From awareness to action

Our PRIDE project, in Bengaluru, India, set out to build greater social acceptance of waste pickers in the city. Through multi-phased, multi-platform social media campaigns linked with on-ground activation, the project’s goal was to help people in the city achieve a greater understanding of and empathy for waste pickers and the role they play in supporting a cleaner environment.

In Phase 1 of its implementation, the project successfully shifted awareness and recognition. Read more here. The next challenge was to translate this empathy into action. Learnings highlighted the need to deepen empathy and better connect waste disposal practices to waste pickers’ realities. Early research also identified 25–34-year-olds as highly digitally linked (Instagram being a favoured platform) and engaged audience, so the strategy focused on deepening engagement within this group.

Phase 2 of the intervention adopted a multi-layered, Instagram-led strategy targeting 25–34-year-old residents, to link everyday actions to waste pickers’ health, safety, and dignity. The approach combined:

• An “always-on” Instagram community – @Invaluable.Bengaluru
• Collaboration with influencers and supported by @Invaluables.Bengaluru, and campaign bursts
• Partnership with 36 restaurants, food delivery app, co-working spaces, and more
• Outdoor media and digital out-of-home screens
• Radio, print, and Resident Welfare Association collaborations
• On-ground workplace and community events

Our campaign strategy moved beyond awareness creation to positioning waste management not as a “waste picker’s job,” but as a shared responsibility between fellow residents and waste pickers. At the heart of all the work done in Phase 2 were four focused, action-oriented campaigns.

Each campaign introduced a distinct call to action designed to translate empathy into everyday behaviour, strengthening interconnectedness between residents and waste pickers.

Research design and methodology

In Phase 2, the methodology shifted to a mixed-methods design, ensuring alignment with the evolving approach and strategic priorities. It also allowed for a comprehensive assessment of campaign implementation and effectiveness.

We regularly monitored social media analytics, and conducted monthly in-depth interviews for structured feedback to refine creative assets. The strengthened evaluation framework combined quantitative face-to-face surveys with 8–12 qualitative interviews to assess reach, diagnostics, KPIs, and attitudinal shifts.

We also analysed over 3,000 social media comments to compare online sentiments with primary research findings, and the reported changes was triangulated with on-ground insights from waste pickers and sorters to enhance validity and interpretation of impact.

#Invaluables: four campaigns, four clear calls to action

#Invaluables is an idea created to reframe the work of waste pickers, from being seen as dirty to be seen as someone who handles the waste of the city, from being seen as sub-human to be seen as people like everyone else, from being seen as vagabonds to be seen as skilled and productive – from being invisible, to be seen as invaluable.

Each campaign in Phase 2 was rooted in a simple idea: If people understand how their actions affects waste pickers’ health and dignity, they are more likely to act responsibly.

Round 1: “Wash The Dabba” - CTA: Wash food containers before disposal.

A critical yet often overlooked issue in waste segregation is the improper disposal of food containers, which leads to contamination, odour, and increased occupational health risks for waste pickers who handle waste manually. Through a clear and practical call to action – empty, rinse, and dry plastic food containers before disposal –#WashTheDabba reframed rinsing as not just a hygiene practice for households, but an act of care and solidarity towards waste pickers. By linking a simple household practice to the daily realities faced by waste pickers, the campaign fostered empathy grounded in lived experience.

The campaign recall reached 93%, and 60% of exposed respondents reported adopting the practice of washing their dabba before disposal. This shift was also corroborated by waste pickers, who observed a 30–40% increase in the number of food containers arriving in a cleaner condition. Qualitative accounts from Dry Waste Collection Centre (DWCC) workers suggested noticeable reductions in contamination following the campaign, reinforcing the tangible impact of individual change.

The campaign strengthened empathy through visibility, showing how small acts at home directly shape working conditions on the ground, and positioned respect for waste pickers as something practised, not just professed.

The campaign, and its impact, was globally recognised and received twoAnthem Awards in the year 2025, described by The New York Times as the “Internet’s highest honour”: a Gold in the Sustainability, Environment, and Diversity category, and a Silver in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion category.

Round 2: “Got Old Clothes?” - CTA: Wash, fold, and hand over old clothes separately for recycling.

Textile waste, the third-largest category of waste reaching landfills, frequently reaches collection centres soiled or mixed with general waste, diminishing its recycling potential and compromising both safety and dignity in handling.

The #GotOldClothes? campaign responded by linking responsible textile disposal practices to the wellbeing and professional identity of waste pickers, reframing textile recycling as a shared civic responsibility. A key innovation of the campaign was the introduction of professional business cards for waste pickers, symbolically positioning them as skilled workers within the circular economy rather than informal workers. These cards featured a WhatsApp chatbot number that enabled residents to locate nearby DWCCs or schedule textile pick-ups, effectively removing practical barriers to action.

Our campaign was widely perceived as new and informative, and achieved strong engagement: 93% recall of the key message to send clean, folded clothes for recycling, significant appeal, and message sharing. During the intervention period, textile collection at dedicated centres doubled within the first month, public queries surged 20-fold, and the Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML) issued guidelines underscoring the importance of public service campaigns.

Beyond the numbers, the initiative strengthened public recognition of waste pickers as professionals, elevating their visibility, skills, and contribution within Bengaluru’s recycling ecosystem.

Round 3: “Mark It Red” - CTA: Wrap sanitary waste in paper and mark it with a red cross.

