Apologies to those for whom this article is behind a paywall, but if you are a Times subscriber this is an impressive and interesting study and worth reading.
Glow-in-the-dark bins show litterers the light on Bournemouth beach
Using drones and analysis of the litter they observed, glow-in-the-dark bins and ‘ballot bins’ (which make depositing litter the subject of a fun preference question) were installed in strategic locations on Bournemouth beach.
An reduction of 88 per cent in glass bottles and aluminium cans was observed as a result of the glow-in-the-dark bins and ballot bins resulted in a 73 per cent reduction in discarded cigarette butts.
To ensure a fair comparison, one side of the beach used this approach while the other did not – overall, on the side which had the trial a 79 per cent reduction in litter was observed while there was no reduction on the other side.
The project was funded by McDonald’s, the drones were operated by Ellipsis Earth and the project was carried out by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council in partnership with Hubbub, an environmental charity.
