Challenge: Research showed that while CBCRA’s past campaigns were informative, they weren’t persuasive. A key insight emerged: people were more likely to recycle if they understood what happened to their containers afterward.

Solution: Our strategy shifted from telling people what to do to showing them why it mattered. The campaign visually transformed beverage containers into their recycled end products—airplane parts, books, road undercoating—reinforcing the idea that recycling gives them new life.

Results:

• 15% year-over-year increase in total recovery
• 8% largest increase in recovery rate 52%-61%
• 70% unaided awareness

Challenge: Many Manitobans weren’t recycling as much as they thought—even well-intentioned ones. We needed to tell audiences that a significant proportion of beverage containers sold in Manitoba still weren’t being recycled.

Solution: Rather than pointing fingers, we used humour to encourage reflection. Taking the edge off of what could otherwise feel overly corrective. The campaign placed people in everyday settings confronting the sheer number of beverage containers they hadn’t recycled over a year. The over-the-top scenarios highlighted how “most of the time” wasn’t enough.

Targeted messaging reached underperforming areas, encouraging residents and apartment building managers to improve recycling access where needed.

Results:
At a time when other jurisdictions faced stagnating or declining recovery rates, CBCRA defied the trend.

• 70% recovery rate–highest recovery rate to date.
• 7.7% increase from the previous year.
• Creative and strategic approach played a key role, driving an impressive 77% unaided recall.
• From 2010 to 2016, CBCRA recorded the largest recovery rate increase in North America, rising from 42% to 70%.

Challenge: As Manitoba’s recycling rates grew, so did recycling contamination—the improper disposal of food waste, non-recyclable materials, or half-empty containers in recycling bins. This contamination risked sending entire batches of recyclables to landfills instead of being processed.

Solution: Midway through the multi-tactical Do Whatever It Takes campaign cycle– new data revealed contamination was rising. Recognizing the urgency, we pivoted to address the issue head-on with a short but focused mini-campaign. Since most beverage containers are consumed at home—and incorrect recycling habits often start there—we targeted household behaviors. Using a light-hearted approach, we introduced a team of “experts” in waste sorting—neighbourhood raccoons—who made proper recycling feel simple and approachable.

Results:

• 90% brand awareness
• 70% recycling rate announcement

Challenge: Stricter international regulations required recycling processors to reject contaminated batches—beverage containers mixed with too much food waste or non-recyclable materials—diverting them to landfills instead. Consumer research revealed that over half of respondents were unsure about what was recyclable.

Solution: The challenge was clear: provide simple, compelling guidance. This led to The Right Stuff—a storytelling platform where recyclable containers became heroes fighting to escape the villainous landfill. Through engaging, character-driven stories, we reinforced a simple action message: their fate depends on you.

Results: Between 2019 and 2021, The Right Stuff and Believe In The Bin campaigns drove the largest two-year increase in recycled beverage containers since our first campaign, bringing Manitoba’s total to 3.19 million.

Challenge: While Manitoba’s recycling rates were increasing, so was contamination—the improper disposal of non-recyclable materials, food waste, or half-empty containers into blue bins. At the same time, global news about ineffective recycling systems fuelled public skepticism. CBCRA saw a risk: if people lost faith in the system, they might stop recycling altogether.

Addressing this challenge required a two-part solution: restoring public confidence in recycling while reducing contamination at the source.

Solution 1: To restore confidence, we built on the success of The Right Stuff campaign, bringing back its recognizable and heroic beverage container characters. With Manitobans already familiar with these “right” materials to recycle, we could shift the message—reminding audiences with a strong reason to believe.

This approach aligned with annual focus group insights, which consistently showed that people are most motivated to recycle when they see how materials are transformed into something new. Evolving this idea, we introduced Believe In The Bin—a campaign designed to reassure, inspire, and keep Manitobans recycling.

Results: Between 2019 and 2020, The Right Stuff and Believe In The Bin campaigns drove the largest two-year increase in recycled beverage containers since our first campaign, bringing Manitoba’s total to 3.19 million.

Solution 2: To tackle contamination, we positioned littering and improper recycling as taboo behaviors.

Negative messaging can be challenging—telling people not to do something risks making a campaign feel too heavy-handed. To avoid this, we used a casual, conversational tone. Each creative piece featured an impressive or unexpected moment—met with the reaction, Cool. But when littering or contamination entered the scene, the response was immediate: Never cool.

Even in the middle of an alien abduction, dropping a beverage container on the ground isn’t acceptable. Moving a half-full bottle with your mind? Impressive. Not emptying it before recycling? Never cool. By contrasting playful, exaggerated scenarios with firm guidance, the campaign remained lighthearted while making it clear—contamination and littering are never OK.

Originally planned as live-action, the video executions of the campaign pivoted to animation due to COVID-19 production challenges. This shift only strengthened the execution, allowing for even more creative flexibility without compromising the campaign’s core message.