Unsegregated sanitary waste poses serious health risks to waste pickers, who often handle it without warning or adequate protection. Through the #MarkItRed campaign, we addressed this danger through a simple but powerful visual cue: a red cross marked on package containing sanitary waste to enable safer identification and handling. By making invisible occupational hazards visible, the campaign deepened public understanding of the risks embedded in everyday disposal practices. Waste disposal was reframed as an ethical act: how one discards waste directly determines whether another person handles it safely.

The campaign achieved strong reach (44%, with 38% via WhatsApp), high appeal (79%), and near universal recall of the core message that indiscriminate disposal of sanitary waste is hazardous to waste pickers (99%), with 65% specifically recalling the “Mark it Red” instruction. Importantly, 41% reported adopting the practice, signaling meaningful progress toward safer sanitary waste practices. While direct verification of this number is limited due to the nature of sanitary waste processing (ending up in landfills and incineration), DWCC managers acknowledge receiving packets marked with a red “X” - early signs of wider adoption of this practice.

The campaign was perceived as unique and morally resonant, prompting reflection, empathy, and a heightened sense of responsibility toward those who manage the city’s waste.

Round 4: “Recycle Resolutions” - CTA: Sustain mindful disposal as a long-term habit.

#RecycleResolutions reinforced earlier messages strengthening retention and habit formation. The campaign reiterated the conversation around contributions of waste pickers while emphasizing collective responsibility and continuity, ensuring that empathy translates into sustained change in norms and practices.

The high decibel campaign achieved strong reach (59%), and high appeal (92%). The content pieces were deemed creative with a fun/easygoing tonality, while highlighting the struggles of waste pickers and clearly offering CTA led solutions to help waste pickers and contribute to “Namma Benguluru” (“Our Benguluru”).

Measurable impact: awareness, interconnectedness, empathy, and identity

Over the four rounds of campaign in Phase 2, clear impact is evident:

• 17.1 million individuals reached online, of which 7.2 million are from Bengaluru
• 1.46-1.78 million reached for Wash the Dabba and 2.01million for Recycle Resolution through outdoor interventions/activations
• #Invaluables Instagram community grew from 5,000 at Phase 1 to 39,000 followers at the end of Phase 2
• Engagement rates averaged 16%, exceeding platform benchmarks
• Content centered explicitly on waste pickers generated nearly double average watch time, signaling genuine audience interest in our content.

Shifts across key performance indicators

Awareness and knowledge

Awareness of waste pickers’ roles has increased by 10 points (from 76% baseline to 86% among those exposed compared to 73% among those unexposed). Audiences increasingly used terms like “recyclers” and “sorters,” signaling professional recognition. This clarity of role and adoption of new vocabulary to address waste pickers was consistently missing among the unexposed audiences.

Appreciation and recognition

Measuring appreciation for and recognition of the contribution of waste pickers, and discussion of their work with friends/family/peers, showed a 20-point increase (from 66% baseline to 86% among those exposed 86% compared to 67% among those unexposed). Both qualitative interviews and social media commentary reflected greater acknowledgment of the essential role waste pickers play in maintaining urban health and cleanliness. Online comments reflect growing respect: “They are real heroes doing essential work.”

Empathy

Empathy scores increased by 13 points (from 74% baseline to 87% among those exposed 87% compared to 72% among those unexposed). Creative storytelling and realistic visuals resonated with the audiences. Exposure to the campaign narratives prompted self-reflection among audiences regarding their own disposal practices and their implications for waste pickers’ well-being. Mindful disposal was increasingly conceptualized not only as an environmental practice but as a moral responsibility which is reflected in the quote from our qualitative exercise: “We just throw stuff without thinking, and they have to deal with it. It’s not fair.”

Identity reframing

Positive identification of waste pickers rose from 62% to 83% among those exposed to the campaign (compared to 67% among those unexposed). The confident portrayal of waste pickers in the campaigns and use of elements like the business card were key. Waste pickers were increasingly recognized as environmentalists and skilled professional, rather than “rag pickers” or “dirty workers.”

Key learnings and implications

PRIDE demonstrates that sustained communication, when grounded in empathy and anchored in clear, achievable actions, can drive measurable change. After six years of sustained intervention, our adaptive programming approach, systematically integrating learning into implementation and continuously refining strategy, has yielded measurable results. Nearly 41% of our exposed audiences reported to be practising one or more of the calls to action from the campaign. 

Communication can do more than inform; it can reshape social norms. In our project, four core elements have proven critical in achieving this change:

• Humanising waste pickers – Portraying waste pickers confidently and professionally, and keeping them at the core of the communiation.
• Clear CTAs – Translating empathy into simple, specific actions.
• Interconnected framing – Showing how residents’ actions directly shape waste pickers’ working conditions.
• Patient belief in the process – Recognizing that entrenched norms and deep-rooted stigma take time to shift.

Our campaigns did not rely on sympathy; they emphasised shared responsibility and mutual dependence, positioning waste pickers and residents as co-actors within the city’s ecosystem. Waste pickers are increasingly seen as skilled environmental workers. Residents are beginning to recognise that waste management is not a one-sided transaction, but a shared system.

When citizens wash a container, separate textiles, or mark sanitary waste, they are not just managing waste. They are acknowledging a relationship.

And in doing so, it moves waste pickers from invisible to truly invaluable.

A version of this article first appeared in Research World by ESOMAR on 12 May 2026.