the California Integrated Waste Management Board, Eveready Rechargeable Batteries, and Tiny Tots Diaper Service.

An additional $187,600 of in-kind services included printing on paper shopping bags, donation of a 1-800 hotline, radio program sponsorships, program evaluation services, county-specific radio and newspaper advertising, donation of kick-off event prizes, donation of storage space, office space, mail service and telephone usage for the program coordinator, etc.

Benefits

The campaign has had a significant impact, not only in educating shoppers, but also in influencing buying habits. Sales analysis of product sales at Safeway Stores in 1996 showed sales of well-packed products (minimal packaging, recycled content) increased by 19.4 percent during the campaign, while sales of over-packaged products declined by 36 percent.

To date the campaign has won seven state and national awards, including awards from the National Recycling Coalition, the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Association of Counties and the California Resource Recovery Association.

By bringing together more than 100 cities and counties in the Bay Area to work together on the first ever region-wide waste prevention campaign, and by focusing on the top of the hierarchy combined with helping to close the loop, this campaign is groundbreaking in a number of respects. The success of this campaign has made it an annual event, now entering its fourth year with secure funding and support.

For Further Information Contact:

Solid Waste Management Program
1145 Market Street, Suite 401
San Francisco, CA  94103
(415) 554-3409