Organisation type
Charity/third sector
Sector
Cities and communities
Environment and sustainability
Service
Keep Britain Tidy set out to test whether a sustained behaviour change programme could reduce litter while changing how people felt about their local area. Love Where You Live Heckmondwike brought together targeted interventions, community engagement and behaviour change communications over 12 months.
Barley was tasked with developing an overarching communications approach that could build pride and participation, support individual campaign interventions and generate media interest, while helping create a model with relevance beyond Heckmondwike.
Audience Research showed that the challenge went deeper than litter. There was apathy around the issue, low satisfaction with how the area was cared for and a need to reconnect people with a sense of ownership.
We developed a communications strategy around three principles: pride, people-led storytelling and small wins. Instead of simply telling residents to pick up litter, we reframed the message around making Heckmondwike feel like their place again.
We then created stories and media moments around targeted behaviour change interventions. These included Bin it for Good, which turned responsible disposal into donations for local charities, and ‘It’s Still Littering!’, challenging the misconception that carefully leaving rubbish beside a bin, on a bench or on a wall is acceptable.
Our approach combined local insight, creative media hooks, community voices, social content and targeted media relations.
The campaign helped Keep Britain Tidy demonstrate the potential of a sustained, community-first approach to litter.
Food and drink-related litter fell, with even greater reductions around targeted interventions. Residents exposed to the campaign also reported feeling more positive about Heckmondwike and a greater sense of pride in the area. Importantly, these improvements were achieved without additional cleansing, extra bins or increased enforcement.
Our media relations amplified the campaign and its individual interventions, securing coverage that brought the behaviour change messages to audiences beyond those reached directly on the ground. Local and regional media engagement included BBC coverage, helping to give residents and community voices a platform while building awareness of the campaign and the issues it was tackling.
As the results emerged, we shifted the media story from local activation to evidence and impact, targeting local authority, policy, food and drink, retail and sustainability audiences. This positioned the Heckmondwike pilot as a practical example of what sustained, place-based behaviour change can achieve.
The work also created a legacy beyond the town. Keep Britain Tidy used the findings to develop practical resources for local authorities and land managers, turning the experience in Heckmondwike into a model that can help other communities reduce litter and improve perceptions of place.
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