| Teaser Text | With budget cuts and the age of austerity upon us, it is fascinating to look back – over 80 years – to July 1929 when, more unknowingly, the waste industry was heading towards difficult times in the form of the Great Depression.
Through Mr W Foster’s words, it is interesting to read how the industry has changed in some facets, but remained oddly similar in others over the intervening decades. One key similarity is that waste minimisation was a big part of the agenda in 1929, although slogans such as “Burn it. It’s healthier” and “Burn your refuse and save your rates” may these days be tempered by “recycle” messages.
In many ways it could be argued that the instruments for communications have not changed particularly as Foster urges the use of media advertisements and slogans on bins and trucks as a useful step in delivering messages; this is still widely utilised today. However, whilst in 1929 this is seen as “one size fits all” nationally, in 2010 it is apparent that with the fragmentation of the media into more sub-groups to cater for a wider demand for specialisation, the public seeks more personalised information that speaks directly to them. This is why localising campaigns to focus and target particular areas and societal groups is far more effective.
The old saying of “money talks” seems just as apt today as in the 1920s, as Foster states: “…there are many people quite impervious to any suggestion of a general saving… who would immediately sit up and take notice what effect such saving meant personally.” It is as important in modern times to focus on what effect or help a new campaign or waste infrastructure development can give the individual, particularly in terms of finance, which further emphasises that personalising campaigns is a core element in promoting participation and generating consensus. |
