Case study of
#00085 Gamified and well-designed bins that make disposal easy and rewarding
Manchester, UK
#00094
SuccessCity
Implementer
Hubbub (with Manchester City Council, Southampton City Council, KFC)
Timeline
Since Jan 1, 2023
Location
Manchester, UK53.4808, -2.2426
Description
Hubbub extended its cigarette-butt Ballot Bin concept into a 'Big Ballot Bin' for general drinks and food waste, letting passers-by cast a vote by depositing litter in one of two slots. Deployed in partnership with Manchester City Council, Southampton City Council, and KFC. Before-and-after litter levels were measured within a 20 m radius using Ellipsis Earth machine-vision analysis, providing objective quantification.
Metrics
3Drinks litter within 20 m-70%
Food litter within 20 m-60%
Litter capture vs standard bin2.5xradius
Lessons learned
- The gamified voting mechanic that proved effective for cigarette butts transfers to everyday drinks and food packaging — no separate design rationale needed.
- Litter reduction effects are highly localised: measure and report results within roughly a 20 m radius of each bin placement.
- Using independent machine-vision analysis (Ellipsis Earth) for before/after measurement avoids self-report bias and strengthens credibility with funders and councils.
Documented Jun 26, 2026