How to … enlist 'recycling champions'

UK councils must recycle or compost 30% of their household waste by 2010.

But it can be harder to get schemes going on estates – where "doorstep" collections are less common – than in other areas. One way to persuade residents to use local recycling banks is to send round teams of "recycling champions" to spread the word – and this has the added advantage of giving unemployed tenants part-time work.

Last year, Charity Groundwork employed 12 champions for six weeks. Funded by a £29,000 grant from Islington council, they promoted recycling door-to-door in the north London borough.

To start a scheme, recruit local people using flyers and posters. Tom Knowles, Groundwork's community project coordinator for Camden and Islington, says it's best to should stick with locals, rather than students, for instance, because they know the estates. They are also likely to talk about the issues to friends as well.

Look for people with decent communication skills. Good candidates might have done surveys for community groups, street collections for charities or have dealt with enquiries in call centres.

You will also need to assess their mobility: they will have to spend a lot of time outside – possibly in the rain – and may have to climb stairs if estate lifts are broken. But be flexible about working areas and hours, to help those with families.

Islington had small teams working part-time at £7 an hour, plus three other people who could fill in if needed. They tended to be mothers with young children or odd-job workers and hours were arranged to suit them.

Avoid the summer holidays, says Knowles. "Your success depends on who's in. If it's a sunny day, people probably won't be in their homes." Autumn is a good time, leading up to Christmas when more waste packaging is produced than at any other time of the year.

Training is crucial – champions need to be informed on the advantages of recycling, legislation and the fact that London's landfill sites are due to fill up within a few years. They should be versed on "lifestyle change" suggestions, such as buying loose fruit and vegetables rather than prepackaged food, and buying reusable shopping bags. It helps to roleplay typical doorstep situations – workers must learn to not get drawn into debates and chats should last no more than three minutes.

You need to find out why residents don't recycle. Knowles says they often aren't even aware of where their facilities are – and they aren't going to recycle if they have to walk more than five or six minutes to a bottle bank. The feedback can be really useful for recycling providers, so it's worth bringing it together in a report.

It's also important that leaflets are written in languages commonly spoken in the area, and have clear illustrations of local recycling facilities for the hard of hearing.

It may seem simplistic but Knowles insists that giving residents "pledge cards" – where they sign a promise to recycle more – really works: 62% of residents signed the cards on Groundwork's last scheme.

"It's been proven that if people do this pledge they'll recycle in the future. If they see it on the mantelpiece or the fridge, they'll be reminded," he says.

To measure effectiveness, track the weight of recyclable waste collected from each estate, which is monitored by collection companies.

In Islington, positive feedback has helped Groundwork get a grant of £35,000 per year from the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund to continue the champions scheme this year and next. To really have an impact, you need to keep going back, but it's important work, says Knowles."Local councils will be penalised if they don't meet recycling targets and that will affect local taxes.

It's coming to crunch time now."