Case study of
#00085 Gamified and well-designed bins that make disposal easy and rewarding
Manchester, UK
#00075
SuccessCity
Implementer
Hubbub (with Manchester City Council, Southampton City Council, KFC)
Timeline
Since Jan 1, 2023
Location
Manchester, UK53.4808, -2.2426
Description
An eight-week 2023 pilot of the "Big Ballot Bin" — a general-waste version of Hubbub's cigarette voting bin — placing voting bins at litter hotspots in Manchester (and Southampton), with KFC as a partner. People "vote" on a question by which slot they bin their waste in. Independent machine-vision surveying by Ellipsis Earth measured litter within 20 m before and after.
Metrics
3Drinks-related litter within 20 m~70% reduction
Food-related litter within 20 m~60% reduction
Capture radius vs a standard bin2.5×
Lessons learned
- Gamified 'voting' disposal works for general waste, not just cigarette butts — the mechanic transfers beyond cigarette bins.
- Impact was measured objectively via machine-vision surveying (Ellipsis Earth), providing credible before/after data replicators can reference.
- The litter-reduction effect is local (within ~20 m), so benefit scales with the number of bins placed at confirmed hotspots rather than spread evenly.
Documented Jun 26, 2026