Fish: Our Secret Weapon Against Litter

Hubbub has been running award-winning litter campaigns since #NeatStreets in Westminster showed that positive, playful, inventive campaigns can have a huge impact. But litter remains a sticky, unglamorous problem, often seen as an issue for enforcement rather than encouragement and innovation.

Yet there is cause for optimism. Blue Planet II and the media storm around marine litter and plastics has created a huge opportunity for all of us working to stem the tide of litter, as two of our recent campaigns demonstrate:

Brighton & Hove Council engaged Hubbub to develop a litter campaign throughout the summer last year. We developed Streets Ahead, a campaign that showed how litter travels from the land to the sea, and inspired locals and tourists alike to look after the seafront.

While Streets Ahead was keeping litter out of the sea, we also launched For Fish’s Sake, or #FFSLDN, which focused on the River Thames, right on Hubbub’s doorstep. #FFSLDN highlighted the link between the city streets and the water: three-quarters of the 300 tonnes of rubbish pulled out of the Thames each year is food and drink related.

A POWERFUL HOOK

Both campaigns engaged huge numbers of people and generated extraordinary amounts of positive media coverage:

WHY ARE THESE CAMPAIGNS SO POPULAR AND NEWSWORTHY?

1. Promoting marine environments make people care much more about a campaign. We feel more emotionally connected to fish than litter!

2. Rivers and oceans are a source of inspiration for the campaigns. From Grate Art to our ‘Catch of the Day’ stall, Hubbub’s creative interventions stand out even more than usual.

3. Marine litter and the impact of plastics are among the most discussed issues of the day. These campaigns make the issues locally relevant and offer a chance to make a difference.

4. Marine litter campaigns have a real impact. Litter in our test area around London Bridge dropped by a third during #FFSLDN. Contact us for the impact reports (see below).

THE OPPORTUNITY

We recommend that councils, BIDs and businesses with a litter problem ride the current wave of support for initiatives that protect our waterways and oceans. Our campaigns can be adapted for any town or city, and we are happy to share what worked (and what didn’t). Get in touch and we'll send you more information and the relevant impact reports. I'll also discuss this topic at the Resourcing the Future conference on 13-14 June in London - drop me a line if you're going.

Meanwhile, the success of both #FFSLDN and Streets Ahead means we have second phases planned. If you live in west London or support Brighton & Hove AFC then you'll be seeing them soon...

Get in touch: [email protected] / 020 7301 7545

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