Photo by visuals on Unsplash, used toilet paper rolls on a yellow background

Campus Unblocked with the 3Ps – Final Year Student Project with United Utilities

L-R, former student Bethany Greenbank and Catherine Booth of United Utilities.
 L-R, former student Bethany Greenbank and Catherine Booth of United Utilities.

Thank you to Catherine Booth & former Edge Hill Alumni, Bethany Greenbank from United Utilities for delivering the Live Client Brief to final year Social Marketing students this morning.

Their project is to raise awareness & change behaviours around what can go down the toilets & sinks in halls of residence & communal facilities across our campus & what should definitely not.

This initiative will produce on & off-line media that can be used at the September Welcome Weekend & Fresher’s Fair 2026.

Catherine discussing ideas with final year Social Marketing students at the briefing event on campus.
Below are various information pieces for students, notably a slice of the Liverpool fatberg that was 200m long and clogging the drains.
The various information pieces for students, notably a slice of the Liverpool fatberg that was 200m long and clogging the drains.

Former Business and Marketing student, Bethany Greenbank of United Utilities stated:

“Thank you for inviting us to Edge Hill today. It was great to be able to present to the students and understand their ideas for the campaign. We are excited to see their final submissions and understand more about how we can raise awareness amongst students.“

Amaarah, one of the final year students wrote:


‘Turn poo into power!


We recently had a session with Catherine and Bethany from United Utilities on their Stop the Block campaign as part of our Marketing & Society module and it was genuinely eye-opening. A huge thank you for taking the time to speak to us & to Dr Susie Marriott for organising.


So, what can you flush? Stick to the 3 Ps:
Pee, Poo and (toilet) Paper



During the presentation, we got a behind-the-scenes look at what actually happens in our drains and pipes… and let’s just say, it’s not pretty.


One of the biggest takeaways? “Flushable” wipes aren’t really flushable! They don’t break down the way toilet paper does, which leads to serious blockages (and some very unpleasant consequences further down the system as you can see in the second picture of an aptly named “fatberg”!).


This, ties into our next group project.


In May, we’ll be presenting a campaign aimed at Gen Z, focused on educating people about what should and shouldn’t go down the drain. It’s a challenge that sits right at the intersection of behaviour change, sustainability, and marketing, one that I can’t wait to get my teeth into. As a third-year marketing student, this is exactly the kind of work I’m drawn to; using marketing not just to sell, but to inform, influence, and create real-world impact.


Changing habits isn’t easy, especially with a generation that’s constantly overloaded with content, so it’ll be interesting to see how we can make this message actually stick. I’ve also just finished an assignment analysing the effectiveness of the THINK! 0% campaign in reducing drink-driving which was super interesting.


This module has been very useful in pointing me in a certain direction career-wise… If anyone has seen any other campaigns that successfully changed everyday behaviours (especially around sustainability), I’d love to hear about them.