A huge waste campaign is launching today to help combat littering in Bristol City Centre. More than 50 eye-catching bins will be installed near food and entertainment spaces, transport hubs and parks.
The new designs include fun takes on song lyrics, gaming motifs, playful puns, and even bins that glow in the dark or play jungle music when opened. In addition, recycling bins for plastic bottles, cans and glass will be installed for the first time.
And to galvanise the public to take action, an art installation of a giant wave sculpture made of litter by eco-artist Wren Miller will be unveiled by Bristol mayor Marvin Rees, who has joined forces with environmental charity Hubbub and Bristol Waste Company to launch Bristol’s Binning action. The 4mx6m wave will be displayed in Bristol Harbour for three months, before moving on land around prime city centre locations.
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Mr Rees said: “We all have a part to play in making sure that Bristol is clean and green and can be enjoyed by everyone. The Wave sculpture shows the extent of the problem in Bristol, and why we need to take action. Not only does litter look unsightly it can be harmful to both people and animals – especially if it ends up becoming ocean pollution.”
He added: “We are delighted to be installing new recycling bins around the city centre, which will also help us to improve our recycling rates across the city and achieve our ambitious goals. We hope this campaign will capture the attention of the people of Bristol and encourage them to think twice about dropping litter after a night out. Working together we can make Bristol a city we can all be proud of.”
Students from the University of Bristol will carry out a litter pick on the day and there will be pop-up two-minute litter picks around the city in the months to come. Council enforcement officers will be looking out to reward residents doing their bit to reduce litter with on-the-spot prizes such as vouchers.
Natasha Gammell, creative partner at Hubbub said: “Bristol is known for leading the way on environmental issues, but litter continues to be a problem, particularly at night as a result of people enjoying the nightlife. We hope these hilarious bins that play catchy tunes and glow in the dark, will turn some heads and encourage people to use them and not leave their litter lying around the city. With this campaign, we can show that Bristol is winning by binning!”
Jason Eldridge, interim managing director of Bristol Waste, said: “In central Bristol, the litter can pile up. From Baldwin Street alone our crews collect around 500kg of litter a week - that’s roughly 11,300 bags of litter from just this one road every year. The toughest clean-ups can be after a Friday or Saturday night when bottles, cans and cigarette butts are the biggest problems, and it can take two hours to clean this one street.
“Thanks to the graft and dedication of the street cleaning team, Bristol is clean and safe again by the time most of us wake up. But we all have a responsibility to look after our outdoor spaces, keeping them safe for everyone to enjoy. That’s why we’re supporting this project, and why everyone wins when Bristol bins.”
The event will take place at Bristol Harbour, outside Arnolfini by Prince Street bridge, BS1 4QA on Wednesday, November 2 at 9 am. There is even a LitterLotto app where Bristolians can join a free-to-enter prize draw to win huge jackpots just for binning their litter.
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