Chewing gum bins in sticky situation

By gum! Three quarters of Welsh capital’s Gumdrop bins torn down

Cardiff’s Gumdrop bins were sadly not as sturdy as this one from Liverpool. Image credit: Ben Sutherland

Three quarters of Cardiff’s pink chewing gum bins have been torn down or gone missing, just three months after being installed.

Cardiff council placed 100 of the Gumdrop bins in the bustling city centre in August 2013. However, Grangetown councillor Ashley Govier revealed at the 21 November council meeting that 75-80% of the bins had disappeared, saying: “People are clearly taking them for souvenirs.”

He also disclosed that the city’s administration was having to rethink the strategy, stating: “Whilst the Gumdrop bins worked well in Cardiff’s surrounding suburbs, the manufacturer’s design requires adaptation in order to withstand vandalism in such a busy environment.”

The surviving bins will remain in place for four more weeks, after which the council will assess whether they succeeded in reducing the amount of gum on the streets of the Welsh capital.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7OHG7tHrNM[/youtube]

Watch the famous Crying Indian advert from 1971

Many consider chewing gum litter to be a scourge. Image credit: Dave 77459 on Flickr

Bringing litter to a sticky end

There’s something about tackling litter that brings out people’s creative sides. Here are some of the more interesting efforts that worked – and one that didn’t.

As Cardiff has shown, not all anti-littering campaigns work out. Bradford Council had to beat a hasty retreat after planning to issue anti-littering leaflets specifically targeted at Muslims, with Councillor John Robertshaw branding them “outrageous” and arguing that they implied that littering was more prevalent among Muslims than other groups in the city.

The campaigns aren’t all bad, though. One of the most successful anti-littering schemes was the famous Crying Indian advert created for Earth Day in 1971 by non-profit groups Keep America Beautiful and the Ad Council. It won two Clio awards, inspired America’s fledgling environmental movement and, by 1983, had helped reduce littering by 88% in 38 American states.

Moreover, when American film director David Lynch took up the task of discouraging littering among New York City residents in 1991, he created a distinctive advert that was both atmospheric and downright disturbing. The commercial, made with cinematographer Frederick Elmes, is strikingly industrial in tone and links littering to the prospect of rat infestation. But be warned: it’s not for the faint-hearted.

And for those who still refuse to pick up their litter – well, there might just be dire consequences, according to this mock public service announcement by Joey Sammartino:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzHY9aSPgT4[/youtube]

Ashley Govier, Bradford, Cardif Council, chewing gum, Crying Indian, David Lynch, Earth Day, gum, litter, littering, New York City, vandalism