Case study: Strategic communications for multi-council garden waste subscription sales
Client: Forest of Dean, Cotswold and West Oxfordshire District Councils
What we did
We managed the 2025–26 garden waste subscription communications for three district councils, delivering a high-impact multi-channel campaign. The strategy combined email, direct mail, social media, website content, posters and flyers to maximise uptake and drive online transactions. In total, the campaign delivered 132,000 emails, 43,000 letters and 300 social media posts, supported by new licence designs and improved data targeting. The results included almost 80,000 licences sold generating £4.5m in turnover, with increased digital sign-ups and reduced call centre demand. The project demonstrated the value of coordinated communications in achieving strong engagement and revenue outcomes for the public sector.
The challenge
The annual garden waste subscription service generates around £4.5m in income across the three councils. The majority of sales need to be secured between the launch in February and the start of the municipal year on 1 April. Because of this tight turnaround communications requires careful strategic planning to maximise uptake within this short window.
The objectives
- Maximise uptake of garden waste subscription service
- Increase online sign-ups (channel shift)
- Reduce calls to Customer Services
- Communicate price rise and justify value
- Reach new potential customers
- Achieve majority of sales before 1 April
Our strategy
- Audience analysis to identify growth opportunities and refine targeting
- Review of previous campaigns to build on proven approaches
- Development of a coordinated communications plan with contingency options
- Close project team collaboration to keep the plan on track
- Timeline planning and sequencing to hit key milestones
- Introduction of new channels and process efficiencies to broaden reach
- Careful sequencing to maximise sales early on
The channels used
- Targeted email (Mailchimp)
- Direct mail
- Website
- Social media (paid and organic)
- Newsletters
- In-person at council offices (flyers, posters)
- On-bin messaging
The implementation
- 132,000 emails delivered, including follow-ups to unconverted users, using segmentation, batching and scheduling to flatten the curve and reach audiences at optimal times
- 43,000 letters sent to households
- 300 social media posts scheduled across council channels
- Three new licence designs created
- Website content and web form launched in sync with pricing confirmation
- Posters and flyers distributed via council receptions and collection crews
- Reminder stickers placed on unlicensed bins
The results
- Achieved target revenue of £4.5m
- Almost 80,000 licences sold
- Increased online transactions and reduced call centre demand
- Improved data targeting for more efficient outreach
- Strong multi-channel coverage
- Maintained high uptake despite challenges