PERSONAL PROJECT – INFOGRAPHICS SERIES
Recently I learnt that not a lot of people know how to recycle properly! With recent council recycling schemes being updated, suddenly there was all this “new” information that has always been there but not always properly marketed. I decided that I wanted to learn what I needed to do to make my recycling less wasteful, and began this series of infographics about sustainability around recycling and waste.
I read through all of the New Zealand local council websites and collated the information that was applicable both nationwide as well as region to region – a lot of my Instagram audience is based in the major cities but there are also some rural audience groups so I wanted to be sure that my information was relevant for everyone.
First post – a ‘carousel’ post explaining what the recycling symbols mean
(Scroll through the carousel immediately below and view what the graphics looked like underneath again, or view the post itself with the full caption on Instagram here)
This first infographic carousel was all about plastic. It began with an explanation to what the numbers in the triangle Recycling symbol meant, then their common uses, where they get processed and what the processing system looks like.
A ‘How to Recycle’ zine
After the sustainability series I made on Instagram, I decided to turn this information into a physical ‘zine’ (a miniature book) to sell, so that people could have this information handy and accessible in their own home. The zine has small illustrations and a lot of condensed text so that it is just the high level information to learn. There is also a bonus cut-out page at the back so people can stick it on their fridge, with reminders on what to do, not to do, and check before they put something in their recycling bin!
I have this zine for sale on my store, and I also take it with me to the markets I attend to sell.
A mini series explaining how to prepare different types of things for recycling
This was a series of graphics in sets of two, giving high-level information on different types of recyclable items (plastic, paper & cardboard, metal cans, soft plastic) and how to prepare them for kerbside collection or a tip drop-off. I sourced all my information from all of the local council website’s across New Zealand, and collated them into things that all councils require and things that a few councils require. I then paired these with captions that went a big more in-depth with a friendlier tone to gain engagement with the posts themselves as well as encourage behavioural change – all in all, making a difference to the planet through my design!
These graphics, along with their full captions are able to be seen on my Sustainability Tips guide on Instagram.
