‘Talking Rubbish in Moss Side: Exploring the problem of litter / rubbish in the streets and alleys of a deprived neighbourhood with a large student population’
Research report with recommendations. April 2018.
The ‘Talking Rubbish in Moss Side‘ project is about local residents’ experience of the local environment and in particular the issue of rubbish and recycling, and what can be done about it.
This research project was initiated and led by Dr Sherilyn MacGregor, a social scientist at the University of Manchester’s Sustainable Consumption Institute. It was developed in collaboration with local residents in Moss Side who are part of the ‘Upping It’ project.
It is an innovative example of collaborative action research to address an issue of concern.
The research is based on interviews with council officers, universities officers and waste managers by Dr MacGregor, alongside questionnaire-guided interviews on 50 doorsteps by the Upping It team, and three focus groups facilitated jointly.
The report offers potentially unique insights into the problem of waste, the impacts on people’s lives, and what can be done about it. It therefore offers valuable insights and recommendations for the universities in Manchester and Manchester City Council, and potentially other cities with a similar challenge.
The research findings, and the insights from residents, inspired the event ‘A Rubbish Night at the Museum‘. Some of the comments made by residents in interviews were performed at the event by university drama students and Moss Side residents. Some of the displays too were created by residents who were interviewed during the research.
The research was funded by the Higher Education Innovation Funding (HEIF). The comments from participants are reported in confidence, without using personal names or street names.
To download the report, click an image below. (Screen quality or print quality.)
(higher image quality 66Mb)
